The Nagaoka MP-200 is a premium moving magnet cartridge designed for listeners who demand both musical warmth and sonic accuracy. Read more.
The Nagaoka MP-200 is a high-quality Moving Permalloy phono cartridge designed for vinyl enthusiasts looking for a natural, refined and well-controlled presentation. Within Nagaoka's popular MP range, the MP-200 represents an important step up thanks to features including its lightweight and rigid boron cantilever and accurately shaped elliptical diamond stylus.
With an output voltage of 4 mV, the MP-200 can be connected to a suitable standard MM phono input. This makes it compatible with a wide range of integrated amplifiers, separate phono preamplifiers and turntables using a standard half-inch cartridge mount.
For anyone looking to buy a Nagaoka MP-200 as a serious turntable upgrade, it combines sophisticated cartridge technology with practical compatibility and a replaceable stylus.
One of the MP-200's most distinctive components is its boron cantilever. Boron combines low mass with high rigidity, helping movements of the stylus to be transferred accurately to the generator system.
The elliptical diamond measures 0.4 × 0.7 mil and is designed to follow the modulation in the record groove accurately.
For best performance, correct cartridge alignment and tracking force are essential.
Key features include:
The MP-200 is aimed at listeners who want to hear plenty of detail without making music sound unnecessarily aggressive or fatiguing.
It combines controlled bass with an open midrange and refined high-frequency reproduction, making it suitable for a wide variety of recordings and musical styles.
The final sound will also depend on the turntable, tonearm, phono preamplifier, cartridge alignment, tracking force and condition of the record.
Although the Nagaoka MP-200 is often grouped with moving-magnet cartridges, Nagaoka uses its own Moving Permalloy principle.
For practical system matching, the important point is that the MP-200 provides a 4 mV output and is suitable for a conventional 47 kΩ MM phono input.
A dedicated low-output moving-coil phono stage is therefore not required.
The Nagaoka MP-200 uses the common half-inch mounting standard, making it suitable for many conventional tonearms and headshells.
The cartridge weighs 6.5 grams, while Nagaoka specifies a tracking-force range of 1.5 to 2.0 grams.
Correct setup should include:
The Nagaoka MP-150 and MP-200 are both positioned within Nagaoka's MP range.
One of the most important differences is the boron cantilever used by the MP-200, making it a logical step for listeners looking to move further up the Nagaoka range.
The MP-150 remains an attractive alternative for systems with a lower available budget.
Also view the Nagaoka MP-150 to compare both cartridges.
The regular Nagaoka MP-200 is supplied as a separate cartridge.
The Nagaoka MP-200H combines the cartridge with a headshell, which can be useful for turntables equipped with an easily interchangeable headshell.
The stylus assembly of the MP-200 can be replaced separately.
The matching replacement is the Nagaoka JN-P200 stylus.
This means that when the stylus eventually wears after extended use, replacing the entire cartridge body is not necessarily required.
See the Nagaoka JN-P200 replacement stylus for more information.
Would you like to know more about the sound, technology and position of the MP-200 within the Nagaoka range?
Read our detailed Nagaoka MP-200 review, including a closer look at its performance and comparisons with other popular phono cartridges.
| Specification | Nagaoka MP-200 |
|---|---|
| Type | Moving Permalloy |
| Frequency response | 20 Hz – 23,000 Hz |
| Output voltage | 4 mV |
| Channel separation | 25 dB at 1 kHz |
| Channel balance | maximum 1.5 dB |
| Load resistance | 47 kΩ |
| Load capacitance | 100 pF |
| Cantilever | Boron |
| Stylus | Elliptical diamond |
| Stylus dimensions | 0.4 × 0.7 mil |
| Tracking force | 1.5 – 2.0 g |
| Mounting | Half-inch |
| Weight | 6.5 g |
| Replacement stylus | Nagaoka JN-P200 |
The MP-200 uses Nagaoka's Moving Permalloy principle. In practical terms it can be connected to a conventional 47 kΩ MM phono input.
Nagaoka specifies a tracking-force range of 1.5 to 2.0 grams.
The matching replacement stylus is the Nagaoka JN-P200.
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