Nagaoka - MP-110 MP Series Phono Cartridge

The successor to the MP-11, and the cartridge that made Nagaoka's name outside Japan — an elliptical diamond in place of the MP-100's conical, for a fraction more money.

Nagaoka's Moving Permalloy design keeps the magnets and coils fixed inside the cartridge body and moves a lightweight permalloy element with the cantilever instead. Reducing what the cantilever has to carry lowers inertia at the stylus, which is where tracking and transient response are won or lost, and it does so without giving up the healthy output and easy phono-stage matching of a moving-magnet cartridge.

The MP-110 replaces the MP-11, a model that won a Grand Prix in Europe and became Nagaoka's biggest seller. Nagaoka positions this one as an all-rounder — its own copy says the cartridge can be used across every genre without preference — and describes the character as an overflowing sense of presence. It has taken the Japanese VGP Pure Audio award in consecutive years.

The change that matters against the MP-100 is at the tip: a 0.4 × 0.7 mil bonded elliptical diamond rather than a 0.6 mil conical. An elliptical profile sits deeper against the groove walls and traces high-frequency modulation a conical tip physically cannot. Channel separation rises to 23 dB, channel balance tightens to 1.5 dB, and the tracking force drops to a lighter 1.5 to 2.0 g. Output stays at a generous 5 mV into 47 kΩ.

Features

• Moving Permalloy generator — magnets and coils stay fixed; a light permalloy element moves with the cantilever
• 0.4 × 0.7 mil bonded elliptical diamond on an aluminium-alloy cantilever
• 5 mV output into a standard 47 kΩ moving magnet input
• Successor to the MP-11, a European Grand Prix winner and Nagaoka's best-selling cartridge
• Repeated winner of the Japanese VGP award in the Pure Audio category
• User-replaceable stylus assembly — genuine Nagaoka JN-P110
• Also available pre-mounted on a Nagaoka headshell as the MP-110H

Specifications

• Type: MP (Moving Permalloy) stereo cartridge
• Output Voltage: 5 mV at 5 cm/sec
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz
• Channel Separation: 23 dB at 1 kHz
• Channel Balance: 1.5 dB or less
• Stylus: 0.4 × 0.7 mil bonded elliptical diamond
• Cantilever: Aluminium alloy
• Tracking Force: 1.5 – 2.0 g
• Load Resistance: 47 kΩ
• Load Capacitance: 100 pF
• Cartridge Weight: 6.5 g
• Replacement Stylus: Nagaoka JN-P110
• 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