HiViNyws channel you too! Been studying hard i Know a lot about rega gear and goldring Elite cartridge in 1000 dollar mc category and atn150ml mm are latest finds along with technics 1200 mk2 and audio technica lp2x. Probably will buy a buy nomad from vpi 2. And i need a zyx m100 and mp500 from nag. Not Done lol
I find it amusing how many times I read comments where people talk about TH-cam's audio quality being terrible, yet I am able to detect a lot of the differences you are describing. Your reviews are exemplary in the way you select passages of music that demonstrate the differences in performance that you are describing.
Dear Sir, thank you for letting me know your kind feedback. I am very thankful for your kind words and appreciation. Though not entirely reflective of the true differences when heard "live" over a two-speaker stereo system right in front of you, i am glad there are telling differences we can still appreciate. The differences are huge when heard live, and without the digitization uploading to youtube and viewers' subsequent viewing via another DAC layer that altogether introduces much time smear, phase-shift, pre-ring and post-ring into the process. I am glad all of you trust my honest judgement and review based upon what is heard live over a 2-speaker stereo, cartridge to phonostage to amp to speakers :-D Thank you Sir. ~ ian.
I think part of the reason the differences translate well over TH-cam is the interplay between the speakers, the room and your recording device. Counter intuitively, I think this actually presents the differences better than if we were listening to a direct feed (where the differences might be lost due to our own equipment's influence). Certain characteristics such as transient response and tonality seem to be exaggerated, while certain subtle differences like micro-dynamics and imaging don't translate as well. Keep up the great work :)
Seriously .... Being able to hear the difference between a dog barking and a cat miawing will still be possible, even with youtube 320 kbps compression... Likewise, some of these cartridges sound vastly different to eachother, and yes that is easily heard and easily recorded, and easily conveyed through a youtube video. But just know, had you been there for real listening to these cartridges, you would have found these differences way more 'Outspoken'
@@Lasse3 I'm unsure whether you are addressing my first post or my second post. In the case of my first post, I was making the point that many people complain about TH-cam having poor audio quality. I think a lot of people (particularly self proclaimed audiophiles) over estimate the acuity of their hearing. Take a look at some blind test results of various audio codecs at various bitrates (as well as other blind listening tests that highlight BS claims from audiophiles) and you'll see how poorly people perform. If you are addressing my second post, I was speculating that the sum total of factors in the recording chain may actually pronounce some of the differences because the characteristics are being exaggerated by the room and then filtered by the microphone's position and frequency response.
THank you BROTHER :-D!!!! NOW : ENJOY!!!!!!!!!>...... Yes the MP-110 still is better than the Grado Red. Very clear improvement. Let us continue having our vinyl analogue bliss!! Cheers cheers Buddy Victor!! See you! ~ ian.
Oh YES Brother Mike!!! YOUR MP-110 posts are brilliant!!! :-D I just bought another JNP-110 stylus replacement for standby duties!! Can't live without one!! Thank you Brother Mike for your catching up, your time and friendship always. Humbled to have received your kindness again, Best Regards Buddy!!! ~ ian.
Hi Ian, Another great review! I don’t know where you get the time and energy to make such detailed and enthusiastic videos. Your efforts are both informative and entertaining. Thank you so much!
Hope you are doing well in California too Buddy!!! Thank you so much, brother, for your empathy and understanding. Doing all these work does take up a lot of time from my family. A lot. I do my best to spend as much time with them as possible. Again, i want to say, that, messages from you, and others, is very important to me, because everything can be very daunting and bring me to my knees, but your messages and others', is the only propulsive force and meaning to me continuing to do these work. .. Brother Steven, thank you. Thank you. Thank you... May you have a wonderful time there with your vinyl buddies too :-D ~ ian.
Thanks for another great review! Enjoy it very much. I bet you can imagine the smile on my face :-) while I am playing vinyl with the 150. Kudos to Nagaoka for engineering so many marvellous carts! For the look alone, I would have gone for the Ortofon. Such a minimalist and modern look. Fit well on my first deck of Pro-Ject Carbon Esprit White. My first cart was the 2M Blue until your recommendation of MP-100. When the 150 review came, the rest was history... The sonic difference between Ortofon and Nagaoka is stark. I can hear the difference even on a pair of cheap computer speakers. Thanks again for the time spent in producing in-depth review. VC owes you a lot! Can't wait for the next episode.
