Cart upgrade for stock LP120... Nagaoka vs Ortofon ?

HiFi Guy said:
He thinks that anything Nagaoka is perfect and the Schiit Mani phono stage is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

And as @Joe Mac said, he's super positive and annoying. Dude makes me want to projectile vomit.
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I agree, he's not a shill, he's a fanboy, which is arguably worse. The issue I have with his reviews is that his bias is undeniable, yet he masquerades his videos as objective shootouts. I don't begrudge anyone for going for what their ears tell them, but he is woefully unaware of the issues that cartridges face ie tracking, mass matching, loading, capacitance etc. He's definitely filling a niche of reviewing affordable phono carts in a shootout style, but I think he spreads a lot of misinformation no matter if he likes or dislikes the carts. Nothing against him personally but the cult of his videos is getting annoying as hell.

Long story short from my POV (based on the cart being in my sytem every day for around a year) the MP-110 has a low value prop. Despite sounding decent, I really think you can do much better at current US prices of ~$150 especially if OP is expecting an upgrade from the 95e.
 
I ended up going with the MP-110 with a new headshell on sale for $140. I wanted the cart to "feel new" so I went with the new mounted headshell option. I did order a protractor and a force gauge to align it properly myself to make sure it's set correctly. They're both coming on Wednesday.

I couldn't resist so I spun two records on it with just the the stock alignment(don't shame me) and it sounds a lot better with what seems to be a big improvement on reducing popping sounds and surface noise/static. I'm no expert but this is what I noticed more than anything. It also sounds more "full" with sound. It sounds more like a spectrum rather than just sounds coming out of a bluetooth speaker the way the 95e did.

For ~$150 bucks I feel like this was a solid upgrade without breaking the bank. I plan on using this for at least a year or two, and then upgrading my entire setup all in one shot, so this will be a nice stopgap to give me decent audio for the time being over the stock cart.

I didn't revisit this thread before ordering or I may have more closely considered the AT VM95ML as it is getting some solid praise in the comments, but I'm very happy with the MP-110 so far.

I've heard it takes about 30 hours to fully break it in so once I align it and run it through 30 hours or so I'll update my thoughts on it, but initial impressions are good!
 
roffle24 said:
I ended up going with the MP-110 with a new headshell on sale for $140. I wanted the cart to "feel new" so I went with the new mounted headshell option. I did order a protractor and a force gauge to align it properly myself to make sure it's set correctly. They're both coming on Wednesday.

I couldn't resist so I spun two records on it with just the the stock alignment(don't shame me) and it sounds a lot better with what seems to be a big improvement on reducing popping sounds and surface noise/static. I'm no expert but this is what I noticed more than anything. It also sounds more "full" with sound. It sounds more like a spectrum rather than just sounds coming out of a bluetooth speaker the way the 95e did.

For ~$150 bucks I feel like this was a solid upgrade without breaking the bank. I plan on using this for at least a year or two, and then upgrading my entire setup all in one shot, so this will be a nice stopgap to give me decent audio for the time being over the stock cart.

I didn't revisit this thread before ordering or I may have more closely considered the AT VM95ML as it is getting some solid praise in the comments, but I'm very happy with the MP-110 so far.

I've heard it takes about 30 hours to fully break it in so once I align it and run it through 30 hours or so I'll update my thoughts on it, but initial impressions are good!
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I ended up with the AT but had to seriously consider the MP-110 because of this thread so I’m glad you started it. For what it’s worth so far I’ve noticed the two most drastic differences to my Grado is that the AT is much quieter in general in relation to surface noise and it has far less inner groove distortion so overall it sounds better to me then the Grado about as much as I expected relative to the cost delta between the two.
 
For anyone else still going back and forth on a cartridge, don't sleep on the Goldring E3

www.whathifi.com

Home review

A well-balanced performer that works well across a wide range of music.
www.whathifi.com www.whathifi.com

Snagged this for $170 because I'm an inpatient bafoon but I think you can get it on eBay for slightly over $100. It's a wonderful cart and works great with my set up. Very low noise. Great sound stage.

The record I linked is pretty helpful.
 
Going back to the original question, I've had a 2M Blue and an MP150. It's been awhile, but I felt the Nagaoka was a much better cart. More balanced and significantly smoother. Anytime I can go smoother without losing detail, I consider that a win.

Obviously those are different price points as well, so factor that in to my statements.
 
I've had both a Nagaoka MP-110 and an Ortofon Red for my Technics 1210. I subjectively prefered the Nagaoka. The Ortofon amplified the highs too much for my taste and was tiring to listen to. The Nagaoka was however prone to random static pops on my system. Tried trouble shooting it, but it was oddly the only cart to ever do that.

I've since swapped to an AT-150Sa and I'm super happy with it.
 
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Hey everyone... I've had the Nagaoka MP-110 for about a month now and I have to say it has been a fantastic upgrade for the price.

I think I've hit a "broken in" state with it as every record I've thrown at it recently has sounded amazing.

Great purchase, highly recommended if you own an LP120 and want to upgrade your kit without breaking the bank.
 
HiFi Guy said:
He thinks that anything Nagaoka is perfect and the Schiit Mani phono stage is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

And as @Joe Mac said, he's super positive and annoying. Dude makes me want to projectile vomit.
Click to expand...

