Nagaoka MP-110

Nagaoka has made needles and cartridges in Japan since 1947 — eighty years of styli — and it is one of those brands collectors pass around like a secret. The MP name is not "moving magnet" in the usual sense: it stands for Moving Permalloy, an induced-magnet design in which one of the magnets is replaced by a much lighter nickel-iron alloy (permalloy), activated by a powerful samarium-cobalt magnet. Lower moving mass, and in theory more agile tracking.

The MP-110 inherits the mantle of the classic MP-11 and is the entry rung of an all-Nagaoka ladder: MP-110, MP-150, MP-200 and beyond.

The induced-permalloy design is the real technical difference from a standard moving magnet: less weight in the moving part, which is where Nagaoka pins its character. The cantilever is aluminium, the stylus a superfine elliptical with a 0.4×0.7 mil radius — finer than the tipped elliptical the 2M Red carries. The body weighs 6.5 grams, the mount is the standard half-inch.

For the money there is real technology underneath: that samarium-cobalt magnet is the same principle used in far dearer cartridges. Nagaoka quotes a break-in period of around 30 hours.

The MP-110 sounds warm, with rich mids and a fullness that fills the room. On Bill Evans's Waltz for Debby the piano has body and wood, and the brushes on the cymbals are soft rather than sharp. On Chet Baker's My Funny Valentine the trumpet and voice have a roundness that holds you there, never turning harsh. On a cello recording — du Pré in the Elgar — the body of the instrument resonates full, with that woody warmth that is the Nagaoka signature.

It is not the most analytical cartridge: if you want the last degree of detail and bite, the 2M Red is more neutral and the Audio-Technica VM95E brighter. The Nagaoka trades a little analysis for musicality — a trade that on jazz, classical and acoustic almost always pays.

Set within its 1.5-2.0 gram range, the MP-110 tracks with confidence, and its medium-low compliance gets along with medium-mass arms. On 1960s and 1970s pressings, often warm to begin with, its character amplifies that warmth — lovely on a Blue Note, something to watch on an already-soft system.

The stylus replaces (JN-P110) and the cartridge is not thrown away. A practical note: let the first 30 hours of break-in pass before you judge it, because early on it sounds more closed than it really is.

In the same class, three cartridges, three characters: the Nagaoka MP-110 is warm and full in the mids, musical; the Ortofon 2M Red is more neutral and universal; the Audio-Technica VM95E is more incisive and bright. It is not a contest over which is "better", it is a choice of taste and genre: the Nagaoka is for the listener who finds the 2M Red too analytical and wants the music to reach out, especially on jazz, classical and acoustic.

The upgrade stays in the Nagaoka family: the JN-P150 and JN-P200 styli fit the MP-110 body and improve its sound. But note — and here Nagaoka is explicit — fitting a higher stylus improves the result but does not turn the MP-110 into an MP-150 or MP-200: the body stays the same. For the full jump you need the higher cartridge.

Standard half-inch mount: the MP-110 fits almost any arm, best on a medium-mass one given the compliance. It wants an ordinary MM phono stage at 47 kΩ — an iFi ZEN Air Phono 2 or a Rega Fono Mini is ideal.

A word on balance: the Nagaoka adds warmth, so it is at its best on a neutral or slightly lean system, where it brings body without clogging. On an already warm, soft setup you risk too much of a good thing. Set the tracking force within the 1.5-2.0 gram range and give it its break-in hours.