Nagaoka MP110 where to buy online

I own the MP-110 and the 120e, FYI -- the 120e I don't find bright, but the MP-110 is definitely less bright than the 120e.

I use the MP-110 mainly for older mono jazz titles as is seems to gel better on my setup for that, but on rock/pop I rarely use it over my 120e or, more commonly, my 440mla. Just a personal preference as I find the 110 a bit too neutral, perhaps even a bit of an increase in the midrange, for my tastes.

 

Thanks for the feedback. My goal is to try my top 5 down the line. I'm just curious to see what's out there, and see how it will blend into my system. I can't say I don't like the AT120E, some LPs sound incredible, others not so much. Surface noise is an issue at times. I broke the stylus the other day and figured why not try something new? One of the sites has a plug in play combo for the AT440Mla that I'm considering as well. If I ever want to go back to the AT120 I'll just order a new stylus for my cart.

 

The 440mla is the one I use the most, but if you think the 120e is bright then you probably won't like the 440Mla as it's brighter than the 120e. But also more detailed and does an excellent job with IGD, more-so than the MP-110.

I have a Technics TT so I just swap out the headshells as needed as I feel each cart has its strengths. For most rock/pop I go with the 440 unless the LP was bright to begin with, so I use the 120e for those. And for jazz, expecially mono jazz, I usually pick the 110 as those two AT's can be a little over-the-top with cymbals whereas the 110 keeps it a bit more toned down.

As for surface noise, the 440Mla can be worst given how it brings out detail (so it brings out surface noise as well). I would say the 110 does a slightly better job with surface noise than the 120e, but not significantly better. Again it has a more subdued / neutral sound than the 120e so some LP's might have less sn because of that. But it comes at a price as LP's may not be as "lively" either.

 

Wow, thanks, that gives me a lot to think about before I place my order. What kind of headshell do you use? I want to order another one to set up this new cart and the prices range from $13 to $100, are the generic heads good enough, or will I hear a difference in sound with something a little more expensive with better wire leads?

 

I have several that I've just picked up over time but I don't think it makes that much of a difference in sound - certainly not the difference between carts anyway. I have an AT headshell, a no-name, an old Technics and an Ortofon that spent the most $ on (and I use that one on the 440 since I tend to use that cart the most). That Ortofon was $30 USD, I believe. Maybe if I had a high-end TT I'd consider something more expensive but my TT's are quite modest (used Technics 80's TT's that probably cost $150 new).

I also have an older Shure cartridge that I got with a TT I bought, it's close to the 120e in sound and generally use it on LP's of questionable quality where I just want to record it once but don't want to use a better needle on it where it could be damaged. LP's with heavy scratches and skips I need to fix, for example.

 

I placed an order with turntableneedles.com and went with the Nagaoka MP 110. Still have to look for an extra cart to install it on. I'd like to keep the current one set up with the AT120, as I plan to order a replacement stylus for it. This is the part I hate, I've never been comfortable with installing a new cart and always nervous I'll damage it in the process.

It will be cool to try a new cart and hear what sounds I'll get. Thanks again for your feedback, much appreciated.

 

I've been waiting for several months for Needle Doctor to get restocked with the MP110 stylus. I just e-mailed Nagaoka to see what it would cost to buy and get it shipped to the US directly through them.

 

Try the site I used, it cost $61 for the stylus plus shipping and the site gets great service reviews. I was impressed with them, I had questions and they called me yesterday and took the time to go over a few things. I can't wait to try this cart, supposedly it's a great match with my system.

 

It took me a few tries with replacing the stylus before I felt comfortable with it -- now I can pop it off with no problems (as you probably read, the 440Mla stylus can use the same housing as the 120e, and vice versa). Basically you press down and out and it will come off, it's a specific action to do it.

 

Yes I had read that, and I might actually pick up the stylus for the AT440 and give it a go, since it will fit the housing for the AT120. I was wondering if I could get your opinion? I just came back from my record shop where I bought 2 new headshells, and the guy behind the counter told me I should upgrade the lead wires, so he sold me a new set of gold cartridge leads to replace the ones that came with the headshell. In looking at them when I got home I realized that the wires are not covered in a protective plastic seal, they are exposed. Could this pose an issue?

