Nagaoka MP 110 Hi-Fi turntable cartridge systems

Given the similarity of pricing between the MP 110 and the Ortofon 2M Red I think its probably worthwhile offering my thoughts and comparisons having just replaced a 2M with the Nagaoka on my Rega. Having owned a 2M Red for a couple of years I have to disagree with comments regarding its "Over-analytical" nature. The 2M is a very fine first upgrade cartridge. It has a refined sound, solid bass and its slightly "rolled-off" top end, contrasting sharply with its bigger brother 2M Blue which offers an almost CD- like sound. In short, it is an extremely good-looking, easy to fit cartridge, that gives a controlled performance across all genres of music. My first impressions of the MP110 were firstly its classic square style but nonetheless nice looks. Despite not having the captive screws of the 2M it was again easy to fit and set up. Initially listening to a familiar recording like Fleetwood Mac's rumours I felt the output of the Nagaoka was below that of the ortofon and I found myself increasing the volume on my Arcam fmj A19 amp to compensate. That said, the Nagaoka offered a much fuller bass and a very musical and involving mid band. Everything has a downside and I found the treble of the 110 a little brittle and metalic, very unlike the smooth understated nature of the Ortofon. With a little perseverance,and half a dozen albums later the top end was softening a little and by day two I was listening to a very nice top end and surface noise levels comparable to the Ortofon I'm now firmly of the view that the 2M's strong point is its ability to play any genre of music competently. The MP 110 offers a similar performance, but just shades it if your record collection is predominantly rock as it is the more musical of the two and although slightly less detailed, is just a little bit more exciting.

I upgraded my previous cartridge (rega elys 2) to the Nagaoka 110 having read all of the possitive feedback it was getting. My advise to potential buyers; Do not expect everything to improve. This is not to say that the cartridge is bad, just that you will get a very different sound. Id say that 87% of my music collection sounds better having switched to the nagaoka but there where a few things the elys captured better, even if i cant put my finger on exactly what. The nagaoka improves ambience, smoothness, bass and vocals. It reduces surface noise yet the quiet parts of my music are crystal clear. Unlike the eyls 2 it needed break in of 35 hour's although it was a pleasure to listen to from the start. Realism is generally better. I think ill make this my permanent turntable cartridge. Music better with Nagaoka mp110; Beach House- "Depression cherry" Grizzly Bear - "Yellow House" Tangerine Dream - "Zeit " Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - Euclid Good Morning - Shawcross Nat Adderley - Work Song Mogwai - Ten Rapid Alain Goraguer - La planète sauvage Radiohead - OK Computer Daniel Bachman - The Morning Star Sun Ra - Of Abstract Dreams Anything by composer Arvo Part Better on the Elys 2 Miles Davis - 'Round About Midnight Marvin Gaye - What's Going On BADBADNOTGOOD - IV Hope this helps you make a decision.

Great value for money. This cart and Nagaoka in general should be considered when choosing a budget cartridge (competitors would be goldring or ortofon) I actually replaced a goldring 2200 with the nagaoka mp110 and the 110 compares favourably although I need more time to decide what my preference is sound wise. One slight advantage the goldring had over the nag is the goldring (and others like it) are installed using only 2 top screws. However the nag also requires 2 nuts to be screwed on the underside of the cart. If like me, your head shell is fixed and not removable, installation requires a little more time and care. Very satisfied. I would expect more dynamics from more expensive Nagaoka cartridges although I'm very impressed with the MP 110 for the price. Thoughts after a few hours of use is analytical with a sweet mid range.

I wanted a new cartridge for my upgraded Rega Planar 3 TT (arm rewired, metal sub-platter, new motor) which originally had the Rega Bias cartridge. Without being to able to listen subjectively I took a bit of a gamble based on the very favourable web reviews, but also considered the Ortofon 2M blue and AT-440 MLB. The Nagaoka seemed a good compromise on quality and price as I didn't want to spend a fortune, especially on a replacement stylus when the time comes to renew. The sound from the cartridge in my system is fantastic and at the price I paid (£81) it is a bargain! There is no hum, which I noticed with my old Rega cartridge, and sibiIance is very much reduced. Set up with a proper protractor was also easy due to the square sides of the cartridge. I did need to raise my RB300 tonearm by about 4 mm to keep level as the Nagoaka is quite boxy, but would suggest you buy cycle headset washers at 50p each rather than the £££ charged specifically for similar "audiophile" items! I would thoroughly recommend.

