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NAGAOKA MP-200

According to my hacky little "hours on the new cart" calculator, when then current album is over I will be at an estimated 33 1/3 hours. I felt like that was worth marking as an occasion. :)

I'm want to sit and hear a few specific records undistracted before I really write up what might count as a review, but I like what I'm hearing. It has changed in character over these hours, which is a good thing, because it wasn't love at first needle drop, but at this point, it's clean and clear and detailed and has a generally good vibe, good bass, all the things.

Really happy with how quiet it is (lack of any noticeable hum or other noise). That was really my one issue with the outgoing cart and I hoped that it would resolve it and it has.
 
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So, partial update. I'm going to be traveling and away from my table for a few weeks and I promised impressions after fully burned in and after I listened to some of my reference sides. I'm not at my tracker now, but I've spun about 70 LPs and am at almost 50 hours.

Let me say first and I know that some of you violently disagree, while others are the opposite and exactly zero people seem to be in between: I like the Rega Exact quite a bit. I play jazz upright bass and when I demoed my table with the Exact it was the first time I heard things the way that I hear them when I'm playing or sitting in a small room listening to someone else playing. I thoroughly enjoy what that cart puts out. I had two issues with it, one being that for a $5-600 MM cart, I would prefer a replaceable stylus. Two, it hummed in the cradle. Not sure it interfered with the music, but it bugged me.

Based on a bazillion reviews, on-line debates and opinions, the MP-200 was going to be closest to it with those two exceptions. I would expect Ortofon to be more "clinical", AT to be "brighter", and other Regas to hum.

So, the MP-200 is dead silent, spooky almost in the same exact system and environment. Love it for that. It was a tough burn in, especially the early parts. It was very bright and strident, comparatively and I was panicking a little. I really took control of my setup over several days and racked up the hours without listening too closely or posting impressions

The character changed for the better at about 20 hours and either my ears are adjusting or the cart is maturing. Really good bass, which I seem to be able to tune the sound of with VTF and Bias. I might be settled into about 1.7g and .8 respectively, but we'll see.

Good clarity, probably a bit better than the Exact l, but somewhat though to say because the Rega isn't new and I can't listen back-to-back, which is fine, because it doesn't matter. Sound stage is at least as good and that's important to me. Somehow on some records, the piano seems to be physically separate from the other instruments, but between the speakers. It's cool.

Very pleasant sound and I like it. Warm? ... maybe. It doesn't sound like the Rega, which again...love it or hate it, worked for me sonically, especially when it was new. The Nag does seem to sound better on some records than others and that was stressing me out, until I remembered the same experience when the Rega was new.

It does have more highs and I'm getting used to that. "Brighter" carts would have definitely not been for me.

I'll miss being away from my system, but it will give me a chance with fresh ears when I'm back and I'll post those impressions as well.
 
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troika said:
Very pleasant sound and I like it. Warm? ... maybe. It doesn't sound like the Rega, which again...love it or hate it, worked for me sonically, especially when it was new. The Nag does seem to sound better on some records than the other and that was stressing me out, until I remembered the same experience when the Rega was new.
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I would not call the Nagaoka MP-200 a "warm"-sounding cartridge. It's more neutral to a tad cool. :idea:
 
Mr Boochie said:
I would not call the Nagaoka MP-200 a "warm"-sounding cartridge. It's more neutral to a tad cool. :idea:
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I tend to agree, compared to the Exact. I suspect that it is warm compared to AT or Ortofon, based on what I've read.

There were some records where I felt like it was as warm and at least as good in every way to the Rega cart and others that I wasn't convinced, but my ears and setup are still adjusting. I would make the same choice again, though. It was the right choice and I look forward to getting back to it.
 
troika said:
I tend to agree, compared to the Exact. I suspect that it is warm compared to AT or Ortofon, based on what I've read.

There were some records where I felt like it was as warm and at least as good in every way to the Rega cart and others that I wasn't convinced, but my ears and setup are still adjusting. I would make the same choice again, though. It was the right choice and I look forward to getting back to it.
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:thumbsup:

Yes, "warm" and "cold" are relative terms. Most MM Audio-Technica cartridges I have tried are on the "bright" side — which can sound "clinical" or "cold."
 
And whether a MP200 or other carts sound warm or cool may depend on one's age / hearing, also. High frequencies are in the past in my case.
 
Update on getting used to the MP-200.

tl;dr - It's a nice cart. Very good fidelity and not lacking in anything that I can tell. Dead silent with respect to hum, which was a problem for me with a Rega cart. My tone arm is perfectly level (Rega Planar 3) with no shim. I tried it without a mat and with a double mat, to simulate VTA and couldn't hear a difference, so I'm running it level with the mat that I normally use.

This is only the 2nd cartridge that I've had on this table and because it took me a while to set it up and burn it in, it's difficult to compare/contrast to the cart it replaced (Rega Exact) PLUS, I DISCOVERED ANOTHER ISSUE. I do feel like the character is different than the Rega cart and I wasn't quite prepared for that. How much is tough to say. I've heard the Exact described as "romantic" and didn't know what to think about that, but I kind of get it now.

I decided it was time to replace the Exact because my turntable wasn't sounding as good as I remember it sounding. I had the Rega dealer inspect the Exact and they cleaned it, but said it wasn't ready to be replaced. I gave it another 5 or 6 months and decided to replace it anyway, because I wasn't happy. I initially wasn't happy with the MP-200 either. I think it did take me a few days to get the overhang, alignment and VTF/Bias dialed in and it takes ~50 hours to break in the cart. This is real, I could hear it and it's a good thing, because I really didn't like it at first.

I also figured out, though that my table was running slow. That most likely is what I was hearing that I blamed the Exact on. I've got it tuned up to 33 1/3 now and I'm really enjoying the MP-200 with no regrets. I've got a few years, but I predict replacing the stylus when it's time rather than trying something different. I do feel like the character is different and I'll just have to sit with that for a while. It sounds really good, I MIGHT just miss a little bit of that smoky jazz room soundscape that I associate with British mid-fi. Maybe not. Instruments are clear, bass is at least as good, sound stage and separation is good. No tracking issues now that it's dialed in. It's a good cart and I learned somethings about speed stability and turntable care and feeding that will be important to me going forward.
 
maxhifi said:
I think the idea is to get as close as possible to MC sound quality without the need for an MC preamp, head amp, etc. And then still have a user replaceable stylus so you don't need to align it again. No question it is darn expensive for a moving magnet. Price is why I picked the 200 over the 300 or 500.

But I can also say that if it did not sound good, I'd feel cheated, and IMO it does hold up that end of the deal. And I have experience hearing some pretty nice MC cartridges. My biggest dilemma now is how to play less than perfect records. I think the MP-200 is kind of too expensive to let less than perfect vinyl pass, so I need to have a second setup.
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Keep a Nagaoka MP-100 stylus handy for that. And it's more musical than it has a right to be. (river tone stylus, no spaces, on eBay has one for good prices)
 
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