Nagaoka - MP-200 MP Series Phono Cartridge

The first boron cantilever in the range, and a What Hi-Fi Award winner — this is where the MP series changes material, not just tip shape.

Boron is the reason to step up to the MP-200. It is far stiffer than aluminium for its weight, so the cantilever transmits what the diamond finds without flexing and adding its own signature on the way. Nagaoka's own claim is straightforward: boron is used for the cantilever, and the groove is traced accurately as a result.

Nagaoka characterises the MP-200 as a balance-oriented model with a rich sense of colour, and describes a calm presentation in which even the reverberation is impressively expressed. Reverb tails are exactly what a stiff, low-mass cantilever preserves and a flexible one smears, so the description and the engineering point the same way.

The numbers move with it. Frequency response extends to 23 kHz where the models below stop at 20 kHz, and channel separation reaches 25 dB. Output settles to 4 mV into the standard 47 kΩ moving-magnet load with 100 pF of capacitance, and the tracking window stays at 1.5 to 2.0 g. The stylus assembly is user-replaceable with the genuine JN-P200.

The MP-200 took Best Cartridge over £250 at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024.

Features

• Boron cantilever — the first in the MP series, far stiffer per unit weight than aluminium
• 0.4 × 0.7 mil nude elliptical diamond
• Response extended to 23 kHz; 25 dB channel separation
• 4 mV output into a standard 47 kΩ moving magnet input
• Moving Permalloy generator — magnets and coils stay fixed inside the body
• What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024 — Best Cartridge over £250
• User-replaceable stylus assembly — genuine Nagaoka JN-P200
• Also available pre-mounted on a Nagaoka headshell as the MP-200H

Specifications

• Type: MP (Moving Permalloy) stereo cartridge
• Output Voltage: 4 mV at 5 cm/sec
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 23,000 Hz
• Channel Separation: 25 dB at 1 kHz
• Channel Balance: 1.5 dB or less
• Stylus: 0.4 × 0.7 mil nude elliptical diamond
• Cantilever: Boron
• Tracking Force: 1.5 – 2.0 g
• Load Resistance: 47 kΩ
• Load Capacitance: 100 pF
• Cartridge Weight: 6.5 g
• Replacement Stylus: Nagaoka JN-P200
• 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