{"id":28450,"date":"2021-05-05T16:55:18","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T14:55:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=28450"},"modified":"2023-03-19T21:16:47","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T19:16:47","slug":"nagaoka-mp-150","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/turntable-and-accessories-reviews\/phono-cartridges-reviews\/nagaoka-mp-150\/","title":{"rendered":"Nagaoka MP-150"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review sample supplied by Hexagon Audio<\/a>
\nRetail price: 379 euro incl. VAT<\/h4>\n

In this review, I will illustrate my impressions of the MP-150 using the Avid TA-3 tonearm on three different Avid turntables: the Ingenium, the Diva II SP, and the Sequel. A separate and extensive review of these turntables is in the works.<\/p>\n

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The MP-150 is very nicely packed, one might say with Japanese precision<\/em><\/p>\n

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Nagaoka Cartridges<\/h3>\n

With a hardened, low-mass tapered aluminum alloy cantilever and a Superfine elliptical diamond stylus, the MP-150 is positioned just below the middle in Nagaoka’s lineup.<\/p>\n

Below it is the MP100 entry-level cartridge with a more basic aluminum alloy cantilever and conical diamond stylus, and above it, the MP-110 one-step up cartridge, also with an aluminum alloy cantilever but with a Superfine elliptical diamond stylus.<\/p>\n

Above the MP-150, the MP-200 adds a Boron cantilever, the MP-300 adds a super-rigid body, and the MP-500, finally, adds a Superfine Line Contact diamond stylus.<\/p>\n

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The above and below images show part of the setup. Also used is a CH Precision A1.5<\/a> poweramp and Magico S1 MkII loudspeakers.<\/em><\/p>\n

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All Nagaoka cartridges are of the MM type, using what they refer to as a Moving Permalloy type. It’s interesting to note that, with the exception of the entry-level MP-100 and the top level MP-500, all the cartridges seem to use the same Superfine elliptical diamond stylus. Although other parameters such as cantilever material and shape and the body material certainly have an effect on the overall performance,\u00a0 it is comforting to know that even the one step-up MP-110 contains an excellent stylus.<\/p>\n

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Preliminary Listening<\/h3>\n

Starting with the Avid Ingenium with the TA-1 arm (an OEM Rega RB220) and standard AVID CA-1 cartridge (which given its conical profile and overall looks is most likely actually an entry-level Audio Technica model) and at a 47kOhm setting on the CH Precision P1<\/a> phono stage, this turntable sounds considerably better than one would expect given its affordable price of 1.400 euro including the arm and cartridge: full, ballsy, and engagingly musical. But in terms of tracking precision, the turntable is clearly let down by its cartridge. No amount of running in would improve the coarse resolution and sometimes spitty sibilants.<\/p>\n

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Since this Mini review is actually a spin-off from an extensive Avid turntable review, I had 3 tonearms and 3 turntables available. The next step for that review was to see how much the 8.800 euro Sequel turntable itself would improve on the entry-level Ingenium after fitting the TA-1 arm with the standard.<\/p>\n

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For all the details, please see the actual Avid review that will appear soon. Suffice to say that the turntable itself proved to have a major impact on the overall sound, adding bass solidity, a more neutral tonality, soundstage width and depth, and flow.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

MP-150 with Avid TA-3 arm on Avid Sequel<\/h3>\n

Moving on to the subject of this review, the MP-150 is specified at 1.5-2.0 grams at 20 degrees celsius with a higher tracking force recommended for lower-temperature rooms. Since my room is at an always constant 22,5 degrees I normally use cartridges at their median specification.<\/p>\n

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In order to enable easy swapping, I mounted the MP-150 to an Avid TA-3 arm (an OEM Rega RB330) and then swapped the entire arm. With the counterweight slid all the way over the yoke, the VTF was a very nice 1.78 grams which I thought was perfect while avoiding the use of the internal spring, since that tends to reduce the transient impact and overall dynamic feel. The arm has no VTA adjustment but judged using the SMARTstylus and Elvon tools, it was pretty much ideal.<\/p>\n

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Retaining the 47kOhm setting on the phono preamp but adjusting the gain to compensate for the Nagaoka’s higher 4,5mV output (vs 2,5mV for the Avid\/Audio Technica), I was taken aback by how much of an improvement the MP-150 made.<\/p>\n

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Even with zero hours of use, the cartridge immediately sounded great. Powerful and dynamic, impactful yet refined, neutral and well-balanced, and with especially nimble and powerful bass. Often, I find that MM’s have a knack with bass that even expensive MC’s can struggle to achieve and the MP-150 is no exception. It’s got a very linear tonal balance with no artifice, timbrally, it is spot-on. Although it has a highly energetic delivery, the sound is never hard or edgy.<\/p>\n

