Mounting Hana EL on RP6 (RB330)

Hi All,

Apologies if posting in a wrong thread…
Seems that i have rushed a bit with ordering a HANA EL cartridge to replace my current AT-VMN95SH mounted on my RB330 RP6… Been reading some people post about spacers, and that it can sort of ruin a true sound of Rega. Anyways, I’ve ordered one original Rega 2mm shim “just in case” HANA EL would require adjusting VTA.
Question is whether using spacers for HANA EL is considered inevitable or it can be simply mounted without using the shim? In any case what am i going to miss in case i don’t add a spacer? From what i found on the forum, HANA’s height is 15mm, so is the AT-VMN95SH.
It’s my first try with MC low output cartridge, so i wanted to check how it will potentially improve a sound over my AT-VMN95SH.

Any feedback/comment would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
A.

I mount a Hana SL on a P8 and a Hana EH on a P3. No shims.

I looked at the Hana ML and decided it would need a shim.

Thank you @bruss. Forgot to mention that i have installed Achromat mat 3mm on a platter which i really like in terms of sound, no static and simply aesthetics :slight_smile: Is that something that should also be taken into consideration?

I would say yes. The standard mat is only just clear.

1 Like

How do you like your Hana SL so far?

Excellent cart. I run it in to a GoldNote PH 10. I have used it with the Rega fono mc. The PH 10 is considerably better.

1 Like

The standard mat is supposed to be 3mm I believe.

1 Like

If you’ve changed the mat you’ve already lost “the true sound of the Rega” so why worry about a Rega supplied shim? Whether you need it is another matter.
The suggestion is that the top of the cartridge be horizontal (some arm tubes are tapered but if not then the arm is too) but often on a deck with proper adjustability I end up with the arm slightly tail down when I’m happy with the sound. It will have had greater effect on a Shabata stylus than it will on an elliptical so if the AT was OK then the Hana will be too but the only real way is to compare with and without the shim, adjusting the final VTF by ear for each.

1 Like

Nothing, it’ll be fine.

And I think I remember reading that’s what Rega says as well, that VTA isn’t important. Although I can’t find the reference right now.

2 Likes

Thanks @Yeti ! That is very valuable info. I’ll try to play around with and w/o shim and report back :wink:

It may or may not be helpful but the only AT cart I tried was the mm Audio Technica VM540ML.on the P3. That needed a shim. The rear just caught the vinyl surface. Clear on completely flat vinyl but any bumps caused it to ride.

I’m using VMN95SH with no issues at all. Still have some space between styli and LP. But i believe it’s mainly because of the cartridge form-factor which is quite different from VM540ML…

Hana SL should be ok without a shim but the ML(H) would need one as its a couple of mm taller.

Shim will make no difference to the sound though. Hana makes great carts at all their various price points - I intended to have an ML on my P8 but I managed to get a really good deal on a display model P8 with an Apheta 3 fitted so I went with that. The Hana’s I’ve heard though sounded divine. Very lush and rich sounding…

2 Likes

Absolutely right.
I recently made the change from SL to ML and my Linn Ekos had to be adjusted such that it’s finger-lift is now uncomfortably close to the LP12’s lid when the arm is simply laid on its armrest. The arm now has to be on a record or ‘clipped in’ to the rest, for the lid to show a comfortable clearance.

1 Like

Rega say don’t use shims.
I’ve tried on a P9 with and without…prefered without.
I no longer bother to ask myself the question.

1 Like

To be precise, Roy Gandy is saying that yes, there may well be a small impact of VTA if everything else is equal, but in practice everything else is NOT equal.

  • The small possible changes at the arm base are dwarfed by the inevitable larger changes of record thickness and inconsistent cutting angle when producing the record
  • Making small adjustments at the arm base is therefore not worth the inevitably worse coupling between arm and turntable

I think you may be referring to this:
https://mackiefamily.unospace.net/documents/regaonvta.html

The Rega book may be interesting for anyone who wants to know more about Rega’s approach to TT design

3 Likes

Thanks for sharing @Suedkiez ! Much appreciated :blush:

1 Like

My dealer tried without the shim and with a 3 mn shim ( on the Rb3000). He found the sound was clearly better with the 3 mn spacer on the arm base, with the Lyra Kleos cart on P10. Michael Fremer recommended me the shim for the Kleos too on my P10.

Maybe it wouldn’t be the same with another cartridge. The ears is the best way to find.

2 Likes

I have the Hana EL on my P3 - no shims.

Thanks @micksimon31 . Are you experiencing any sibilance? I don’t use shims either and have played quite a bit with adjusting the cartridge. Finally ended up with great sound and almost no IGD. Seems to me, the more it breaks-in the better sound is :slight_smile: