Mutech RM-Kanda Hayabusa Stereo MC Phono Cartridge
Eiji Kanda is known as the inventor of the yoke-less ring-magnet MC cartridge design. His idea was to locate the core and coil material within the magnet of the motor, facilitated by a tiny square opening. This eliminated the need for a yoke, utilised the maximum power of the magnet and resulted in no disturbance of the magnetic flux. This allowed the design to have fewer coil turns with very low impedance and high output. At the time there was no known material that could facilitate the design. Pure iron was unsuitable because of the saturation of magnetic force. After many years of research and metallurgy investigations, he developed a new material named ‘SS-μM’ (μ is pronounced ‘MU’).
This discovery made it possible to build this cartridge design. The term ‘yoke-less’ refers to the absence of a traditional yoke in the design and the term ‘Ring Magnet’ refers to the shape of the magnet in the design. Incidentally, the magnet is the strongest available neodymium type #50. The ideal of low impedance and high output is considered the holy grail of MC cartridge design and this was a ground-breaking innovation.
The RM-Kanda Hayabusa is a newest cartridge model and represents a significant improvement in sound quality from RM-Kagayaki. It features the simplified architecture of the RM-KANDA designs, but it aims at higher sound quality by using higher grade parts and a more robust chassis. The RM-Kanda Hayabusa has a wonderful combination of qualities – energy, silence, dynamics, flow and detail. With its stiffer chassis, it delivers low frequencies with more heft and presence as well as an overall more accurate sound. The proprietary ‘SS – μM’ core material inside the magnet and the adopted bobbin material of their exclusive design achieves low impedance and also a high output of 0.5mV.
AC magnetic properties are vastly improved and magnetic distortion is thoroughly suppressed. As the resistance value of the coil decreases, the current value with respect to the voltage increases. Therefore, the phase distortion is reduced to the minimum limit. Internal loss is reduced and noise reduction is dramatically improved. Finally, MUTECH’s specially designed suspension wire also contributes to the enhanced sound quality. These engineering attributes manifest sonically as incredible rendition of inner detail, the expression of very subtle timbral & spatial information as well as very low distortion and colouration. The Hayabusa has instantly become a modern classic.
This is a real giant killer cartridge resulting from an idea that formed in the mind of a great cartridge craftsman decades ago and then made a reality once the materials technologies were available. It will hold its own when compared to cartridges 2-3 times its price and can certainly be considered a true reference product. A paradigm shifting musical experience!
Features
- Low impedance High output (0.45mV) with placing original Core (SS-μM) into the magnetic material Neodymium.
- The yoke has been removed and the core (SS-μM) has been placed into the ring magnet directly. This improves the quality of the magnetic field and magnetic distortion is avoided.
- The impedance of the coil is so small that an electric current to the voltage becomes high.
- Unique custom-made suspension wire results in high sound quality.
Reviews
Image HiFi (German), 2021
I can only marvel at the insights this system gives me, and it clearly reminds me of the Lyra Atlas, which, by the way, is also constructed without a yoke but with a double magnet. Hayabusa and Atlas offer a view of the music like a reflective surface of the sea in glaring sunlight: breathtakingly beautiful and sometimes almost terrifyingly clear.
Analog Corner, Michael Fremer, 2019
I took an immediate liking to the sound of this Japanese cartridge… The RM-Kanda makes use of the familiar combination of boron cantilever and nude semi-line-contact stylus (Ogura PA) found on other costly Japanese cartridges — except that this isn’t a costly Japanese cartridge… considering its construction quality and that MuTech, while not well known in the US, has been building cartridges (and supplying parts) for others for more than 50 years, and that this sample was easy to set up, with crosstalk and channel-balance measurements that matched its published specs, I’d say it’s great value for money. But only if it sounds good. Which it did… I was floored by the rich harmonic palette and vividly three-dimensional picture… It certainly demonstrated both the MuTech RM-Kanda’s harmonic richness and flat full-range response.
Product Specifications
Model
RM-Kanda Hayabusa
Type
MC Stereo Phono Cartridge
Generator System
Yoke-less Ring Magnet Moving Coil (MC)
Output Voltage
0.45mV (1kHz, 3.45cm/sec)
Frequency Response
10Hz – 45kHz
Coil Impedance (DCR)
1.5Ω
Channel Separation (Crosstalk)
>30dB (1kHz)
Channel Balance
<0.5dB (1kHz)
Tracking Force
1.8–2.0g
Stylus Profile
Semi-Line Contact
Cantilever
φ0.3mm Nude Boron (3mm × 30mm)
Magnet
Neodymium #50
Terminal Finish
Rhodium-Plated
Weight
9g
Warranty
2 Years
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