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Nagaoka MP500

M

Mr Pig

^'- -'^
Considering cartridges and I've veering towards this guy.

Reviews are all good, forum opinions are all good and it looks like it might be the kind of sound I want. I love the Rega Exact and I think the Nagaoka might be similar but a bit better.

Other carts I considered, Rega Ania Pro. Plain vanilla Ania seems to be loved only by people who haven't heard my other cartridges! The Pro has a decent stylus and looks more sensible but too few good vibes about it. If it was a great cartridge I think we'd know about it by now but who knows. The Exact does not get the praise it deserves.

Dynavector 20x2L is another contender. No one dislikes Dynavector cartridges and it looks good but part of me wonders if some of the sonic traits I like are characteristics of MM carts so the MP500 might actually be better. Plus the running costs will be lower on a MM cart.

So opinions on the MP500 welcome? I know Tony loves them.
 
I like mine a lot, but I’m not certain you would given your stated tastes/priorities. I’d describe it as a refined, warm and balanced cartridge that gets right out of the way and can track anything cleanly. It is not ‘edge of the seat’, ‘in your face’ etc, likely more appropriate to jazz and classical listeners than pop & rock listeners craving a live/gig feeling (it will show a recording as what it is). That said it can still pack a heck of a punch. I worked through a few early ‘80s 12” singles last night as a result of the ongoing music room thread and they sounded great; massive and really punchy. Basically if you want a more refined AT95E this isn’t it, it’s probably more at the Koetsu end of MMs character-wise. Big-boned, refined, natural, unaggressive. I like a lot of quite extreme music (free jazz, industrial, techno etc) and this cart can play it without losing the plot. Again it is a refinement thing, but in a direct A B with some carts I’m certain some would describe it as ‘boring’. It isn’t at all, but I tend to think a lot of hi-fi adds an artifice and edge that isn’t right at all.

I’ll be interested what others add.

PS One big bonus is the MI design doesn’t seem to care about capacitance much, certainly way less than modern Ortofons or ATs.
 
I used an MP-500 for 5 or 6 years across a wide range of music, from jazz to reggae, psych, metal and electronica. I found it very capable whatever was playing.
 
Agree with Waxy and Tony, especially “Big-boned, refined, natural, unaggressive” - hard trick to pull off, putting some of those things together.
 
Seanm said:
Agree with Waxy and Tony, especially “Big-boned, refined, natural, unaggressive” - hard trick to pull off, putting some of those things together.
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I'm not sure why Tony might say it's maybe not that suited to rock? Is it lacking in dynamics? Is it not as full bodied as the Exact?
 
I currently have an MP500 on my Rega P8. Next to it is my PTP Solid 9/PU7 with an Ortofon Winfeld Ti. Both are connected to the same Nagra VPS phono stage, which has both MM and MC inputs.

The MP500 is really very good indeed, and is not embarrassed when compared with the Windfeld Ti, which is 5 or 6 times the price. I agree with Tony that it just plays music and gets out of the way. It has a sound that is warm, rich and full, but still manages to be detailed and tracks well.

I also found the MP500 much better than the MP300 and worth the extra. On my P8 the arm is perfectly level without a spacer, so it seems to be an ideal height for Rega turntables.
 
RossB said:
On my P8 the arm is perfectly level without a spacer, so it seems to be an ideal height for Rega turntables.
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It looks taller than a Rega cart. I've got an RB3000 on an LP12 but if height was an issue I'd just fit a spacer.
 
I should have mentioned that I use an RB2000 on my P8, although the arm height should be the same. Have you checked that the arm is level with your Exact?
 
RossB said:
Have you checked that the arm is level with your Exact?
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It isn't. It's tail down slightly. I have tried it with a 2mm shim but I didn't think it was helping any. But if the Nagaoka adds another 4.5mm to an already tail-down set up I really think you'd need to fix it.

Yeah, I'm sure all Rega arms will be a similar height! ;0) Out of interest, what difference did you notice between the RB2000 and the 808? It's unusual for people to change the arms on Rega turntables but it seems like a viable idea to me.

I would expect the RB2000 to be more open, dynamic and 'cleaner' sounding?
 
I used an mp-500 as a replacement from an Exact on the RP6 I used to have. Can only say it was a definite improvement. It did "slow" the music prt down a little, but added more detail and musical sound and bigger sound stage.
Bettered to my ears by a move to Quintet Black, then to DV 20xl2, but that was on a RP8, then onto a WT Simplex even better, now an xx2 mk2.
 
That's surprising, since I have used some quite tall cartridges - eg Ortofon Cadenza, XX2 as well as the Nagaoka - either without spacers or with 2mm.

I found that the RB2000 was a small but noticeable improvement in resolution, particularly with respect to tonality. My RB2000 is also re-wired with Cardas wire, which makes another small difference. I had bought the RB2000 initially to use with my PTP before I got the PU7, but since I had it I decided to put it on the P8. It is a very good arm.

I have used the RB2000 and RB808 on both the P8 and the PTP, and it is surprising how much of the Rega sound is due to the tonearm.
 
Big boned, refined, natural, warm, full, rich, these are all adjectives I would use to describe the MP-500 sound. I have mine mounted on an LP12/Ittok, with the arm set level. This cartridge doesn't hype up the sound like so many others do for effect. I use mine with 1.69 gms tracking force and a bias of 1.0, and the stylus tracks anything. I've just finished running in a new stylus, and it sounds wonderful. I had about 1000 hrs on the original.
 
johnacurtis said:
It did "slow" the music prt down a little, but added more detail and musical sound and bigger sound stage.
Click to expand...

I don't like the sound of that, although I do like the sound of the other things you mention. Where does the 20x2L fit in?

RossB said:
..and it is surprising how much of the Rega sound is due to the tonearm.
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I agree but I would say it is surprising how much of the performance is due to the arms. What I mean is that arms are very neutral but high performance for their price. For example the RP10 had an RB2000 on it but I couldn't get on with the sound of that deck. I knew it wasn't that arm though and put an RB3000 on my LP12 and it's brilliant.

The arms don't really have a character of their own, they just get more transparent as they get better. I know they're already the best selling and most popular arms in the world but they still deserve to be more popular! You rarely see an LP12 with a Rega arm for instance and that's mental. At the lower end, any Rega arm destroys a Basik, trades punches with an Akito and a modded one or RB2000/3000 is better than an Ittok or Ekos. I've had LP12s for thirty years and I've tried a few carts on this one and I'm always left with the feeling that the RB3000 is a fantastic arm. Just gets out of the way and lets the music through.
 
when i first played this cartridge it gave me the same thrill as when I fitted a Stanton 681xxx to my first system in the mid 70's. obviously the Nagaoka and present system is superior, stunning for me. i do not play much vinyl at the mo, but when i do it draws me in and everything else is put to one side, peace, if that makes sense. even bought a replacement stylus, do not want to be without this baby

nod to the overseer for a great tip
 
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