Brother, Thank you very much for your kindest regards again. I owe it to you. I am very happy to hear from you. I am very happy with your SL1200GR, Nagaoka and Mani now :-D it is a stupendous combination of three GIANTS :-D really...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You must be on cloud nine every day enjoying beautiful vinyl analogue bliss :-D Best Regards, and hope the temperature runs a bit cooler from now on in our Red Dot! ~ ian.
Dear Ian: At last my MP200 arrived from Japan & was fitted to my SRM-Tech Arena turntable immediately. Your review was spot on, what a revelation from a moving magnet cartridge. It is everything that you said it was and will only improve. Thank you once again for your insight. Anyway, enough of this, back to Astral Weeks by Van Morrison- bliss...! Kind regards - Ron
Thank you so much for reviewing the three cartridges! When I compared to the Nagaoka MP-110, I can hear some limitations when compared to the Ortofon 2M Bronze and vice versa - So after watching the review, the Nagaoka MP-200 will be on my top buy list, giving me something the best of both worlds!
Brother :-D Nin2 Hao3!!!! Hope you are enjoying your Spring in Canada now!!!! Teresa Teng over the weekend? :-D . thank you for your time Buddy catching up!!!
The MP200 may become a benchmark for vinyl lovers as it combines all necessary musical qualities in a balanced and a coherent manner , add to this the correct price tag ................more than once spectacular performance of some very expensive hifi gear destroys the delicate harmony of what is music all about......................I think this Nagaoka is a real winner.
Hi; Ian wonderful review and song selection. I was thinking the bronze would come close to Nagaoka, but what a surprise. Thank you so much for yet another details review.
Buddy Sari, all the best to you in Penang too.... hope your elections turn out favourably for the good of all you friends in our good neighbour Malaysia :-D !!! May you all be well and happy.
Great review Ian. I bought my Nag MP150 partially based on your review and I've not been disappointed by it yet. One of the most impressive things about the MP150 is its ability to handle dense, complicated music with little effort while still maintaining separation and clarity. It never seems to be overwhelmed. Even when I would expect the music to bring the cartridge to its knees it never gives up and never seems to be working too hard. I love it.
Dear Buddy, thank you very much yet again for coming by and lending your kind voice. I am really jubilated myself to be able to use great carts with great performance at much cheaper prices than the industry would have us believe. :-D Really happy!!! So much gumption involved... YES!!!!!!!! :-D hahaha the victory is ours, the common folks, the reasonable, logical, consumers who believe in honest works by honest manufacturers who plough the ground everyday without resorting to advertisements on magazines (physical or online) indulging in the "you scratch my back, i scratch yours" vicious cycle, marketing and " tie-ups" with certain turntable manufacturers to whitewash us with poor products that we thought would be the bog standard... :-D we win from now on. We are all honest common folks. Thank you Buddy, again, for your precious time writing in. Very kind of you! Best Regards Brother!!!!!!!!!! ~ ian.
Another great cartridge review!. I look forward to your videos and agree, the NP-200 is a fantastic cardridge. I am tempted to move up to the NP-300 & eventually the NP-500. I will wait patiently for your reviews on those cartridges and appreciate the time spent on making these videos.
An excellent, very thorough demonstration on these "Group E cartridges". It is a little discouraging that the Ortofon 2M Bronze MM has not at least performed at the same consistent level, and capability of the Nagaoka MP-150. However, I know better now. Thank you.🎼🎵
Hello to you Ian👋🏻...another excellent review, but I’ve figured out what I really enjoy about these and that’s looking at your beautiful system! 🙂ahhh I thank you for the time it takes to make these...have a good weekend my friend....hope the fam is well....Lis
L. E. Dear Sis Lis!!! You should be in bed sleeping now and not chatting with me👋😁!! Lol... of course i am even more touched to see you at this time. Thank you Sister Lisa for your kindness and time again. Mokobaby🐶 sends her regards to you too....she's besides me now... woof woof Sis Lis😍
Hi Ian. Another in-depth and entertaining review. I continue to be floored with my GR 1006 and Mani purchases. I'm enjoying vinyl again, in part to your great advice. Curious to know how the 2M black would fair. Best wishes Alan
Thank you so much. I’ve watch all of your videos and I just love them. I’ve been waiting for this one for a while. I’ve been weighing over the 2MBronze and MP-200 for a long time now and you certainly cleared up my thoughts. Thank you again and I can’t wait for more helpful videos and vinyl digging travels to Japan! Peace.
