First impressions of the Nagaoka MP-110 phono cartridge

I'm gonna be taking my LP120 to a gentleman so he can remove the preamp and I'll ask him to check the alignment while he's at it. The guys at LPGEAR don't really like me at the moment.

 

I just got the MP200 today as well, thank god for tax refund uh.. anyway. compared the 2 however both are no where near broken in at all, I cant tell any real difference between either. The at 120/B CART SOUNDS LOUDER AND MORE DETAILED THAN BOTH. BUT NOT TO SAY THAT THE NAGA'S HAVE A SOUND ALL THeiR OWN/ sorry for cap's.. I will give them both more time. certain records the sound great on, like my original 2112, and dreamboat annie, sound excellent. then some of my countdown shows doesn't go over as well.. but will keep breaking them in.. I was expecting to see a great difference between the 110 and 200 and there just isn't one. Now another good point about these naga's is they are very quiet and the pops and surface noise isn't a issue unless its unavoidable..

 

I have the 200 and I cant see a substantial difference..

 

A lot depends on the music you're listening to and your associated equipment. The 110 is a great cart especially for the money. And I actually prefer it when I'm listening to hard rock like The Stooges or Zeppelin. But for non-amplified music like classical or jazz, the 200 offers more clarity and detail in the mids plus a smoother and "airy" upper range.

It is very slight but I do notice the difference. It is very easy for me to switch from the 110 to the 200 stylus. It only takes a few seconds in fact.

If I only had the 110, I could be very happy listening to everything with it. But the 200 definitely does offer a more refined sound that is noticeable with some music.

 

yes, I agree it does depend on your records and music.. the AT carts offer more detail but totally lack bass..

 

Henry, how is the tracking on the 200 compared to the 110? My 110 has some sibilance issues, even on new records.

 

I have my 200 tracked at 1.3 and it seems fine... sibilance can also be caused by worn out old records too

 

I totally understand hearing it on old records, but there's a few new records I have that also have sibilance in certain spots. Maybe they just need to be cleaned, I don't know. Luckily there is a record store near me that has a VPI machine and charges only $1.50 to clean LP's

 

Hey @Ben Adams thanks again for the tip (I think dating back to the 2015 Rush threads). I finally picked up the MP-110 and set it up over the weekend. Only had a chance to drop the needle briefly after setup, but I liked what I heard!

Admittedly I was going from a pretty modest setup... but the 110 is definitely an upgrade for me... will be spending more time in the near future spinning the black circles and will update accordingly...

 

Hi, I'll be in Montreal in few weeks and I was wondering if there is any Hi-fi store that I can buy the MP-110???

 

The only two stores in Montreal that carry it are Aux 33 Tours and Son Ideal:

Son Ideal - Montreal's high-end audio store for over 40 years »

Accueil »

 

You're very fast, thank you, I appreciate it.

 

I got mine on ebay from a Japan seller, seemed to be the best deal I could find (~$100 USD) not sure what it will cost in the store but FYI on that.....

still only played a small sampling of albums, with everything else going on I don't get a lot of "free" time to play my albums.... but so far so good. The MP-110 is a nice cartridge.

 

Thanks for the recommendation on the MP-110 everyone



I love the little screwdriver they include

 

Sweet....enjoy it! The differences after the break in period are not subtle, so don't get discouraged. The bass will seem muddy at first, and kind of dull, but once that gets tamed you are in for a treat. Excellent tracker as well and really diminishes surface noise.

 

Apologies for going slightly off topic. What would be an upgrade if I would like to have a more resolved sound without loosing the characteristics of the Nagaoka MP-110? I do like the MP-110 and it is my go to cartridge beside my AT 95E and 92ECD. I have glanced at the MP-500 but I find it a little bit too expensive. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!

 

When my Nagaoka needed changing, I wanted to try something different and went with the Ortofon 2M Blue. Very happy I did.

 

Got my MP110 less than a week ago and can say its a incredible cart. I have so far only had the AT95E so I guess anything else is an upgrade. The clarity and details are real and substantial. Some of my previously unplayable albums like Jesus & Mary Chain's Psychocandy is now on constant rotation using the MP110. My copy of r.e.m's Green which used to skip all over the place is now flawless. Can't wait for the cart to break in and enjoy it even more!

 

Replace the stylus with a JN-P 200, bit more finesse...

 

Thanks! Will do after my 11o is worn out.

 

I for one was not disappointed. The switch retained the basic sound of the MP 110 cart but with more detail and top end extension. Low end seemed a bit less strong though...

 

Thank you! From what you are describing an upgrade to the JN-P 200 would make sense. My speakers are towards being at the laid back side of things and my amp is a little bit round at the bottom end. I have always preferred accurate bass (or less of it) before much or bloated bass.

Even though I like Nina Nastasia's records very much and I think Steve Albini is a genius behind the mixer, but sometimes her records are a little bit too lush and silky with the MP-110 and my set up.

 

I'm starting to break in a Nag 110, at first it's a little bit bright and edgy but after about 25 hours it starts to mellow out, and you get that silky smoothness. Its great a minimizing noise (one of the best of the carts Ive tried over the years). IMO I think the Nag 110 work best with classical and jazz. Not feeling it with harder style rock (thats what my Dynavector 20x2 is for). One of the best bangs for the bucks, no doubt.

 

tevens

Hi, Im planning on buying the MP 110 for my RP1 too. I have the basic RP1 (not performance pack) which comes with the Rega Carbon Cart. Im quite nervous about setting up a new car since I've never done it before. Is the MP 110 worth the investment? Could you please tell me what I need to do to remove my old cart and add the MP 110. I downloaded the Rega Stevenson protractor and plan to get a Stylus Force Scale Guage Tester. What else do I need?

 

Been there, done this with an MP110 years ago on a p1. You need time, patience, rest, and when it's not been a bad day for you. Difficult? No! Just use care. The clips/cartridge tags need to be handled gently with tweezers or small needle nose pliers. Look at the arm just aft of the headshell > you'll see the wires going to your cart coming out of a gray foam stuffing > those wires are soldered to the tone arm wires. Do not apply any force to them - they can separate. The whole procedure is just a few minutes, but you don't want to be rushed. Also, a magnifying glass might be handy.