I added a Nagaoka MP150 to my cart stable to replace a very well behaved, but aging AT-VM95SH. From the first drop it was hard not to notice the incredible separation, sound stage, and midrange texture. Bass and dynamics are also excellent, but took some time for the suspension to break in and bass to come around. The treble has plenty of air and detail, though has a trace more emphasis on recorded vocal sibilance than the very refined shibata on my VM95SH did. Perhaps it's a matter of the tracking of a nude elliptical vs a nude shibata, but on my system, to my ears, the shibata is a bit sweeter and more refined on certain aspects of the treble. Tonal balance of the 150 leans somewhere between neutral and slightly warmish, but still manages to offer a very involving "you are there" presentation.
I still craved the treble refinement of my VM95SH, so I opted to pickup a JN-P500 superfine line contact stylus with boron cantilever to add to my MP150 body, and was well rewarded. Its not the recommended upgrade for the MP150 (the JN-P200 nude elliptical with boron cantilever is), but the two-fold upgrade was well worth the $256 expenditure (USD, imported from Japan) . It takes a very good MP-150 to the next level, and beyond. The soundstage is huge, with uncanny midrange texture, and spectacular separation. The jump to the MP-500 stylus solved any knit-picks I had with the lack of treble refinement of the MP150...its stellar. I added a bit of sticky tack to the headshell to compensate for body weight differences. After giving it some substantial break-in time, the treble of the MP500 sounds wonderfully delicate and refined, and retains the air and spatial character the 150 offered. Just a beautiful, dynamic, involving, easy cart to listen to that checks all the right boxes for me....sublime!
good review of cart/stylus matching, sometimes getting it right is a crap shoot.
Thanks for your observations, after market stylii can get quite expensive and you take your chances.
cheers frothy
