Nagaoka MP Cartridges
Nagaoka’s Moving Permalloy cartridges offer a clear progression from the accessible MP-100 to the flagship MP-700. As you move through the line, changes in stylus profile, cantilever material and generator design increase the cartridge’s ability to retrieve information from the record groove.
Backbeat Audio has selected four stereo models that show that progression particularly well, along with the dedicated MP-MONO.
Nagaoka MP-110
The MP-110 is an appealing starting point for someone looking beyond the cartridge supplied with many turntables. Its bonded elliptical diamond and aluminum cantilever are conventional choices, but the MP generator behind them gives the MP-110 its distinctly Nagaoka character.
It has a full-bodied, lively presentation and enough resolution to make a meaningful improvement to a good turntable. Its 5mV output also makes it an easy match for moving-magnet phono stages.
Price: $169
Nagaoka MP-200
The MP-200 is where the range takes a significant step. A boron cantilever replaces aluminum, while a nude elliptical diamond eliminates the additional mounting material of a bonded stylus. Both changes reduce moving mass and improve the stylus’ ability to follow rapid and subtle changes in the groove.
The result is greater articulation, spatial information and refinement without giving up the tonal richness associated with Nagaoka. The MP-200 occupies a particularly attractive position in the range for a listener looking for a substantial cartridge upgrade without moving into four-figure territory.
Price: $509
Nagaoka MP-500
The MP-500 retains a boron cantilever but moves to a line-contact diamond, giving the stylus a more sophisticated interface with the groove.
That greater contact allows the MP-500 to retrieve finer detail while maintaining excellent tracking and low distortion. Compared with the MP-200, the emphasis shifts toward transparency, resolution and a clearer view into the recording.
The changes extend beyond the stylus. The MP-500 uses a more substantial cartridge body and tightly couples the replaceable stylus assembly to it with a mechanical fastener. Its electrical specifications reflect the progression as well, with greater channel separation, tighter channel balance and wider frequency response than the MP-200.
Price: $949
Nagaoka MP-700
Introduced for Nagaoka’s 85th anniversary, the MP-700 is the current flagship and the most extensive development of the MP design in the range.
Its boron cantilever carries a nude MicroRidge diamond, while the generator incorporates a revised magnetic circuit and suspension. Those changes address the cartridge as a complete mechanical and electrical system rather than simply extending the progression of stylus profiles.
The MP-700 is particularly interesting because of where it sits in the analog landscape. It offers the tracking, resolution and refinement expected of a reference cartridge while retaining a healthy 4mV output and a replaceable stylus. For someone looking for qualities associated with a high-end moving-coil cartridge without requiring the additional gain of a low-output MC phono stage, the MP-700 makes a strong case for taking a different route: serious resolution and refinement, straightforward phono-stage compatibility, and a stylus you can replace when the time comes.
Price: $1,399
Nagaoka MP-MONO
The MP-MONO is designed from the ground up as a mono cartridge rather than summing the output of a stereo cartridge.
The MP-MONO distributed in the U.S. is supplied with a 0.7 mil elliptical stylus, making it appropriate for modern microgroove mono records.
Owners of earlier mono records have another option. The JN-PMONO 1.0E replacement stylus uses a larger 1.0 mil elliptical profile optimized for the wider grooves typically found on records from the 1940s and 1950s. Swapping the stylus allows one MP-MONO cartridge body to accommodate either application.
Price: $375 includes 0.7 mil stylus
Price: $269 JN-PMONO 1.0E stylus only
Specifications
| MP-110 | MP-200 | MP-500 | MP-700 | MP-MONO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Output: | 5mV | 4mV | 3mV | 4mV | 4mV |
| Frequency response: | 20Hz–20kHz | 20Hz–23kHz | 20Hz–25kHz | 20Hz–27kHz | 20Hz–20kHz |
| Tracking force: | 1.5–2.0g | 1.5–2.0g | 1.3–1.8g | 1.4g | 1.5–2.0g |
| Stylus: | Bonded elliptical | Nude elliptical | Line contact | Nude MicroRidge | Bonded elliptical |
| Cantilever: | Aluminum | Boron | Boron | Boron | Aluminum |
| Weight: | 6.5g | 6.5g | 7.8g | 8.0g | 6.5g |
Finding the right cartridge
A cartridge doesn’t work in isolation. Tonearm compatibility, phono-stage gain and loading, the records you play and the rest of the analog system all matter. Backbeat Audio can help you choose the right Nagaoka for your turntable, install and align it, and make sure the cartridge and phono stage are working well together.