Nagaoka - MP-100 MP Series Phono Cartridge

The entry point to Nagaoka's Moving Permalloy line — a 0.6 mil bonded conical diamond on an aluminium cantilever, and the least expensive way into the MP generator.

Nagaoka's whole cartridge line rests on one departure from ordinary moving-magnet practice. In a conventional MM design the magnet travels with the cantilever. Nagaoka instead fixes the magnets and coils inside the body and moves a lightweight permalloy element, so there is less mass for the stylus to drag through the groove. Less inertia at the tip means the stylus can respond faster to what is actually cut into the record, while the healthy output and straightforward phono-stage compatibility of a moving-magnet design are preserved.

The MP-100 is the plainest expression of that idea, and Nagaoka does not oversell it. The company's own description calls it an affordable entry model, orthodox in construction, with a natural sound and no exaggeration. The stylus is a 0.6 mil bonded conical diamond on an aluminium-alloy cantilever, and the tracking force window is the heaviest in the series at 1.8 to 2.3 g.

Output is 5 mV into the standard 47 kΩ moving-magnet load, so any MM phono stage will drive it. Nagaoka specifies 100 pF of load capacitance. The stylus assembly is user-replaceable with the genuine JN-P100, and the same cartridge is also sold pre-mounted on a Nagaoka headshell as the MP-100H.

Features

• Moving Permalloy generator — magnets and coils stay fixed; a light permalloy element moves with the cantilever
• 0.6 mil bonded conical diamond on an aluminium-alloy cantilever
• 5 mV output into a standard 47 kΩ moving magnet input
• User-replaceable stylus assembly — genuine Nagaoka JN-P100
• Half-inch mount; supplied with mounting screws, washers, nuts and a screwdriver
• Also available pre-mounted on a Nagaoka headshell as the MP-100H
• Built in Japan by Nagaoka, a diamond-stylus maker since 1956

Specifications

• Type: MP (Moving Permalloy) stereo cartridge
• Output Voltage: 5 mV at 5 cm/sec
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz
• Channel Separation: 22 dB at 1 kHz
• Channel Balance: 2.0 dB or less
• Stylus: 0.6 mil bonded conical diamond
• Cantilever: Aluminium alloy
• Tracking Force: 1.8 – 2.3 g
• Load Resistance: 47 kΩ
• Load Capacitance: 100 pF
• Cartridge Weight: 6.5 g
• Replacement Stylus: Nagaoka JN-P100
• Mounting: Half inch (1/2") standard mount
• In the Box: Cartridge body, stylus cover, cartridge case, accessory set (headshell mounting screws, washers, nuts, screwdriver), instruction manual
• Origin: Made in Japan
• Not Published: Nagaoka does not publish a compliance figure, tracking ability, or a recommended tonearm effective mass for the MP series