Nagaoka - MP-500 MP Series Phono Cartridge

A line-contact diamond on boron in a machined aluminium frame — for years the top of the MP series, and still the model Nagaoka calls its representative cartridge.

The MP-500 is the first cartridge in the range to leave elliptical profiles behind. A line-contact diamond presents a long, narrow contact flank to the groove wall rather than a rounded one, sitting deeper and following high-frequency modulation that an elliptical tip physically rides over. It also spreads the tracking load across more of the wall, which is easier on the record.

Nagaoka's own description is about clarity rather than warmth: it calls the sound-making clear, says there is almost no sense of distortion, and reaches for the image of standing on the conductor's podium. The company adds a caveat worth repeating — the MP-500 shows what it can do in combination with a good amplifier and speakers. This is a cartridge that reveals the system around it.

The generator sits in a machined aluminium frame with the same boron cantilever as the models below. Channel separation is the highest Nagaoka publishes for the series at 27 dB, channel balance is inside 1.0 dB, and response reaches 25 kHz. Output is 3 mV into 47 kΩ with 100 pF, tracking at a light 1.3 to 1.8 g. The stylus assembly is user-replaceable with the genuine JN-P500. The MP-500 has been a repeat winner of the Japanese VGP award in the Pure Audio category.

Features

• Line-contact diamond — deeper groove contact and lower record wear than an elliptical profile
• Boron cantilever in a machined aluminium frame
• 27 dB channel separation — the highest Nagaoka publishes for the MP series
• Channel balance inside 1.0 dB; response to 25 kHz
• 3 mV output into a standard 47 kΩ moving magnet input
• Light 1.3 – 1.8 g tracking force
• User-replaceable stylus assembly — genuine Nagaoka JN-P500
• Also available pre-mounted on a Nagaoka headshell as the MP-500H

Specifications

• Type: MP (Moving Permalloy) stereo cartridge
• Output Voltage: 3 mV at 5 cm/sec
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 25,000 Hz
• Channel Separation: 27 dB at 1 kHz
• Channel Balance: 1.0 dB or less
• Stylus: Line-contact diamond
• Cantilever: Boron
• Body: Machined aluminium frame
• Tracking Force: 1.3 – 1.8 g
• Load Resistance: 47 kΩ
• Load Capacitance: 100 pF
• Cartridge Weight: 7.8 g. Some retailer listings quote 8.0 g; 7.8 g is the figure on Nagaoka's own product page
• Replacement Stylus: Nagaoka JN-P500
• 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