2. analog
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Clearaudio Maestro V2 Ebony has eclipsed Hana SL

I've been randomly switching back and forth between the two just to save wear and tear, but in the past few months I have to admit that the Maestro seems to outperform the Hana in terms of clarity, projection, and presence, while the Hana still holds the top in terms of detail. 

 

They're both quite good and even tho the Maestro is 2x the price of the Hana, the difference isn't 2x as good. But it goes to show that a good MM cartridge can be just as satisfying as an MC cartridge (given a tonearm that is matches with both, of course).

 

Question: Why does it seem like my Hana (MC, 0.5 mV) picks up more dust clicks and pops than the Maestro (MM, 3.6 mV)? Is it the higher gain I set my pre to?

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Showing 1 response by markrj

markrj
2 posts
 

I had both the Hana SL and Clearaudio Maestro v2 installed on identical VPI unipivot tonearms. It makes A/B comparisons very easy. I do have to switch the settings on my Mudical Surroundings Phonomena II + phono preamp. I have since upgraded the SL to an ML. Still have the Maestro v2. I find the Maestro v2 to be not as warm or as detailed as the ML. I world have to remount the SL to A/B them again. It’s been a while but I remember it being very much the same story except the ML produces more midrange detail vs. the SL

 

I do switch between them every couple of months to save wear and tear and enjoy both of them. If I didn’t have two tonearms, and couldn’t do easy comparisons, I would be happy with either of them.

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