Nagaoka - Jeweltone JT-80BK MM Phono Cartridge

Black — boron cantilever, nude elliptical diamond, and Nagaoka's moving-magnet flagship. Best Audio Equipment at the 2020 JAZZ JAPAN AWARD.

Everything else Nagaoka makes is Moving Permalloy: magnets and coils fixed in the body, a light permalloy element riding the cantilever. Jeweltone is not that. Introduced for the company's 80th anniversary in 2020, the JT-80 series uses a conventional moving-magnet generator, designed from the ground up rather than adapted from an MP body — the same diamonds and the same cantilever expertise applied to a different operating principle.

The JT-80BK is the serious one. It moves to a boron cantilever and a nude elliptical diamond, both of which cut moving mass where it matters most, and Nagaoka's claim for the result is greater delicacy in the upper frequencies with a balanced presentation from top to bottom. Channel separation reaches 25 dB and channel balance tightens to 1.0 dB or less.

Output drops to 3.0 mV — still a straightforward moving-magnet figure into a standard 47 kΩ input, but enough of a step down from the JT-80LB's 5.0 mV that a quiet phono stage earns its keep. Dynamic compliance is published at 7.3 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne, a medium figure suiting medium-mass tonearms, and the cartridge tracks at 1.3 to 1.8 g.

The JT-80BK took the Best Audio Equipment Award at the 2020 JAZZ JAPAN AWARD, and the JT-80 series holds a Good Design Award.

Features

• True moving-magnet generator, designed from scratch — not an adapted MP body
• 0.4 × 0.7 mil nude elliptical diamond on a boron cantilever
• 25 dB channel separation; channel balance inside 1.0 dB
• 3.0 mV output into a standard 47 kΩ moving magnet input
• Dynamic compliance published at 7.3 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne
• Light 1.3 – 1.8 g tracking force
• User-replaceable stylus assembly — genuine Nagaoka JTS-80BK
• Best Audio Equipment Award, 2020 JAZZ JAPAN AWARD; JT-80 series holds a Good Design Award

Specifications

• Type: Moving magnet (MM) stereo cartridge
• Output Voltage: 3.0 mV at 5 cm/sec
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20,000 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
• Dynamic Compliance: 7.3 × 10⁻⁶ cm/dyne
• Tracking Force: 1.3 – 1.8 g
• Load Resistance: 47 kΩ
• Load Capacitance: 100 pF
• Cartridge Weight: 6.7 g
• Colour: Black
• Replacement Stylus: Nagaoka JTS-80BK
• Mounting: Half inch (1/2") standard mount
• Released: 16 October 2020
• Origin: Made in Japan