Amazing video Ian! You always put so much effort in your video's, that really can be seen. The MP-200 is my favourite. I'm sure the MP-200 will be a nice upgrade after my MP-110 ;) have a nice day!
Trance n' Drive Dear Buddy....thank you so much for coming by and lending in your support yet again🤗i am very touched by your gestures. Thank you for the friendship. All the Best Sir!
This is wonderful, Ian. I was so looking forward to getting back home so I could listen to to your appraisal. As you know, I've also recently acquired the MP-200 myself, so what a surprise to find it here in your generous as well as substantial round up. You've been fair to choose rated and recommended carts from the Hi-Fi press, so I was more than intrigued to see/hear if your findings balanced up with my own assessment in regards to the Nagaoka MP-200. Firstly I was quite surprised to be able to hear the differences, many of which were rather substantial. I'm thrilled to read that your findings matched mine. Its like having a grown up MP-110. It takes all the qualities of that fabulous cartridge and refines them even more. Dynamics, sound stage, clarity and resolution, and lower surface noise made the whole listening experience more involving and enjoyable. I noticed that things sound even better after a few weeks of play. Fantastic review, Ian ... reviews I trust 👍
Dearest Chris :-D I am delighted and heartened by your presence again. Thank you my brother for always being with me, and I have to say: through these years. Thank you Brother. WIshing you many joyous years of analog joy and bliss, friendship and love binding with your family and friends. Yours, ~ ian.
Brother with the Magic Carpet Ride!!!! :-D hehheh.... my is humble...and i have lots to discover and really learn from you all!!!! Rite of Spring....indeed wonderful!! I got the record about 8 months ago :-D ... see, i am slow :-D
Oliver Sayson Dear Brother, thank you. It has been quite a while... in fact 2 years. Thank you so much for your amazing patience and kindness. Have a great weekend Buddy. ...and warmest regards 🤗!
Dear Ian, thank you for including that bonus bit with the MP-150. ... I'm not surprised about the outcome. I spent a lot of time researching all the Ortofon 2M's and the final result made me decide to look elsewhere. ... Appreciating your Shokunin spirit very much: Ganbatte! ~ Josh
Dearest Brother Josh, :-D thank you for always being around and lending me your kindest support, time and friendship. I hope all is brilliant, peaceful and well in Berlin for you and your friends!! We ganbatte together :-D YAY!!! ~ ian.
Thanks for another amazing review. So happy with the Nagaoka MP-110 that you recommended, such a well-rounded cartridge and amazing value. You can really hear the differences you show, even on TH-cam and they really matter, you not only hear a difference, on it's own the Bronze probably sound fine, but you can feel the difference and it makes you enjoy music so much more. I'm using the Nagaoka with the Musical Fidelity V90-LPS now, I already had a nice high quality linear power supply for it and you gave it a positive review. The power supply really improved the sound, so I hope it's comparable with the Schiit Mani ! Not sure if I ever want to upgrade to the MP-150 or MP-200 ( both still in my price range ), but then again the MP-110 is almost a year old and I must have put about 600 hours on it now. I even had to buy a much better DAC ( Chord Qutest ) to keep up with the sound of vinyl ! Thanks again and looking forward to your next review :)
Joerie Mortelmans Yo Buddy 👋😄good to see you again!!!! Yea let's continue to enjoy the MP-110 . I am loving it all the time!!! Superb outlier performer. Excellent. Thank you for your time and kindness. Chat anytime bro! Warmest Regards!🤗
What an amazing indepth review. So much detail. You must have spend tons of free time to make this long video. Great. You're to only one who can do this. In my opinion. Always interesting. It's an Ortofon review, but I'm convinced once again I made the best choice of getting a Nagaoka cartridge. Now I have to work harder to get an upgrade haha. Next step is to get the Mp 150.What a sound. Rock hard.
