NAGAOKA Cartridge MP Series - MP-110 Record Cartridge

I have always used moving magnet phono cartridges. I recently came to the conclusion that new cartridges outperformed vintage ones, so I had been using an Audio Technica VM520 and was very happy with it. I had no reason to upgrade. Then I started reading and watching reviews of the Nagaoka MP-110. Reviewers all said how amazing this cartridge was and how I should run out and get one...today! I was intrigued. The deciding factor was that this is not a moving magnet cartridge (or moving coil). It is a moving permalloy. Basically, a cartridge with the high output of a MM but with the sonic improvements of a MC. The permalloy material is lighter so the stylus cantilever is not dragging heavy magnets around. The stylus is free to more accurately track the groove. The elliptical stylus is also .4x.7 instead of the usual .3x.7. This was described by some reviewers to provide better contact with the groove and sound better with older, worn records. OK....I'm in. I installed the MP-110 on my AR XA turntable, set the tracking force to the middle of the recommended range and adjusted the overhang to reduce tracking error. I decided to play only vintage records. No remastered stuff. From the very first play I was amazed. I had come to accept a certain amount of distortion, especially in the high end and a certain amount of reduced low end from records. It was just inherent in the medium, I thought. Well, this MP-110 cartridge proves that it can be eliminated, if not greatly reduced, at least. The sound from this cartridge is so clean and crisp you have to remind yourself that you are listening to a record. The low end is amazing on this cartridge. Acoustic guitars sound like real acoustic guitars with realistic low end. Every bit of overdrive and fuzz on electric guitars is there. Guitar effects like flanging, phase and Leslie are clearly reproduced. Terry Kath's Telecaster never sounded so good. I look forward to playing every record I own in the coming months (and years) and rediscovering the music contained in those grooves. If you have only used MM cartridges because you didn't want to spend the money on an expensive MC cartridge (or don't have a MC phono stage), do yourself a favor and try out this Nagaoka. You will not be disappointed.

Look, I’m an idiot, okay? I had a really nice Ortofon Black that I straight up broke by dropping the tone arm and bending the stylus. (In this economy!) Long story short, I don’t have the money for a nice cartridge right now. But I didn’t want to go without records, so I bought this to hold me over. But after installing it myself (actually pretty easy to align because the front is so squared off) I realized it gets you pretty darn close to the quality of carts in the 600-800 range, at least for the kind of music I like—rock, pop, metal, hip-hop. Nothing audiophiley or fancy. Just solid, punchy bass and decent highs without being sharp. Not a lot of surface noise or other nonsense. Tracks well. Especially good for my vintage Motörhead records, which aren’t great recordings and weren’t cared for by the original owners. Is it as good as much more expansive carts? Not if you’re into 180 gram jazz. But if you’re a person trying to make rent, I don’t know why you wouldn’t get this.

Added the MP-200H Replacement Stylus JN-P200 to this cartridge for a wonderful sounding combination.

I ordered this to put on my RT-85 to see what all the reviewers were squawking about with the RT-85N. And to be honest, being a person that "dipped his toe in the audiophile water", I feel this stylus is just another stylus. Did this make my records sound "warmer and forgiving with album flaws?" Maybe. It is not as bright as the Ortofon 2M Blue, but it's not that much different. The price is not too bad compared to others. But if I had to choose one, it would be the Ortofon. Still, it would sound great to most normal music listeners.

I really like this Nagaoka cartridge. It tracks really well and it is forgiving in the inner grooves. You don't really hear a lot of hype about this brand but they are really good. I would highly recommend them.

Makes such a difference. I’m so glad I bought this.

In a previous review, I mentioned re-acquiring my 44yr old Kenwood turntable from my brother. Initially bought an inexpensive Audio-Technica AT-XP3/H combo as I wasn’t sure how the TT would function. After about 70hrs or so of use it seemed fine, so I decided to purchase the most recommended cartridge for the KD-3100. Wow! What an unexpected level of improvement. Just like some other reviews, I noticed subtleties in some of my vinyl that I didn’t notice with the AT cartridge. Very pleased after about 10hrs of use. One odd bit of info has to do with a 1975 3 record set I purchased that had never been opened. I played it with the AT cartridge and was disappointed with the quality. No pops or clicks, but just seemed very “muddy”. Played today with the MP-110 and they were like completely different albums. I’m still scratching my head on this one. Perhaps something about this old pressing?? Didn’t notice this with any of my other really old vinyl. Nonetheless, very pleased w/ the MP-110. You might notice that I mounted it in the AT headshell if you look closely. 😬