Hana Umami Red or Lyra Kleos?

@tablejockey  : That could means only that's what he like but not tell us if is the " adequated "  tonearm option. 

Good for you that like unipivots that again are the worst tonearm kind of design for any cartridge can shows at its best that must be the target in any cartridge/tonearm combination. 

R.

Edcyn. thanks for answering my question to you. On this subject I was reading a review of the Hana Umami Red last night that addressed the warmth question.. The reviewer was thinking at first when doing a demo, that the Umami Red was warm like you describe your Hana ML. But then when trying it out with other equipment he found it not to be. He finally decided in his estimation the Hana Umami was neutral and only reflected the degree of warmth of the other components.

Interesting you say the difference in your Hana and the Lyra wasn’t night and day. The sense I’ve been getting so far from researching online is that is the case between the two carts under discussion overall.

Davyf, thanks for your response to my question to you as well. One of the reasons I chose the Magico A3’s is that they are revealing. I’d hate to loose any of that quality with the Umami, but on the other maybe they could stand a little warmth in the mix, if the Umami Red’s are indeed warm. I really have to find a way to listen to both, preferably in the same system.

It’s interesting you say the Kleos needs a precise set up. A couple of reviewers said the same thing. I’m going to have a pro do mine whatever choice is made, as I’m strictly the amateur hour in setting up a turntable.

Fstein, answer to your question is ’yes". And nice use of the word "fungible"..

Tablejockey, my only question on the Soundsmith is whether that particular cartridge, the Soundsmith "The Voice" fits that mold with the Classic 2’s JMW 10.5i’. Interesting you mention Lederman demoed his cartridges with VPI’s. I wonder which ones? Somebody I read last night mentioned he heard Mr. Weisfeld demo his turntables at a show with a Lyra cartridge

Like mentioned earlier the Zephyr was designed with VPI turntables in mind, but maybe others in their line their might work. I’ll let you know what Soundsmith says if and when I hear back from them. Thanks

Raul, appreciate your input. Would you have any preference between the
Lyra Kleos or the Hana Umami Red?

Mike

skyscraper,

Yes, about 10 years ago, I had the pleasure of just Peter and myself in his room at a show. He demoed several carts including the Voice on a VPI HRX with his bookshelves. I was impressed with what was heard on his little bookshelves

Sounding like a broken record-I’ve shared this particular part of my experience with Mr Soundsmith in other threads.

In the end, it’s what your ears feel comfortable with along with your wallet. There is something about ANY cartridge on a particular arm that you could pick apart.

Since we share the same table, thought I would give my $.0002 cents worth(adjusted for inflation)

FWIW-The Audio Technica ART9 is a cart in the $1K price point that will easily compete with carts 2X the price. I have used both SS and AT on my VPI Classic.

Mike, what Raul is trying to tell you is that no cartridge is going to perform at it's best in a unipivot arm. The results are less predictable and will always be substandard. In general more compliant cartridges will perform better in unipivot arms but the limiting factor is the mass of the arm.

You would do yourself a service by switching to VPI's gimbal arm. It is not perfect but it is far better than any unipivot. 

As an aside, any Lyra cartridge is superior to any Hana cartridge. Putting these two cartridges in the same sentence is a huge insult to Lyra. Hana cartidges have become popular because they are cheap. That is what they are, cheap cartridges. There are many high output cartridges for even less money that significantly outperform any Hana cartridge. If you want a less expensive MC cartridge get an Audio Technica. 

@skyscraper The Sound Smith Hyperion is just more fleshed out than the Kleos—more “real”.  It has a better/stronger bass foundation, and everything else just seems to build on that foundation.