nagaoka cart upgrade

@ plink-plonk

I also added a Nagaoka MP-150 to my system a few months back, and felt very similarly about it as you did. Unmistakable improvement to the separation, soundstage, and midrange textures. It has a more "you are there" feel to it than my AT-VM95SH did. I did notice a trace more sibilance on some recorded vocals, but along with that there’s more air and detail as well. Over time, I did still yearn for some of the treble refinement of the SH, so opted to add the MP500 stylus (JN-P500 - $256 on Ebay from Japan) to the MP150 body. It’s not the recommended upgrade for the MP150, but the results were stellar. The virtues of the MP-150 were still present (if not improved), and had more refined and delicate treble detail. During the fine tuning process I did add a small dab of blue tack to the head for more mass. I’m not sure how close it is to the performance of the MP500 body and stylus, but it sounds superb to me....it’s how I’ve wanted all my other carts to sound. So lush.

The nagaoka series of carts was a revelation to me. It appears the low price is possible because they spend nothing on advertising. Thx for your note. I was wondering about the exact upgrade stylus that you did. Good to know that it works fine. 🙂

The nagaoka series of carts was a revelation to me. It appears the low price is possible because they spend nothing on advertising. Thx for your note. I was wondering about the exact upgrade stylus that you did. Good to know that it works fine.

In fairness, I didn't try the JN-P200, which has the same profile as the MP150, but the same cantilever as the MP500.  In theory, the fine line profile should  have more refined detail, but may be more sensitive to setup.  The Nag sound was a revelation to me too...wonderfully  musical and easy to listen to.  Enjoy!