Glad it’s not just me. He’s reviewed some pieces of gear where I’ve had a virtual 180 opposite experience with what he’s hearing. And there are folks out there who take what he says as gospel. It’s really bizarre.
 
HayesWeighsIn said:
Glad it’s not just me. He’s reviewed some pieces of gear where I’ve had a virtual 180 opposite experience with what he’s hearing. And there are folks out there who take what he says as gospel. It’s really bizarre.
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I’m 53 years old, and am a relatively quick adopter to new technologies. I remember using a floppy disc to tell my dial up modem to connect to my bank to pay bills. So what I’m about to say isn’t against technology.

I have written reviews for numerous websites over a decade or so- the only recent being for VMP. The system I have now isn’t nearly as expensive as some I’ve owned in the past. And it would be useless as a review system- at least regarding speakers and cartridge. Why? Not money. It’s because they aren’t neutral. One needs a stable neutral system for subjective reviews. My system is designed to let me enjoy music. Period. Not to hear a chair squeak in the fifth row or a gnat fart. I’m not a detail chaser- I learned the error of my ways 10 years ago. I’m a music lover. I enjoy my $12k system far more than a $30k system I once owned.

Ian is enthusiastic. But he’s a detail chaser, not a music lover. There’s a big difference. And he doesn’t have the the experience to understand the difference, which is huge. An example of a music loving reviewer? Art Dudley at Stereophile. He gets it- all day long and twice on Sunday.

Here’s a hint- if you ever see a review that says “for music lovers only” but the specs are “off”- zone on on that piece. An example? Manley Labs in CA. Their business is 80/20 professional/home. Independent measurements are pretty bad on some pieces. I’ve listened to these pieces long term. They sound more like real music than anything I’ve ever owned. I’m sure Ian would hate them. His loss. Unfortunately some take his word as gospel.

Ian is nothing more than a self promoted “expert” with a video camera and a YouTube channel.
 
HiFi Guy said:
I’m 53 years old, and am a relatively quick adopter to new technologies. I remember using a floppy disc to tell my dial up modem to connect to my bank to pay bills. So what I’m about to say isn’t against technology.

I have written reviews for numerous websites over a decade or so- the only recent being for VMP. The system I have now isn’t nearly as expensive as some I’ve owned in the past. And it would be useless as a review system- at least regarding speakers and cartridge. Why? Not money. It’s because they aren’t neutral. One needs a stable neutral system for subjective reviews. My system is designed to let me enjoy music. Period. Not to hear a chair squeak in the fifth row or a gnat fart. I’m not a detail chaser- I learned the error of my ways 10 years ago. I’m a music lover. I enjoy my $12k system far more than a $30k system I once owned.

Ian is enthusiastic. But he’s a detail chaser, not a music lover. There’s a big difference. And he doesn’t have the the experience to understand the difference, which is huge. An example of a music loving reviewer? Art Dudley at Stereophile. He gets it- all day long and twice on Sunday.

Here’s a hint- if you ever see a review that says “for music lovers only” but the specs are “off”- zone on on that piece. An example? Manley Labs in CA. Their business is 80/20 professional/home. Independent measurements are pretty bad on some pieces. I’ve listened to these pieces long term. They sound more like real music than anything I’ve ever owned. I’m sure Ian would hate them. His loss. Unfortunately some take his word as gospel.

Ian is nothing more than a self promoted “expert” with a video camera and a YouTube channel.
Click to expand...

What really bothers me is that Ian is in some weird netherworld of not seeming to like music as a typical fan does (easy to tell based on his bizarre picks at record stores), but also not being that on top of the tech stuff at all (obvious in his assertion that Nagaoka's craptostic bonded ellipticals out-track better carts).

This probably is why he has so many followers, as he seems to negotiate a balance between the pure music lovers in the hobby, and the pure techies. Ultimately it does nothing for me though, as I feel like he brings nothing to either convo. He neither has any passion for the music, or presents any real hard data. I think you'd be better off sticking to places like ASR for testing (Amir hates music but he's not shy to admit it) and someone like Dudley for more emotionally oriented writing. Make your own conclusions from there, but what Ian says is not particularly interesting emotionally due to his lack of involvement, and completely useless technically due to his lack of knowledge.
 
Prince Vegeta said:
For anyone else still going back and forth on a cartridge, don't sleep on the Goldring E3

www.whathifi.com

Home review

A well-balanced performer that works well across a wide range of music.
www.whathifi.com www.whathifi.com

Snagged this for $170 because I'm an inpatient bafoon but I think you can get it on eBay for slightly over $100. It's a wonderful cart and works great with my set up. Very low noise. Great sound stage.

The record I linked is pretty helpful.
Click to expand...
I've been hearing nothing but good things about it, I'm not going to buy one but it seems to be a pretty popular cartridge in the UK and well respected

It seems most people here are grado or nagaoka but it's cool to have multiple different brands to support
 
duke86fan said:
It seems most people here are grado or nagaoka but it's cool to have multiple different brands to support
Click to expand...
Also Audio Technica's VM95 line. Per @Ed Selley, the VM95E and VM95ML are the "true sweet spots" for value.
www.avforums.com

Audio Technica VM95 Cartridges Review

Turntable not sounding as good as it did? It might be time for a new cartridge and Audio Technica has just launched a whole affordable range of them.
www.avforums.com www.avforums.com
I had an ML and found it to be a marked improvement over an LP Gear CF3600LE.
 
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