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Nagaoka MP500

krenzler said:
Just such a big price-hike for Nagaoka in the last decade or so.
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Yes, they are crazy expensive in the UK. I’ve had mine a long time now and I bought it far cheaper than any UK dealer was selling. Maybe from Thacker in Germany (before Brexit ruined everything), maybe straight from Japan. I can’t remember. For styluses I wait until eBay are having one of their 10-15% off coupon deals and then buy direct from Japan. IIRC the last two were about £160-180 each landed, i.e. well less than half the UK LOLprice. I’ve no idea why we are being ripped off to this extent on Nagaoka kit, but the inner sleeves seem way too expensive too compared to what they were. I don’t know who imports them, but I get the impression they are taking the piss.
 
There was an issue with the importer until recently - they were all but unavailable apparently.
 
As Tony says, the styli are reasonably priced from Japan it's just the initial outlay for the whole unit. I am sorely tempted with a 300 on the second deck when I finish it.
 
The MP500 is € 890 here. Madness. Who will buy an MM cartridge, basically a very old design, at that silly price?
 
chartz said:
Who will buy an MM cartridge, basically a very old design, at that silly price?
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It is too dear due to import shenanigans for sure, but I still feel it holds its ground. I don’t view it as a “worse” cartridge to the more expensive ones I’ve owned in the past (e.g. Dynavector XX1L, Lyra Lydian B, ATOC9, AT33PTG etc etc). Almost all cartridges are an old design! Nothing is new in this realm which is why ancient designs such as the SPU, 103, Decca and the Nagaokas remain so competitive. If Shure brought back the V15/III it would sell in bucket loads as it is still a great cartridge. Same with say Linn and their Troika.

FWIW I also don’t think MC carts are inherently superior to MM, MI, or whatever the hell a Decca is. All have their slightly conflicting positives and negatives. I try not to allow fashion to factor in my choice these days and buy what fits my precise purpose the best. The MP-500 is a very, very good match with my turntable, arm and phono stage. As a complete vinyl replay combo I am very happy with it.
 
I have an MP500 - I bought i Japan.
Very underrated cartridge. Get over the "it's only an MM" aspect and judge it on sonic performance.
I've had some very silly priced MC's over the years, the MP500 is still able to convey the magic of an LP record.
I love mine and if/when I upgrade, it will have to be something very special indeed to get a quantifiable upgrade from the sound I hear and enjoy now.

BTW, to save anyone asking who doesn't know. LP12, karousel, trampolin 2, kore, lingo 4, akito 3B - all on a Traget wall shelf and into a Luxman EQ-500.
 
I currently have an Ortofon 2M Black on my Rega RP6, which I'm sure is now getting a little tired. Rather than just replace the style, I'd wondered about trying Nagaoka, but don't often see them mentioned in the same context in use with Rega decks. Anyone tried a Nagaoka on a Rega TT? Also, how'd a 2M Black compare?
 
Agree with Tony, that’s a perceptive review. As Matt points out a lot of the expense is in the cartridge body. I’ve just bought a new stylus for mine from Japan, at a cost of around £250 I think, including the customs I got caught with. Bargain compared with the £1300 it would now cost me to replace my Art9, which I only marginally prefer.
 
gavreid said:
Nags work well on Rega arms. Likely track better than the 2M Bronze and Black too.
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Ah, that's great, good to read, thanks for the info. Going to do a little Googling to see if there's much written about set up on Rega players. This thread being revived has been a nice reminder :)

Rushboy said:
I had annoying electrical discharges with Nagaoka MP 300 and Rega Planar 8.
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Did you mange to solve the problem?
 
BlueYeti said:
Ah, that's great, good to read, thanks for the info. Going to do a little Googling to see if there's much written about set up on Rega players. This thread being revived has been a nice reminder :)



Did you mange to solve the problem?
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No, I sold the Nagaoka, I didn't like the sound of it either.
 
FWIW this is my take on the Nag MP500.

