Cartridge under £500

Currently I have a MP110 and really like it. But as always I am looking to the next step.
Is £500 enough to get a lower end MC cartridge ie Denon DL103R or am I better off sticking to MM at this price point?
Any thoughts or recommendations welcome.

 

Pretty sure your existing Nagaoka is compatible with styli from further up the range. These are available on eBay from Japan for considerably less than £500. Around £200 last time I looked.

 

Lotta previous threads, it's a popular price point and topic nowadays, but while I'm here, I'd look at what kind of UK deal you could get on the new Audio-Technica AT-OC9XML, this new line has threaded aluminum bodies that make it somewhat easier to mount, list price with VAT is well under £500. There's some great deals around on the older AT-OC9/III too, it has a more advanced stylus shape than the AT-OC9XML version (Special Line Conract versus MicroLine) but is otherwise almost the same as the higher up new model AT-OC9XSL, minus the threaded body. Some places on ebay offering it for as low as $400 now.

What's best for you might also depend on a lot of other factors not mentioned, things like tonearm and phono preamp, listening habits and music preferences, vinyl condition, how critical you are when listening, system transparency, whether dealer support is needed for installation and followup, etc.

Your top five LOMC cartridges new under $500

 

And the long and winding AT33PTG/II thread: Best cartridge you've never heard of: the Audio-Technica AT33PTG/II

jeff

 

MM - MP300/500 , 2M Bronze/black

 

I doubt a preamp like the Mani is going to get the best out of a 500 GBP MC cart. Further, the DL103 has a very specific use case in mind which may or may not be compatible with your system and expectations. Personally I would look at getting a high performance MM cart first, and a better phono preamp to go with it. Then if you still feel a need to explore MC, go for it then.

 

I suggest a Denon DL-110. Still a moving coil, but with a better stylus than the Nag. Not dissimilar in SQ, either, as far as house sounds go.

 

Thank you for all you help and suggestions.

 

Yes, but thing is, just putting say an mp200 stylus on an mp110 body doesn’t turn it into an mp200, as the mp200 has a different (and better) body than the mp110. You might see some benefit from doing so, but not nearly the whole ball of wax.

Basically, the 10o and the 110 share a common body, as do the 150 and 200, and the 300 and 500. So really, the best Naga carts to do the ‘upgrade via needle swap’ are the 100, 150, and 300, which can all go up one level in the lineup via the appropriate Naga stylus swap. For example a 150 with a 200 stylus on it really is a true 200, except for the color.

There are also aftermarket companies that make stylus upgrades, but I’d think Naga would be the best at tuning their styli to work the best with a Naga body and provide ‘the Naga sound’... since that’s exactly what they’re all about.
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