Haniwa Audio HCTR01 Cartridge and HEQA01 Phono Equ Rare Used

I have for sale this very esoteric, state-of-the-art phono system: Cartridge and accompanying preamp, in like-new condition with very low hours, with all factory packaging.

The cartridge has a motor with very few windings, and is thus of extremely low internal impedance, but good compliance, able to track at astonishingly low weights. Output is a very healthy .35mV output.

The matching preamp is necessary to get the most from the cartridge, and I will not split them. They are meant to be used as a system.

(I have the outboard power supply and power cord also, of course.)

From Philip Holmes' stellar review of the Haniwa Audio HCTR01 Cartridge and HEQA01 Phono Equalizer, which rates the cartridge higher than top-end Koetsu, Audio Note, and other carts:

"If you think you know the Haniwa because you know the AirTight or MySonic, think again. Matsudaira developed the Haniwa HCTR01 with Renaissance-man, Dr. Tetsuo Kubo, owner/designer/president of Kubotek (Haniwa is a subsidiary of Kubotek). Dr. Kubo had different goals for the Haniwa cartridge; goals that differ significantly from the AirTight and MySonic designs. When I spoke with Dr. Kubo at RMAF ’09, he emphasized that twelve prototypes were built over a period of a few years to perfect what he wanted.

The results of the efforts are truly extreme. When used with the Haniwa phono stage (the subject of an addendum of this review), the cartridge’s VTF is from .6 to 1.0 grams, and when used with most other phono stages, VTF is from 1.0 to 1.5. The compliance is medium-high, closer to a Shure V15 than a DL103. Moving mass has been reduced as much as possible, which makes the high compliance and low tracking force possible. The line-contact stylus is connected to a boron cantilever; the windings have been reduced to such an extent that the output impedance is .8 ohms (eight tenths of one ohm—just so you know I meant what you just read), while still putting out a reasonable .35mV. The “healthy” output is made possible by the powerful magnetic circuit developed by Matsudaira-San. Fewer windings means lower impedance, lower mass, less inductance, better high-frequency extension, and according to Dr. Kubo, much less phase shift than more mundane moving coil offerings.

On paper at least, this is like having your cake and eating it, too. The promise is the tracking of the very best moving magnet, but without the high inductance that screws up high frequencies and phase. Because the Haniwa is a moving coil, it won’t be as affected by cable capacitance as a moving magnet. Looking at it differently, here is a moving coil that doesn’t have a ringing top-end, can track as good as anything, doesn’t chew up records, and doesn’t require the use of some forty-year-old tonearm with crap bearings, crap wiring, and detachable headshell."

...

"The first thing I noticed was that it tracked difficult records without stress and minimized the effect of vinyl deformations and damage. On passages that had previously elicited distortion from moving coils, the sound of the Haniwa was all calm and peacefulness. Indeed, it tracked like a Shure V15 or one of the top-end Audio-Technica moving magnets. But the Haniwa sounded better: more vivid, more focused, and more saturated. There were instances where the Haniwa coherently played through highly modulated cuts that sounded confused and constrained with other cartridges, MM or MC. The effect was kind of like going from an old pair of monkey coffins (JBL Century L100 comes to mind) to a panel with huge amps (something like Sanders ESL system).

On difficult records, layers of distortion were removed. Grunge was reduced to the point where many records sounded tape-like... there was a cumulative effect of greater ease, more linear frequency response, faster transients, and a more stable image."

...

"The highs of the Haniwa seem purer and more natural than any cartridge I’ve had in my system."

"Where the Haniwa is in rarefied air is its bass authority and tonality that nearly blows everything else out of the water. Except for the strain gauge cartridges, and a few moving magnets, the Haniwa is the absolute baddest-ass bass player on the market. It made my CD player sound puny in comparison. Granted, this bass performance came when used with the Haniwa phono stage..."

"The net result of the Haniwa’s miniscule mass, ultra low impedance, high compliance and useable output voltage is a natural ease that is head and shoulders above many competitors. Good analog tape (2-track at 15ips) is my base-line comparison. The absolute ease in the way the Haniwa presents itself is very much like tape."

"All cartridges and speakers will imprint their own peculiar character on the sound. Of the Shures, Audio-Technicas, ZYX R1000 Airy3-X Silver Base & ZN, Lyra (Helikon and Dorian), Haniwa, AirTight, Soundsmith Sussurro, Decca C4e (Expert Stylus rebuild), strain gauge (Panasonic and Win), and ones I’ve heard for shorter periods like the Koetsu Coralstone, Audio Note, Allaerts, and Clearauio, [deep breath] *** the Haniwa comes closest to the absolute God’s-honest-truth in a cartridge***. Not only did every record take on a more distinct personality of its own, but adjustments in VTA, VTF, overhang, and bias were easier to hear and understand."

...

"**Every time I feel like analog has finally hit a wall, and can’t improve appreciably, a new wave of gear hits that seems to redefine what the state-of-the-art is.**"

The main reason for the sale is that I'm once again out of vinyl altogether. I have no turntable to run this cart/preamp with. I took the pair on trade (for a set of $8500 speakers).

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