I don't know if its turntable/arm dependent* but i found that using a modded technics 1210/100C with the
Nag MP500, it had the sort of characteristics which people admire about the cart: Rich full mid and slightly laidback presentation.

But when put up against a top flight MM like the Audio technica 540ML/740 i felt the AT cart communicated much better, but with a leaner sound. Some may prefer the Nag but i didn't find it improved on any
on the 500 series qualities in terms of detail, separation or tracking ability.

When you look at that within the context of the (vast) price difference between the two - 540ML £ 220. Nag MP500 £ 800
then there was no comparison - the Audio technica won. I can appreciate that, depending on your system, the AT sound may not suit you but it shows that price is not a good
indicator of any carts quality.

(*I would like to hear the Nagaoka with some different decks and arms to see if this still applied )
 
Mr Pig said:
Rap is just about the only genre of music I don't listen to and actively dislike. The rules seem to be: Find an already popular song with a strong hook, put it to bland repetitive beat and talk over it in a monotone voice. Then you've got the latest development, mumble rappers, who don't even have enough talent to speak English.
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Classic.

That just rings so true, to my ears.

I thought it was just me with these seditious leanings away from rap… :D
 
Rap is like every other genre; there is some jaw-droppingly amazing stuff, some absolute crap, and a lot of stuff in between. I try to stick to the former.
 
Tony L said:
Rap is like every other genre; there is some jaw-droppingly amazing stuff, some absolute crap, and a lot of stuff in between. I try to stick to the former.
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I own just one rap record - out of thousands.

YOUNG MC
STONE COLD RHYMIN’
(1989)

I rarely give it a listen, but quite enjoy it when I do.:D
 
Tony L said:
Rap is like every other genre; there is some jaw-droppingly amazing stuff, some absolute crap, and a lot of stuff in between. I try to stick to the former.
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I stick to no rap whatsoever. I like melodic music with people who sing and please no samples. Rap makes me uncomfortable I must say. I don’t know why. My kids don’t like it either.
Anyway, back to topic, I’d love to try a Nagaoka of some sort on my newly restored Dual 1229! :)
 
Simon s said:
FWIW this is my take on the Nag MP500.

I don't know if its turntable/arm dependent* but i found that using a modded technics 1210/100C with the
Nag MP500, it had the sort of characteristics which people admire about the cart: Rich full mid and slightly laidback presentation.

But when put up against a top flight MM like the Audio technica 540ML/740 i felt the AT cart communicated much better, but with a leaner sound. Some may prefer the Nag but i didn't find it improved on any
on the 500 series qualities in terms of detail, separation or tracking ability.

When you look at that within the context of the (vast) price difference between the two - 540ML £ 220. Nag MP500 £ 800
then there was no comparison - the Audio technica won. I can appreciate that, depending on your system, the AT sound may not suit you but it shows that price is not a good
indicator of any carts quality.

(*I would like to hear the Nagaoka with some different decks and arms to see if this still applied )
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That's interesting. I do think it might be turntable/arm dependent: I recently tried the Nag on a 1200GR and it sounded a little blunted, underwhelming all round, whereas I remember the deck being pretty impressive with an AT33EV. At the time I felt that notes decayed too quickly, and the review upthread mentions that in relation to the Nag's treble. I wonder if maybe the Nagaoka and the deck are both a bit that way inclined, adding up to something less than ideal, while each might be very good in different company. The 540ML, being a little hot, might complement the Technics very well. Tempted to try one.
 
FWIW and with the caveat I have 59 year old ears I’d say my turntable was neither brighter nor duller than my CD source (Rega Apollo-R/DPA PDM3 DAC) when playing stuff I’m pretty certain comes from the same mastering. There is certainly no obvious character trait I’d assign to either my analogue or digital sources. It amazes me how close they can sound given so many obvious variables.

PS when it comes to bright/dull with MM carts I look first to capacitance and loading. The Nagaoka is far less critical here as it is MI. If a modern Audio Technica, Ortofon etc is much brighter in a comparison it is likely that is seeing too much capacitance and the Nagaoka is actually closer to a flat response.
 
it's actually more like a MI than an MM
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