Nagaoka MP-150, opinions?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Phono Groove, May 13, 2018.

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  1. Phono Groove

    Phono Groove Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Montreal, Quebec
    I am looking to replace my audio technica at140mlb with another cartridge. I've been looking into the nagaoka mp-150 for a different sound signature... What do you guys think of this cartridge?
     
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  2. mertoo

    mertoo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Turkey
  3. Phono Groove

    Phono Groove Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Montreal, Quebec
    Thanks I had seen Ian's review was wondering if any members on this forum would share their experience. Doesn't seem like a popular cart but it is still intriguing...
     
  4. allied333

    allied333 Audiophile

    Location:
    nowhere
    I had a MP-110 that would be similar in sound to the MP-150. I found the MP-110 boring but did nothing wrong on my system. I settled on a VM540ML for a more lively sound.
     
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  5. mertoo

    mertoo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Turkey
    I had the MP-110 for a while but the sound was too warm/laid back for my taste. I switched to Ortofon Blue and it was much better in all departments, musical, dynamic, detailed, punchy but not bright, very good bass and soundstage. Ian thinks 110 is better but I disagree. I can't say anything about MP-150 cause never heard one but I can recommend the Ortofon Bronze which is my current cartridge, all of Blue's qualities plus amazing detail and clarity. I'm a big fan of the Ortofon 2M series, I started with Red and each upgrade has been great after that, my next cart will definetely be the Black.
     
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  6. juno6000

    juno6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pembroke Pines, FL
    I have an MP-150.
    I preferred it to the ortophone super 20 I had. This is the polar opposite.
    Bass is nice. Highs are nice. Extended but not piercing. Mids are smooth warm and pleasing. Overall it is a very balanced and has more output than the MP-200. I think it is worth the price over the MP-110. It is what I would call a warm cartridge, meaning it is not sterile or anemic sounding. I do not like the Ortofon house sound at all, which I find sterile and anemic, and shrill in the highs. Boring. It is not warm as in in fuzzy, cloudy, muddled. It is a very musical cart. I listen to a lot of jazz, sinatra, Julie London and also a lot of 80s alt and new wave and classic rock.. This cart really delivers. It can rock and croon with aplomb. I love it and will stick with Nagaoka forever, I imagine as far as MM carts go. Well....I think it is a really moving iron...
     
  7. ranch 22b

    ranch 22b Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    I'd like to try a MP-150 (or 200) some day. I wish Nagaoka would have picked different colors for their cartridges though. Also, they seem awfully pricey for what one gets. I should have bought one before the big price increase a few years ago but was (still am) really into Grado at the time.
     
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  8. juno6000

    juno6000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pembroke Pines, FL
    I know. I got mine right before the price increase just before Needle Dr. Stopped carrying them due, I am pretty certain, to the price increase. I agree their pricing is too high. They ARE really wonderful cartridges though. I'm glad I got mine when I did. I wish I had just got the 500.....
     
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  9. displayname

    displayname Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas
    I have the MP-150 and came from the 2M Blue. In my system I viewed it as an upgrade because it accomplished the goals I was looking for. In my system the I found the 2M Blue to be a touch bright, and Nagaoka had me curious. I got a good price on one, so I pulled the trigger. Soundstage and imaging are fairly similar. Highs are smoother. Bass seemed lighter but after some break in I actually ended up turning my sub down the slightest bit. The bass is a little cleaner in my system as well.

    I'm not familiar with the AT you have, but hopefully my comparisons to the Blue are helpful.
     
    juno6000 likes this.
  10. Johnnotrich

    Johnnotrich Member

    Location:
    Brighton
     
  11. Johnnotrich

    Johnnotrich Member

    Location:
    Brighton
    I don't know very much about audiophile stuff, I'm simply not rich enough. But I absolutely love my nagaoka 1110. I've got a basic system, and the naga just sings, it's beautiful to my ears. Miles, miles better than the ortofons to my ears. I do think it's about your ears, though. I'm very sensitive to bright, harsh sounding music, and although I can see that a rega p3 with KEF speakers is great in some ways, to me it just sounds like a good CD, which is not what I want. The naga transformed my system into the sweet, musical thing I always wanted.
     
  12. 80sFan

    80sFan Well-Known Member

    Ive heard nice things about AT products, i have a MP110 (diy home made headshell wires). Its very nice cartridge warm, not anything too bright nor dull, maybe neutral, though with my set up musical as well. I have an old empire 2000e/111 with jico stylus, MP110 vs it (different amp, different opamp) empire is slightly better but more costly in aftermarket stlyus. MP11 i had, had great life on the stylus
     
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  13. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Not even close.
     