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I have also used a Dynavector 10×5 high output MC cartridge with the same tonearm and with all three Avid turntables. Fortunately, the VTA was again accidentally just about perfect for this cartridge so I could use it without any modifications to the arm height.<\/p>\n

Fitted with a Shibata stylus, the 700 euro Dynavector is considered by many to be the class leader. Still retaining the 47kOhm setting, the cartridge certainly proves to be superb. It doesn’t really track any better than the Nagaoka but it retrieving nuances and low-level detail with higher resolution. However, in spite of its technical excellence, the Dynavector + TA-3 tonearm pairing had a business-like and dimensionally flat presentation that failed to move me emotionally. Setting the phono stage to 1000 Ohms helped in that respect, but also took away some of the energy and impact of the performance, whereas a higher setting such as 100kOhm even took the sound toward the clinical. Even when adjusted perfectly and with copious amounts of running in, this did not improve.<\/p>\n

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Going back to the Nagaoka, it was telling to note that, in a way, this tonearm\/cartridge combination provides the same linearity and neutrality as the Dynavector but with more energy and a bouncier, more joyful delivery.<\/p>\n

As can be expected from an elliptical stylus, the level of detail, resolution, and refinement lags slightly behind the Shibata-equipped Dynavector, the Nagaoka comparatively painting with slightly broader strokes. Elliptical styluses can span a wide range in terms of quality but it’s obvious that a high-quality Elliptical stylus is fitted to the MP-150. It really is leaps and bounds better than the entry-level Avid\/Audio Technica cartridge. Most importantly, while the treble may lack the ultimate refinement that is possible with a more costly Line Contact or Shibata, the MP-150’s output is fluid, smooth, articulate, and clean, and absolutely never spitty even with sharply-recorded S-ses.<\/p>\n

To be honest, judging from what I’d heard so far, I’d take the Nagaoka’s energetic, jumpy and immensely joyful presentation over the extra detail and refinement of the relatively lackluster and polite Dynavector.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Avid Diva II SP<\/h3>\n

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With the 4.100 euro Avid Diva II SP, the MP-150 + TA-3 worked every bit as well as in the Sequel. I won’t go into the sonic differences between the Diva and the Sequel here but suffice to say that the cartridge was effortlessly capable of highlighting the differences between the two turntables.<\/p>\n

Dynavector with Audio Origami arm<\/h3>\n

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Interestingly, the Dynavector did prove to pair superbly well with the Audio Origami PU7 tonearm (12-gram effective mass version with Cardas 33ga internal wiring and super OFC external cable), resulting in an overall delivery that consistently surpassed that of the Nagaoka and TA-3 arm. To be fair, the PU7 costs 3.100-3.400 euros depending on the color while the entry-level Rega\/Avid tonearms only cost a few hundred euros and they do have their inherent drawbacks, such as a gray tonality and a somewhat over-controlled sound. Evidently, this did not match well with the Dynavector at all but, apparently, it works superbly well with the Nagaoka.<\/p>\n

MP-150 with Avid TA-3 arm on Avid Ingenium<\/h3>\n

Finally, it’s time to go back to the entry-level Avid Ingenium to see what the Nagaoka can do. The Ingenium has a different offset between platter and armboard than the Diva and Sequel. Thus, considering that the Nagaoka is a much more precise cartridge than the entry-level AVID CA-1 cartridge, I made sure to maintain the exact same VTA on the Diva as on the Ingenium, by raising the arm’s pivot point by the required 3,5 mm by using stacks of 3 metal washers.<\/p>\n

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Although the Ingenium sounds darker, less explicitly detailed and expressive, and less forceful than the Diva or the Sequel, the entry-level turntable with the MP-150 still sounded surprisingly groovy and engaging. The overall level of refinement and nuance can’t match the bigger turntables and I do hear a wooden tonality that is induced by this turntable’s MDF platter. But it has the same kind of undisturbed calmness and gently smooth fullness that I have come to find typical of Avid turntables. The Avids simply never sound lean.<\/p>\n

What this experiment shows very clearly is that the Ingenium deserves a better stylus than the one that is fitted by default. I also wouldn’t go overboard with this as the turntable has its built-in limits but it is well-deserving of a nice cartridge in the 400-500-euro range. I’m unsure what more the Nagaoka models above the MP-150 would bring but it’s likely that the returns will be diminishing when used with a Rega arm. The Nagaoka MP-150 is only 379 euro and it definitely makes a great sonic match with this arm and all the Avid turntables, and I suspect that it will work well with a very wide range of other tonearms and turntables.<\/p>\n

Associated Equipment<\/a><\/p>\n

Avid Distributor for the Benelux: Hexagon Audio<\/a>
\nManufacturer’s website: Nagaoka.eu<\/a><\/p>\n

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