Hana SH vs ortafon 2m Black

Thanks for your response. The Hana is as you described smooth musical low noise. Turning up the volume is fine up to about 75% then I start getting tube rash or something like that and I feel I am pushing the limits of the amp. Now when I have it at that level with my digital side Its clear and very load. Its still not a deal breaker Im keeping my Hana because its getting better and better as it is breaking in. A phono amp with a gain control will work for the right price. Project has one for a decent price Im not sure if it is better then my rogue phono stage though. What brand is your phono pre?

What brand is your phono pre?

My phono pre is a somewhat obscure and hard to find MAGI Phonomenal . I think the new ones run about $1K or maybe a couple hundred north of that. I got mine used in 2014 for $1K. It’s an all tube handwired PTP unit that uses a quartet of 6DJ8 family tubes. I’ve swapped in 6922s and 7308s with various effects, but eventually settled on Soviet Military surplus 6N1Ps, the designer’s recommendation, which lowered the noise floor considerably.

I still think that upgrading your Rogue Cronus Magnum to a Magnum II would provide the extra gain you are looking for to flesh out that Hana.

It might be worth considering a step-up transformer for your Hana cart.  
Parks Audio makes one that is not too expensive and gets good reviews.  http://parksaudiollc.com/index.html#txt_162
SUTs are used with the MM setting on your phone preamp and will provide a nice boost to the MC signal.  If you read what Art Dudley has been writing about SUTs recently you might gain some useful info.  
Benefits beyond the extra gain you will get are lower noise and greater smoothness of the sound.  

"I don’t have experience with either cartridge, but — "

After acknowledging you don't know either cartridge, you offer a decisive opinion of both. How do you do that, it's a skill I'd like to learn...

"I don’t have experience with either cartridge, but — "

After acknowledging you don't know either cartridge, you offer a decisive opinion of both. How do you do that, it's a skill I'd like to learn...

I wrote:

I don’t have direct experience with either cartridge, but I *do* have experience with the Shibata stylus, high output MM carts, and (relatively) high output MC carts. I also have experience (from playing guitar) with the characteristics of alnico magnets on speakers and guitar pickups.

I only claimed some direct and some tangential experience with various elements of the cartridges in question. If you look at my response, I always present it as an opinion based on these tangential experiences.

The problem as presented by the OP is a rare situation that might not elicit any explicit responses. I was merely trying to present some information that might give the OP something to go on for further inquiry and evaluation, and was never intended nor presented as a definitive answer. 

The OP thanked me for my response. And you are ... what, the response police?