Nagaoka MP-200 Review

[blackraven]

I installed my Nagaoka MP-200 yesterday. It was a PITA setting up the angles and tracking on the Thorens TD-145. I used a couple of Arc Protractors. It had nothing to do with the cartridge, its just that the Germans made things more difficult than it should have been.

Back to the MP-200. It replaced the Ortofon 2M Red that came with the TT. It sells for $345 here in the U.S. and I was able to buy it from Japan with 3 days shipping for $245. The 200 is supposed to have a warmer sound and full midrange with slightly mellow highs. Well my MP-200 is spot on. The first 30 minutes it's sound stage was narrow. But after that it opened up big time. The general tone is warmer but no syrupy. The bass is tight and fairly deep but not as deep as the 2M. It has good punch and dynamics. The sound stage width and depth is very good. The cartridge is quiet with no grain, unlike the 2M which was noisy. There is plenty of detail, much more than the 2M. Treble is good and non fatiguing where as the 2M was a little bright and fatiguing. The midrange is where the MP-200 shines. It is smooth and liquid. (the mids on the 2M were thin with little depth) Vocals sound great and are not too forward or pushed back. Everything sounds more real and live. It is also more forgiving of surface noise.

The MP-200's sound will only get better. The manufacturer states that it takes 30 hours for it to break in.

I think that I have a winner. It is a lot of bang for the buck. I was considering a Grado Reference Platinum Wood, AT 440, Sumiko Blue Point and an Ortofon Turbo. But the reviews on the MP-200 swayed me.

[Mr Peabody]

Glad the sound fits your ears :).

[blackraven]

Glad the sound fits your ears :).


The cartridge is sweet, but I don't have much to compare it too. I have about 8 hours of play time on it and it just gets better. The sound stage has really opened up and it is becoming more dynamic. The highs are a little soft but I knew that from reading reviews before i bought it. There is very little sibilance with it though. For $235 I can't complain and it exceeded my expectations.

[dean_martin]

Thanks, BR. I'm considering this (or, something from Nag) as an upgrade from a 2M Red I have on a Technics SL1200. The Technics/2M Red combo is just so boring and lifeless - but I must add that I use a Bellari phono with this combo as my second vinyl source in my system. The Bellari needs a high output cart like the 2M Red, but I would think there's something better out there.

Since I put my Ortofon M3 Turbo on the Rega P5 (through a Jolida JD 9), I've pretty much stopped playing the Technics altogether. Unfortunately, I've had the Ortofon M3 Turbo for several years. I may need to replace it first. I'm considering a Dynavector 10X5 for the Rega.

[blackraven]

Dean, the Mp-200 and the 2M Red are totally different. The MP is warm with a full and deep midrange. The MP has a softer high end and less sparkle but it sounds more natural and its noise floor is much lower. It sounds refined while the 2M Red sounded raw. The 2M Red however was very dynamic and musical in my system, but my BAT preamp tends to make every thing I hook up to it sound that way

What tube are you using in the Bellari? Mine came with an Electro-Harmonix but I am going to roll in the following tubes- RCA Black and Grey Plates, Sovtek LPS, Mullards, Tung Sols, Telefunkens and maybe some others. The guy that sold me my TT has a boat load of NOS 12Ax7's that he is going to let me try. I find the EH to be too bright. I will let you know my findings in a couple of weeks.

[dean_martin]

Dean, the Mp-200 and the 2M Red are totally different. The MP is warm with a full and deep midrange. The MP has a softer high end and less sparkle but it sounds more natural and its noise floor is much lower. It sounds refined while the 2M Red sounded raw. The 2M Red however was very dynamic and musical in my system, but my BAT preamp tends to make every thing I hook up to it sound that way

What tube are you using in the Bellari? Mine came with an Electro-Harmonix but I am going to roll in the following tubes- RCA Black and Grey Plates, Sovtek LPS, Mullards, Tung Sols, Telefunkens and maybe some others. The guy that sold me my TT has a boat load of NOS 12Ax7's that he is going to let me try. I find the EH to be too bright. I will let you know my findings in a couple of weeks.

It's funny you should ask about the tube in the Bellari. "Bernd", one of our former members, sent me a few select single 12AX7s. I'm still using an Ei Elite gold pin he sent me after my Voice of Music branded Mullard died. I preferred the old Mullard by a hair over the Ei, but it didn't have too much life left when I got it. I think it was in a cheap "grab bag" of 12AX7s I bought from a harmonica player. I have a few others I'll look at when I get home. I've pretty much stopped tinkering with the Bellari/Technics/2M Red combo. I need to do something in that chain to bring it back to life or move it into a secondary system in a smaller room. As long as it's in my main system, it's going to be second fiddle to the Jolida/Rega/M3 Turbo.

[blackraven]

Dean, you should try a Sovtek LPS or a new issue Mullard. The Sovtek is supposed to be the better of the two tubes but it is all system dependent. Both can be had for about $15 each, new.

Which Bellari do you have? Is it a VP-129, 130 or one of the higher end models. If it is the 129 or 130 you could roll some op amps. The first generation 129's have plug in op amps while the later generation have their op amps soldered in. Mine are soldered but I am going to swap in a some Burr Brown 2134's. They are supposed to be much more musical and have some of the Burr Brown warmth like the 0627's. You need 4 at $4 each. You would need 8 0627's if you were to go that route as they are single channel and cost $35 a piece. Too steep to put into the Bellari unless you plan on keeping it for years. I have read that the 0627's are a game changer in the Bellari.

[blackraven]

Dean, I bought a 1950's Raytheon 12AX7 long black plate with the shinny ribbed plates and it sounds awesome. It leans on the warmer side and it is very dynamic with good bass and high end detail. It has a wide sound stage and the midrange is full and lush. It is also dead quiet. It's a keep and my tube of choice. I may use the NOS Mullard for brighter recorded LP's though a it rolls off the top end a little.

[dean_martin]

Dean, I bought a 1950's Raytheon 12AX7 long black plate with the shinny ribbed plates and it sounds awesome. It leans on the warmer side and it is very dynamic with good bass and high end detail. It has a wide sound stage and the midrange is full and lush. It is also dead quiet. It's a keep and my tube of choice. I may use the NOS Mullard for brighter recorded LP's though a it rolls off the top end a little.

Cool! I was running a pair of RCA 7025s in the preamp section of my Jolida integrated. One of'em went bad and I tried the other one in the Bellari. I think I had the synergy thing going on when I had 7025s in my amp and the old Mullard in the Bellari. The "chimey" RCAs and the warm, liquid Mullard worked well together, but the 7025 didn't "shine" in the Bellari.

I have back-up pairs of the new Mullards and Tung-Sols. Haven't tried one in the Bellari yet. I run a pair of the Sovtek LPS in my Jolida phono amp, but I don't have an extra on hand to try in the Bellari. The Ei gold pin from Yugoslavia that I'm running now was my favorite of a few I tried a couple of years ago, but I've since moved my system to a larger room. The Bellari's low output level, the entry-level 2M Red, the direct-drive Technics, etc. - I'm just not sure where the problem lies in this chain that makes the musical presentation lifeless. The Bellari performed well when my system was in a smaller room and I was running a Pro-Ject 1.2 turntable with the Ortofon M3-Turbo which I moved over to my Rega.

The cartridge leads broke on the Pro-Ject or it would be my second table. I picked up the Technics from Musician's Friend when they closed them out at $325. It's built like a tank, but I need to find something that'll make it sing.