Can you run the HANA SL MC at 100 ohms?

 What is the internal resistance or source impedance of the Hana SL? 

Impedance: 30 ohms at 1Kz

30 ohms is pretty high for a cartridge of that output. At 100 ohms loading you’ll lose around 2.28 dB of signal in theory (relative to infinite ohms "no loading"; and about 1.65 dB down relative to the recommended 400 ohms loading, again in theory) and will start to induce some frequency response deviations from flat. But it will work, and only you can say whether you’ll like the effect.

As mulveling says, you will lose some output signal voltage at 100 ohms load, but also you will lose some extreme high frequency response.  The cartridge may sound a bit dull and rolled off with that load and a source impedance of 30 ohms, besides the penalty in over all gain.  However, it should be no big deal to change the load resistance afforded by your phono input, unless it uses an SUT to boost gain, in which case it gets a bit more complicated, but still not un-fixable.

I have a Hana EL which is basically the same thing specwise.I bought this from dB Systems: https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/60044/DB_Systems-DB_Systems_DBP-6_MC_Phono_Resistor_Loading_Kit-T...They will provide it with any value you want.  I got one for 400 ohms and it works great.That being said, it didn't sound bad at 100 ohms either.

My old dealer sold me one of those DB-Systems kits when I first got into vinyl, ~ 11 years ago. The adapter cable & plugs/jacks are very plain, and won’t satisfy anyone with audiophile nervosa and 4 or 5-figure cables, but the kit is very handy and it’s fun to play with the different loading values! If nothing else, it can help you hone in on the optimal loading for a cartridge before you explore more hard-wired loading solutions with exotic resistors. But I used ’em patched in full-time with my first Benz Glider and later an Ortofon Kontrapunkt "c", to good effect. Good to know they still make ’em.

The kit could use a few more values above 200, up to at least 1K, though. Right now it’s pretty much focused on low-output MC’s with less that 15 ohms coils. And that 10 ohms (or even 20 ohms), I can’t imagine ever using.

The 100-ohm load will not sound "bad" with these cartridges, either the SL or the EL, but the SQ will be colored to a degree by the effect of the load resistance on the HF response and on total gain. It’s OK to like it that way. Lots of guys load down the Denon DL103, which has a similarly high internal resistance, even below 100 ohms, and claim to love it.

But it should be a simple matter for any competent tech to open up the chassis of a phono stage and replace the phono load resistor with a more appropriate value. I would suggest 1K ohm and forgeddaboudit. If the LOMC gain is being generated via an SUT, then one trick would be to increase the value of the load resistor that is across the secondaries of the SUT, to a value that results in the desired higher impedance being seen at the primaries. For that, the tech would need to obtain information about the turns ratio of the SUT, as well, from the maker of the phono stage.

"The kit could use a few more values above 200, up to at least 1K, though. Right now it’s pretty much focused on low-output MC’s with less that 15 ohms coils. And that 10 ohms (or even 20 ohms), I can’t imagine ever using."
If you contact dB directly, they will provide the kit with whatever values you want.
I use lots of carts so I can't hard wire any exotic resistors.  Would be curious if I could hear any difference though!

thanks to all for the suggestions.I am reluctant to ad another " interconnect" between the phono cable and the phono preamp (all tube with SUT) in case it degrades the SQ but perhaps I am being too picky.I was wondering how do you make the calculation of loss of output based on the cartridge impedance?

@rrm
1. add up the coil ohms plus loading ohms, e.g. 30 + 100 = 130
2. divide the loading ohms by the number from step 1, e.g. 100 / 130 = 0.769
3. take the log (base 10) of the result from 2. and multiply that result by 20; that number represents the loss in dB versus a theoretical load of infinite resistance (i.e. NO load on the cartridge), e.g. 20 * log10(0.769) = -2.2788 dB

Calculate loss for other loading values and subtract them to determine relative losses.

just saw that a reviewer on TNT audio found that the Hana sounded better at 100 ohms than  the recommended 400 ohms............so its very unclear. Makes me as a potential buyer very hesitant since no dealer I know of  will let me return a cartridge if it doesnt sound right.

The MC load setting in your phono Preamp is set by a fixed resistor  - just change it if you know how to,  if not  have someone that does do it.

 Good Listening

Peter

Did you end up buying the cart? I hope you did. I've had mine for two months and it's glorious. I'm puzzled by what I've read here though. You said your "audiophile nervosa" has got you at 4 and 5 figure cables, wouldn't a Lyra, Van den Hull, Dynavector or a Soundsmith  or at least Hana's own ML model be more appropriate in such a system? Good luck
Sal