Nagaoka - MP-300H MP Series Phono Cartridge with Headshell

The machined-aluminium-frame MP-300, factory-mounted and aligned on a Nagaoka headshell.

The cartridge is the standalone MP-300 unchanged. Nagaoka's pitch for it is unusually specific about imaging: the company says it renders front-to-back relationships faithfully, so in jazz you hear where the players are standing relative to each other and in orchestral music where the instruments sit. Depth cues of that kind are the first thing a resonant cartridge body smears, which is why the MP-300 moves to a machined aluminium frame — a rigid foundation for the generator rather than something that flexes with it.

The boron cantilever and 0.4 × 0.7 mil nude elliptical diamond carry over from the MP-200, but the specification tightens: response to 25 kHz, channel balance halved to 1.0 dB or less, and a lighter 1.3 to 1.8 g tracking window. Output falls to 3 mV, still a comfortable moving-magnet figure into a standard 47 kΩ input.

The H version arrives with the cartridge already aligned in the shell. Arm-specific settings — tracking force, anti-skate, overhang — still want checking during setup. At 21.5 g with the headshell it is heavier than the models below it, so confirm that against your tonearm's counterweight range.

Features

• MP-300 cartridge factory-mounted on a genuine Nagaoka headshell
• Fits any tonearm with a standard removable SME-style headshell connector
• Machined aluminium frame; boron cantilever with a 0.4 × 0.7 mil nude elliptical diamond
• Response to 25 kHz; channel balance inside 1.0 dB
• Light 1.3 – 1.8 g tracking force
• 3 mV output into a standard 47 kΩ moving magnet input
• User-replaceable stylus assembly — genuine Nagaoka JN-P300

Specifications

• Type: MP (Moving Permalloy) stereo cartridge, pre-mounted on a headshell
• Output Voltage: 3 mV at 5 cm/sec
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 25,000 Hz
• Channel Separation: 25 dB at 1 kHz
• Channel Balance: 1.0 dB or less
• Stylus: 0.4 × 0.7 mil nude elliptical diamond
• Cantilever: Boron
• Body: Machined aluminium frame
• Tracking Force: 1.3 – 1.8 g
• Load Resistance: 47 kΩ
• Load Capacitance: 100 pF
• Total Weight with Headshell: 21.5 g
• Cartridge Weight Alone: 7.8 g
• Replacement Stylus: Nagaoka JN-P300
• Fitting: Standard removable SME-style headshell connector
• Origin: Made in Japan
• Note: Tracking force, overhang and other tonearm-specific settings should still be checked during setup