Nagaoka - MP-MONO Mono Phono Cartridge

A dedicated mono cartridge built around the Moving Permalloy design — for records whose musical information was only ever cut into one channel.

Playing a mono record with a stereo cartridge works, but it is not the same thing. A stereo cartridge responds to vertical movement it should be ignoring, and what comes back with it is noise, crosstalk and groove damage rather than music. Nagaoka developed the MP-MONO specifically around monaural playback, applying its Moving Permalloy architecture — magnets and coils fixed in the body, a light permalloy element moving with the cantilever — to the problem. The result is aimed at the solidity, focus and directness that make a well-recorded mono pressing so persuasive.

The choice of stylus matters more on mono than it does anywhere else, because mono records were not all cut to one standard. This cartridge ships with a 0.4 × 0.7 mil bonded elliptical diamond, the 0.7 mil geometry optimised for modern record cutting, and Nagaoka's own words for the result are a clear, well-outlined image with high resolution.

For earlier pressings there is a second option. The JN-PMONO 1.0E replacement stylus fits this same body and carries a 0.5 × 1.0 mil elliptical diamond based on the dimensions commonly used for mono records of the 1940s and 1950s, which Nagaoka describes as reproducing thicker mid-bass and more of the air of the original. One cartridge and two styli therefore cover a collection that spans both eras — particularly useful if you buy original jazz, classical, vocal and early LP pressings alongside modern mono reissues.

Output is 4.0 mV into a standard 47 kΩ moving-magnet input, so no mono-specific phono stage is needed.

Features

• Purpose-built mono cartridge — not a stereo design with its channels bridged
• Moving Permalloy generator, as used throughout the Nagaoka MP series
• Ships with a 0.4 × 0.7 mil bonded elliptical diamond optimised for modern mono cutting
• Accepts the JN-PMONO 1.0E stylus for 1940s–50s pressings, and the JN-PMONO 0.7E as a like-for-like replacement
• 4.0 mV output into a standard 47 kΩ moving magnet input
• Aluminium-alloy cantilever; 6.5 g body
• Made in Japan by Nagaoka

Specifications

• Type: MP (Moving Permalloy) mono cartridge
• Output Voltage: 4.0 mV
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz
• Stylus as Supplied: 0.4 × 0.7 mil bonded elliptical diamond (JN-PMONO 0.7E)
• Cantilever: Aluminium alloy
• Tracking Force: 1.5 – 2.0 g with the 0.7 mil stylus; 2.0 – 2.5 g with the 1.0 mil stylus
• Load Resistance: 47 kΩ
• Load Capacitance: 100 pF
• Cartridge Weight: 6.5 g
• Replacement Styli: Nagaoka JN-PMONO 0.7E (0.7 mil) or JN-PMONO 1.0E (1.0 mil)
• Mounting: Half inch (1/2") standard mount
• In the Box: Cartridge body, stylus cover, cartridge case, accessory set (shell mounting screws, washers, nuts, screwdriver), instruction manual
• Origin: Made in Japan
• Note: Nagaoka also builds an MP-MONO 1.0E — the same body supplied with the 1.0 mil stylus fitted. That version is not carried on the US dealer price list; in the US the 1.0 mil option is bought as the JN-PMONO 1.0E stylus for this cartridge
• Not Published: Nagaoka publishes no channel separation, channel balance or compliance figure for the MP-MONO