Nagaoka MP200 Experience

Hi Guys,

I've been reading this forum for a few months now. Been a long time guitar audio geek and got a turntable very recently - a Rega P3 2016 (stock Elys 2) with a Vincent Pho8 and Klipsch R41PM speakers.

The system sounds great but I wasn't very happy with the bass response and some of the highs would get a bit muddled at higher volumes. I was blaming the speakers as they have this "fake bass" support option to compensate the lack of a sub. I can't have a sub cause I live in an apartment and I just didnt have the budget for it at this point. After much reading, I saw the low reviews the Elys was getting and decided it would be a good test to get a new stylus..

Did a lot of reading and ended up on a Nagaoka MP 200. Got it from ebay for a decent price and as I write this, I am blown away. The bass is incredible. It's like i just cleaned a layer of gunk from the speakers - everything is much more clear and I am hearing things I had not heard before. They've really come alive and I can hear a pleasant separation between everything that's going on on the tracks.

Another thing to note is I didn't use a shim and my arm is relatively flat. Great sound improvement.

Just thought I'd share my experience and say thanks for all the good info on this site!

 

Usually what happens when you upgrade to anything, feels like you can hear new stuff, although you probably could on the old cart as well. The bass should be better on this one though, have fun with it.

 

Not surprising... MP200 is a great cart for the money. Nagaoka's only recently starting to get the buzz it deserves after many years of flying under the radar (Naga doesn't advertise).

Glad you dig it.
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Sounds like you did well. I have always wanted to try a Nagoaka cartridge. I don't remember ever reading about a negative experience with them.

 

Yes!

The world famous astonishing bass of Nagaoka cartridges!

Well done!

 

Not surprised, I have both a MP110 and MP200, the 200 is such a great cart for the money. Grant it they are like $100 more now than when I bought, but still. Plus Nagaoka does an amazing job at killing surface noise, I think that is a reason they are so musical.

 

Was between this and a Denon DL 110. Been trying different records over the last few days and its incredible the difference the cart has on the overall sound. Even on some heavier rock albums (iron maiden, wolfmother) it sounds great.

 

Glad to hear about another happy MP 200 user, and what's really nice it won't be expensive at all when it's time to replace

 

I might have to try one then. I have a couple of DL-110 cartridges. One is mounted on a Pioneer PL-800. I seems to do well on that deck. However, I was not too impressed on the SL-1200G.

 

I finally got around to changing out my 2M Blue on my Rega Planar 3 for a MP-200, which was on my Technics SL-1200mk5. It sounded great on that deck but on the Rega it really sings. Bass is incredible with 4mm of spacers and it just breathes so much life into the recordings. I haven't had hair stand up on the back of my neck in a while, but man, this combination is killer.

 

Does anyone know if Nagaoka has a certain cleaner for their styli? I only trust what the manufacturer recommends.

 

Nagaoka AM-801/2 Stylus Cleaner

 

Thanks. I realized that it might not be a perfect fit however as I retipped my stylus by a third party company. So they might have used another glue. I guess it should still be safe though.

 

Yes Nagaokas own stylus cleaner is Nagaoka Hi Clean AM801 and it's alcohol based I believe. I use Lyra SPT and have done so for many years with great results, it's non-alcohol based, very lenient (enzyme based- non-aggressive for the glue) and very effective. Highly recommended!

 

The Nagaoka cartridges have had a buzz around them as a low cost/high value alternative since the mid- to late-1980s.

 

Maybe, but it it’s still a pretty small circle of ppl who knew.

Naga does not advertise. AT and Ortofon are probably 20x more well-known in general.
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I lucked into my Naga cart. Bought a PLX-1000 turntable from a person on here, local to me. It came with an MP-150 cart. It sounded good but I was getting a little distortion in some areas so, not knowing the age on it, I bought a replacement MP-200 stylus on eBay. Immediately on that table, I noticed a nice jump up in clarity, and I just chalked it up to a fresh tip. But then when I installed the green/purple combo on my Sol with its 11" Unipivot arm... wow. I've owned some really nice carts in the past but I am beyond happy with everything the 200 presents. Very believable imaging, good slam and great dynamics. Untangles complex metal passages that are not easy to track, much less present coherently. When this one is used up, I'll get a replacement 200 stylus but then move up to a full MP-500 setup and keep the purple/green (I love that combo for some reason with the 150 body and 200 stylus) as a backup.

And I have to say - of all the tables, arms, and cart combos I've had - not one has been so rewarding sonically AND been so forgiving of slight imperfections. Tics and pops still happen occasionally but they don't really draw so much attention to themselves. Yet it's not a reduction in treble energy, at least not to my ears.

Could not be happier, sincerely.

 

The 150 and 200 have the same internals so it works interchangably with the styli. The 300 and 500 have a different body however so putting a 500 stylus on the green 150 body is not recommended.

 

Correct. So, when he put a 200 stylus on a 150 body, all he did was make himself a different-colored mp200.

Which is excellent, color aside.
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I thought I was clear but maybe I was not. I don't intend to put a 500 stylus on the 150 body. I'll get a full MP-500, and keep the 150/200 combo as a backup.

 

I felt like it could be interpreted both ways. Thats the way to do it.

 

Way back in the 1980s I had a Nagaoka MP11 cartridge. At the time it was a cheap, good quality alternative to some of the big names. One of the things I really liked about it was the ability to change the stylus. Most of its competitors were throw away or mail in stylus replacements, with the MP11 you could buy a replacement and install it yourself. Good to know they're still around.

 

PS- Actually, my previous post was off... your first sentence is correct, but the second is not... the 300 and 500 do share the same body.

But then you talk about non-(good)compatibility between the 500 stylus and the 150 body, so perhaps the mention of the 300 was a typo?

Just trying not to confuse ppl.
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Yeah, the 300 and 500 share body but its different from all the other bodies in the series.

 

Ah, I see what you’re saying now.

And for anyone reading who’s still confused:

Mp100 and 110: same body
150 and 200: same body
300 and 500: same body
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