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

[HayesWeighsIn]

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)

Was going to mention this very same thing! Glad you touched upon it. He seems so very hyper detail-focused on minute differentiation, it clicked for me after watching a few videos that oh shit, this guy doesn’t actually listen to music for its true content.

 

[duke86fan]

tbh i think this whole thing is just "what kind of sound do you personally like"

like i like something super crisp and fun but also has some warmth, i dont know anything about audiophile stuff all i know is if guitars sound loud and singer and drums feel good then its good

 

[HayesWeighsIn]

i like something super crisp and fun but also has some warmth, i dont know anything about audiophile stuff all i know is if guitars sound loud and singer and drums feel good then its good

Sounds like you verbally described an Ortofon 2M Blue to me! But words are words

 

[duke86fan]

Sounds like you verbally described an Ortofon 2M Blue to me! But words are words

but then again i got people angry for constantly asking about if its good (insecurity is fun... and i just want perfect), a lot of people dislike it for being CD like or too shrill

also i just wish there was like some app or something that said "ok you prefer listening to this music... here is the setup that would work best for you".. i have a test songs playlist of what i'd normally listen to and i want to optimize as much as possible for audio nirvana... but too much choice leads to the paradox of choice

 

[zombie.modernist]

Was going to mention this very same thing! Glad you touched upon it. He seems so very hyper detail-focused on minute differentiation, it clicked for me after watching a few videos that oh shit, this guy doesn’t actually listen to music for its true content.

Right, that's what bothers me. I sort of get the impulse, as when I get new gear I occasionally do like to take measurements and be a bit analytical, but that's what test tones are for. Once I know I've got everything dialed in to where it should be for loading, get the cart aligned to track right, there's some demo tracks for sure, but I'm not playing Daft Punk to listen for the P-R-A-T lol. It's this weird zone that happens to be bad art criticism and pseudo science. Again for someone detail focused, he seems to know very little about many of the technical aspects of playback, especially loading, which can cause massive FR swings in MM designs, and tracking. It's why he outright rejects the AT carts (in the past they needed to be loaded differently from the modern 47k standard) and keeps saying the MP-110 out-tracks carts with better styli.

I'll stop ranting now as I don't think Ian is a bad guy, but I am getting tired of his viewers and the cult of Nagaoka taking over so much of the hobby.

 

[duke86fan]

tbh the only thing i remember about this guy before was a review comparing the project to the LP120 and went with a ton of detail about stylus angle which i dont care much about because i dont notice it.. i just want good sound (i dont know enough about stylus angle and stuff... if it doesn't effect the equalization or the static i dont care)

 

[Sturgus]

Right, that's what bothers me. I sort of get the impulse, as when I get new gear I occasionally do like to take measurements and be a bit analytical, but that's what test tones are for. Once I know I've got everything dialed in to where it should be for loading, get the cart aligned to track right, there's some demo tracks for sure, but I'm not playing Daft Punk to listen for the P-R-A-T lol. It's this weird zone that happens to be bad art criticism and pseudo science. Again for someone detail focused, he seems to know very little about many of the technical aspects of playback, especially loading, which can cause massive FR swings in MM designs, and tracking. It's why he outright rejects the AT carts (in the past they needed to be loaded differently from the modern 47k standard) and keeps saying the MP-110 out-tracks carts with better styli.

I'll stop ranting now as I don't think Ian is a bad guy, but I am getting tired of his viewers and the cult of Nagaoka taking over so much of the hobby.

Not a big fan of Ian, but I truly love my Nagaoka. I guess I drank the Kool aid

 

[zombie.modernist]

Not a big fan of Ian, but I truly love my Nagaoka. I guess I drank the Kool aid

Can't knock you for your taste and experience. I think the Nagaoka 500 is a different class of cart which I'm sure performs well thanks to advanced stylus, which Nagaoka only uses on that model. My main qualm is with the MP-110, which is one that's the most overhyped thanks to Ian's glowing review. Using one for a year, it sounded good for me on easy to track stuff, but outside of that it's easily the worst tracker under $200 I've tried. Nothing about the sound of the cart could get me over the distracting mistracking, which certain reviewers claim to not hear!

 

[Sturgus]

Can't knock you for your taste and experience. I think the Nagaoka 500 is a different class of cart which I'm sure performs well thanks to advanced stylus, which Nagaoka only uses on that model. My main qualm is with the MP-110, which is one that's the most overhyped thanks to Ian's glowing review. Using one for a year, it sounded good for me on easy to track stuff, but outside of that it's easily the worst tracker under $200 I've tried. Nothing about the sound of the cart could get me over the distracting mistracking, which certain reviewers claim to not hear!

I hear you, just teasing you about the cult thing. My favorite budget cartridge is the AT-7V. Although the price has jumped a bit in the last couple of years. I think it's still a best buy and a damn good tracker. If you get a chance check it out.

Audio-Technica AT7V phono cartridge

Check out the deal on Audio-Technica AT7V phono cartridge at LP Gear

www.lpgear.com