Asking for members blessings on Nagaoka MP 300 purchase

The upper Nagaoka line tends to offer incredible midrange clarity and soundstage, along with excellent dynamics.  The MP500 has the same body as the MP300, but offers the upgrade of a line contact stylus vs elliptical, which tracks better and gives a more delicately detailed treble, with better space and air than an elliptical. As others have suggested, opt for the 500.

Agreed that the MP-500 is desirable, mine outperforms my Grado Statement 3 and my Soundsmith Sussurro MkII. It is very close to my London Decca Reference. I can't say anything better than that!

Nagaoka makes great carts. My reference for MI and MM cartridges.

Fwiw, the Nagaoka MP-300 is pretty sensitive to VTA.  It is also every thing suggested above, great insight and detail, slightly warm tilt, room filling bass.  The most “life like” sounding mm/mi cartridge I’ve heard to date. I like it so much I ordered an MP-500 stylus to see what that can do.  But if the VTA is even more sensitive than the 300, I will be doing a lot of adjusting between discs.

kn

Funny thing. I just set the top of the headshell parallel to the LP surface, and the MP500 delivers the goods on every LP.