I'm using this on a Linn LP12 turntable fitted with an Alphason tonearm and running through a Musical Fidelity V90-LPS phono stage. This is paired with valve amplification. The Nagaoka replaced a Lyra Clavis da Capo low output moving coil which cost over £1,000 new. I don't really miss the Clavis as my record collection (mostly second hand and hand me downs rather than Audiophile pressings) sounds better through this having lower surface noise and a less analytical and more forgiving sound. I like vinyl to sound like vinyl not just another digital source. The fact that it's only £70 for a new stylus is a big bonus too.

Very nice warm sounding cartridge for the price can’t go wrong.

Purchase to replace my Nagaoka Mp11 boron cartridge. Delighted with sound quality of cartridge, very detailed and clear sound, good across all frequencies bass,midrange and treble. Also quite a high output cartridge so I don't need to turn volume up so much. Very easy to set up, took about ten minutes to get up and running. Delivery was really fast ordered afternoon one day delivered am the next day. A mention of Hi-fix supplier who where very helpful with advice and service, well done to them. Now looking forward to revisiting my record collection.

It replaced a Shure MX97XE cartridge which, through my ham fistedness, I damaged beyond repair. Using it on my Audio Technica AT-LP5 turntable, the MP110 has proved to be an even better cartridge than the Shure, being more tonally neutral, dynamic, coherent and surprisingly a better tracker of my more difficult to track records. With the vinyl playback revival gathering momentum, the price of cartridges are exponentially rising, the Nagaoka is one the better value for money, high performing ones, a vinyl enthusiast can buy right now. Highly recommended.

Excellent cartridge, has increased my listening enjoyment. I find myself excited to listen to favourite vinyl albums, the cartridge is particularly good on older pressings. Excellent value!

I like to buy used records and screen them on my vintage Denon DP-45F, a high(ish) end turntable from the 1980s. For perfect records, I like the Audio Technica MicroLine carts (line contact, which is the best way to record from perfect vinyl LPs), but for less than perfect records (which is most used records you might buy), I was quite happy with a handful of used, vintage Pickering V-15 series (with brand new styli, of course), because they're very forgiving of less than perfect records, and warm enough to forgive a lot of surface noise. Anyway, I bought this Nagaoka on a whim because I have multiple headshells and wanted to hear what other inexpensive carts sound like. When I got it mounted and set up, it sounded so good, I just never took it off again! Very clean, well taken care of records sound great! Warm, clear and crisp, while slightly worn, well loved party records sound decent too. Of course if you change cartridges, you have to know how to adjust the tracking alignment, tracking force and anti-skate to the specs in order to get the best results. If you have a turntable that came already set up with whatever cartridge it was sold with, then you need to know whether you can fit a different cart on it. (Most vintage and higher end modern turntables allow all the adjustments and they should be specified in the manual.) If you can't figure it out, consult your local phono-phile or look on line. If this cartridge sounds bad on your system, it's very likely you don't have it set up correctly, so check that before you complain. Could be an easy fix!

Der Tonabnehmer hat meiner Meinung nach einen ausgesprochen warmen Klang. In allen Bereichen sehr ausgewogen, sehr schmeichelhaft für meine Ohren. Ein ausgesprochen gutes Preis/Leistungs-Verhältnis. Nicht ganz so fein wie ein MC-Tonabnehmer, dafür funtkioniert er auch ohne Vorverstärker. Ich bin total zufrieden und kann den Kauf empfehlen.

Mamma mia, come suona bene! Ho provato diverse testine ed uso ancora la mia "vecchia" Stanton Epoch II ma questa Nagaoka è davvero qualcosa di incredibile. Io non sono un audiofilo ma quando ho messo il primo LP (Dark Side of the Moon) sul piatto la mia mascella è caduta per lo stupore ed il piacere. Suona bene, un suono dolce, preciso che valorizza ancora di più il vinile. Bassi presenti nella giusta misura, mai slabbrati ma pieni, potenti e ben frenati, alti ben delineati, mai sibilanti ed è un piacere sentirli e medi che fanno da raccordo tra bassi e alti senza mai essere invadenti. Una dinamicità incredibile che ti farebbe stare ore ad ascoltare un palcoscenico così aperto con strumenti ben identificabile ed una separazione dei canali corretta e veritiera. Sono ben consapevole che il giudizio su questi componenti è assolutamente soggettivo ma, credetemi sentire suonare la Nagaoka MP 110 è puro piacere. Ho anche deciso che, budget permettendo, ne compererò un'altra magari la sorella maggiore chissà, sognare è sempre bello. Comunque veramente grazie Nagaoka, mamma mia che meraviglia ascoltarti!

Very warm sound and easy on the ears. Found myself listening to my vinyls for several hours before my wife stopped me