Nagaoka - MP-110H MP Series Phono Cartridge with Headshell

Nagaoka's best-known cartridge, factory-mounted and aligned on a Nagaoka headshell — the MP-110 with the fiddly part already done.

The cartridge is the standalone MP-110 exactly: successor to the European Grand Prix–winning MP-11, a repeat winner of the Japanese VGP Pure Audio award, and Nagaoka's most widely recommended all-rounder. Its 0.4 × 0.7 mil bonded elliptical diamond sits deeper against the groove walls than the conical tip on the MP-100 and traces high-frequency detail a conical profile physically cannot.

Buying the H version buys the mounting. Nagaoka aligns the cartridge in the shell at the factory, so the two very small screws, the protractor and the zenith adjustment are all handled. On a turntable with a removable SME-style headshell, fitting is a matter of clicking the shell into the arm and setting tracking force.

Tracking force, anti-skate and any arm-specific overhang setting still want checking during setup — those depend on your tonearm, not on the cartridge. Total weight with the headshell is 16.5 g.

Features

• MP-110 cartridge factory-mounted on a genuine Nagaoka headshell
• Fits any tonearm with a standard removable SME-style headshell connector
• 0.4 × 0.7 mil bonded elliptical diamond on an aluminium-alloy cantilever
• 5 mV output into a standard 47 kΩ moving magnet input
• 23 dB channel separation; 1.5 dB channel balance
• User-replaceable stylus assembly — genuine Nagaoka JN-P110
• Repeated winner of the Japanese VGP award in the Pure Audio category

Specifications

• Type: MP (Moving Permalloy) stereo cartridge, pre-mounted on a headshell
• 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
• Total Weight with Headshell: 16.5 g (Nagaoka; the US dealer price list rounds this to 16 g)
• Cartridge Weight Alone: 6.5 g
• Replacement Stylus: Nagaoka JN-P110
• 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