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  14. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Ive said this before. My MP-200 is good, it has a smooth sound which means its a bit EQ leaning on the low side, giving you less harshness and more low end overall than lets say Ortofon or ATs more balanced spectrums from what I understand. The good thing about the 150 and slightly more so the 200 is the imaging and vibrancy to to speak. This is especially good for lets say Jazz because it brings the soundstage forward and in a clear arrangement.
    The 110 is not as good at this and is closer compared to the 100 since those share bodies.

    The biggest con with Nagaoka for me is the lack of high quality styli. None except the 500 give you a well performing and gentle playback diamond so if youre worried about that then be very hessitant. Also the low end EQ lean has grown a little tiresome to my liking as I wish I had something brighter to compensate for muffled cuts. Thats system dependant however.
     
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  15. rasputin1

    rasputin1 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    New York
    I’ve had all three starting with the 110, 200 and finally the 150 based on the many great reviews. For me the 150 is the one. It has great balance, powerful bass perfectly balanced by a crystalline top), way more detail than the 110 (on really good recordings) but without the slight graininess/hardness of the 200, at least in my system. The big selling point of the 200 is of course it’s boron cantilever. However I’ve learned that not all boron cantilevers are created equal. Ideally the stone should be friction set into the laser cut cantilever then lightly glued on top. An example would be the ATOC9. This method maintains the low moving mass of the nude stone/boron combination. Unfortunately the stone of the 200 is not set into the cantilever, instead it is glued onto (not thru) the bottom of the cantilever (using lots of unsightly glue), compromising rigidity and adding mass, and negating the advantage of the nude tip/boron combination. My ears tell me the 200 is less transparent sounding overall than the 150.
     
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  16. Joop

    Joop Forum Resident

    I use both 2m blue and MP200. It can be tonearm dependent how it works out. I enjoy both tremendously. Right now I enjoy the vibrant reproduction of the blue. In a while I’m sure I feel that the MP200 can’t be beaten. I have to say that the MP200 is more quiet in the grooves and les sensitive for distortion.

    I like the retro look of the MP150 green.
     
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  17. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    Its easy to hear its imaging advantages over the 150 on these Jazz examples:
     
  18. cjc

    cjc Senior Member

    So if I want a more neutral/balanced cartridge, the MP-110 is what I should pick?
     
  19. Cyclone Ranger

    Cyclone Ranger New old stock

    Location:
    Best Coast USA
    No, I think the 150 (and 200) is considerably closer to neutral than the 110.

    The 110 is a 'warmer' full-bodied sounding cart that's good at keeping bad or harsh-sounding systems and vinyl that's in less than good condition from sounding as bad as they are. But it still sounds good on good systems and with good vinyl.
    .
     
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  20. cjc

    cjc Senior Member

    That makes the MP-110 a good buy for me...most of my collection is clean but used 1960'-80s' rock n roll.
     
    Cyclone Ranger likes this.
  21. Leonthepro

    Leonthepro Skeptically Optimistic

    Location:
    Sweden
    I actually think most of the Nagaoka line is a bit low end leaning. Ortofon has been neutral in more examples that I have heard. But it all depends on the system in its entirety.

    Same here, but I have an MP-200 with a Paratrace stylus. If your records are really beat then maybe the 110 is better though.
     
  22. rasputin1

    rasputin1 Well-Known Member

    Location:
    New York
    Never heard of MP200 Paratrace tip. Who sells that?
     
  23. perfectpawn

    perfectpawn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    I've been thinking a lot about getting an MP 110 or 150 because I suspect it is a better match for my Pioneer Pl-518's heavy tonearm than the current cart I am using, which is an old Audio-Technica 152LP. This was apparently their top cartridge in the early eighties, however I am just using a basic elliptical stylus by EVG Japan on it. It sounds incredible, but the compliance is not a good match for my tonearm. My only concern is I have become so used to the dynamic range of this AT cart that everything else will now sound muddled to me. I have noticed many people claim that their Nagaoka sounds boring. However others claim that it is a "true" vinyl sound and love it.
     
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  24. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    Custom retip job through Expert Stylus, probably. They can put their "Paratrace" on a lot of cartridges.
     
  25. Blowby

    Blowby Static lp

    Location:
    Colorado
    Concerned on life span based on the website info. I assume they suggest for optimal SQ and the life for most users fall into the standard 800-1000 hours if maintained appropriately.

    Nagaoka Data

    The stylus replacement interval varies depending on the using conditions. But for general use at home, the reference time is between 150-200 hours in which the stylus begin to wear and the tone quality deteriorates.
     
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