 

I bought a MP110 and a Clearaudio Concept MC from lpgear and everything looked legit to me.

 

I'm far from an expert but it could be a little cramped in the headshell, to keep the wires apart (if that's even needed -- I guess you'll find out when you set it up).

 

I e-mailed Nagaoka yesterday to see if I could buy an MP110 replacement stylus directly from them. Their answer: "Would you please contact Needledoctor?" No reference to any other US dealer.

 

When I spoke to a rep at Turntableneedles.com, he confirmed that Needledoctor is the only offical vendor in the US, but that other sites sell the authentic ones as well, it's just that they get their stock from 3rd party suppliers in Japan, and not directly through Nagaoka like needle doctor does. I asked him if this would affect the warranty in any way, and he told me no, if I received a damaged product they would replace it. He said most people don't care where the product comes from as long as they are getting a legit authentic Nagaoka cart.

 

Thank you very much for that, vinyl fan! Much appreciate your follow up.

 

No problem, it's my pleasure. I know how people feel when they want to order something, and they want to make sure they are getting what they paid for. I have to say I was really impressed with the sales team over at turntableneedles.com, impressed they called my home and had all the answers I was looking for. I liked that he didn't just blow off my question with a generic response, he was honest and told me where they get their products from. Very cool. So I placed the order with them, and I should have it in about a week. Also, their shipping is way lower than Needle Doctor. I live in Canada so Needle Doctor wanted to charge me $30 to send a Technics overhang gauge, because they deal with DHL. Turntableneedles.com only charged me $19 to send the Nagaoka cart, so their shipping was a lot more reasonable. I'll post my feedback once I get the cart and how everything went.

 

Through experience, going from a brighter cart to a warmer one (in my case a Nag) can be a real "what the...?" moment. It's easy (and incorrect) to think you've bought a dull old duffer when you're used to having all that HF energy coming at you.

Let your ears adjust - you'll suddenly have an "Oh - I get it now" moment - Nags can sort of creep up on you a bit. One thing you'll notice straight away is the way it suppresses surface noise though - that's genuinely uncanny.

 

Thanks for that info, very cool. I was a little concerned when everyone kept telling me it's really warm. I'm just coming from the point of view that I really want to hear something different. I love the AT120E, and lately it's been sounding really good. I thought the stylus was broken but it turned out it was the wiring in the headshell. Swapped for a new shell and voila, back to normal. It will be fun to compare them. I also bought an extra headshell so I can swap them out easily when I want a change.

 

I was surprised, too, at how much less surface noise I heard. And I had a similar experience adjusting to the Nagaoka. My first thought was that it was kind of dull, but the more I listened, the more I liked what I was hearing.

 

I'm not trying to changer the subject because I'm a huge Nag MP110 fan, but this thread shows what happens when people are civil to each other and share a lot of info - I've learned a lot and I've had a lot confirmed. This thread is what these forums are supposed to be all about > "We're all in this together." Kudos to all!

 

I think the reason is nobody is treating this like a competition. I don't know how the Nagaoka MP110 compares to the other carts mentioned here because I haven't heard them, but I can share my experiences and thoughts, because they might be helpful to somebody.

 

Well said! It is nice to be part of a thread to share info, and hopefully learn something new from each other. I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned from the fine people that make up this board. Respect one another, we may not always agree, but I know I can learn something from everyone.

 

Exactly. I like to share thoughts, my good experiences and bad ones too. Someone might learn something from it, others may not have the same experiences, but as long as we don't treat this as competition, and keep an open mind, we'll be alright

 

Just got my Nagaoka MP110 from turntableneedles.com. Talk about fast shipping, received it in a week and I'm very impressed with the packaging. Hefty packaging to protect it during shipment and this is an authentic cart. I really like the design of how the cart comes packaged when shipped from Japan. Tonight I'll install it and report back on how it sounds.

 

Can't wait to hear what you think! My MP110's hooked back up at the moment so I can needledrop some stuff with too much surface noise for my M97xE/Jico SAS combo, and I'm really enjoying the change at the moment. And I have it aligned well enough that so far IGD hasn't been a bummer.