Dear Brother Lars, thank you very much for coming by again. Continue to enjoy your MP-110!! I am PLAYING NOW Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' numbers with my P3 and MP-110 now!! :-D Whether it is MP-110, MP-150, MP-200, Grado Red or GR1006, i enjoy them all :-D the MP-150 is superb, and yes of course, can be your next hifi toy!!!! :-D Best Regards Brother, again, thank you for your time. We vinyl on!! See you bro, anytime okay! ~ ian.
I purchased a 2M Bronze nearly 4 years ago for my old Kenwood turntable. Now I see why it was a little disappointing. You are providing a real service.
I have used a Nagaoka MP11 Boron for years and will need to replace it as it has had many hours use. Having compared it to an Ortofon 2M Blue that I own I much prefer the MP11 Boron. The midrange richness produced by the MP11 Boron makes the sound of vocals and instruments so believable and realistic. Drum kits sound amazing with the MP11 Boron. I really believe the Boron cantilevers add so much to the improved performance of the Nagaoka Mp11 Boron and MP200 when comparing to cartridges of a similar price. Thank you Ian for producing such a detailed and informative video.
sam66muso Dear Sir, yhank you so much for sharing your kind experiences with all of us. Your MP-11 Boron is a classic. Many other friends who have realized the greatness and effectiveness of Nagaoka carts much earlier than me have told me lots recently too. Amazing. I too, am a late Nagaoka adopter. Only realized so much over the past two years doing these tests for these community projects👋😄✌☄☄☄
Another fine video , Ian ! Closer comparison with these two cartridges, but the MP-200 is a great step above! Much closer than the phono stage comparison of the last video! Have a great weekend,Buddy!
The Ortofon 2M series are the classic example of style over substance. They are very sexy looking carts, but that is where it end. The Nagaoka are not pretty, but deliver performance beyond their price points. Excellent review, the difference is quite pronounced when you are engaged and listening. If your intent is to just hear music the Bronze would suffice, but if you are looking to immerse yourself and feel the music then their is no comparison. I just replaced my stylus, but I know for certain my next cartridge will be a Nagaoka 200. Thank you again for everything you do and the detail thorough analysis you present. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Brother Luis, thank you and yes, all you have said are correct :-D!!! Nagaoka looks plain Jane but delivers wallops of substance!!!! 2M's case-body look modern and sculpted...but sound-wise, not optimal at all. Thank you for your wellwishes, :-D my sons, parents, wife and I just came back from dinner :-D It is Mothers' Day tomorrow! :-D . Happy Mothers' Day to your wife too and hope your boys and kitty are cuddling up nicely to her this weekend! You too!
HiViNyws channel happy mother's day to your lovely wife. Mother's day here is next Sunday. I hope you enjoy the time with your family. Take care my friend.
Great videos. I enjoy all the info you pass along. Also a big thank you for introducing me to some great jazz and classical music. I have already bought Vanessa's album and several from Reference Recordings. I currently use an MP-110 because of your review and thinking of making the jump to the 150 or 200. Hope to see many more videos from you.
I somewhat anticipated and assumed what the results would be when I saw the title of this video in my subscriber feed this morning. Given the past performances of the Ortofon carts, I figured this one would in family with the Red and Blue reviews. I have a 2M Black but if I had seen your videos when I first started to jump back into vinyl, I would have steered clear of it now. Not to mention, the Shibata's while nice for detail, really exacerbate surface noise. I am not sure I would go back to a Shibata diamond again. The Croft is sounding really nice. It doesn't seem overly warm and produces a nice tone. Now I know what cartridge to go for to have a nice mid priced cart on my deck ;) I am planning to switch back to your gifted Nagaoka here in the coming weeks. Once again, great stuff Ian!
Dearest Paul, thank you for your kind time yet again :-D I am still planning a surprise for you, but the opportunity is still not here yet!!! Just nudged my wife beside me about your message! We say hi to you! Sons and us, plus my parents, just back from dinner. Mothers' Day tomorrow. The dinner is to celebrate Mothers' Day for my mother and my wife of course :-D . Have a brilliant weekend Brother, hope Spring is good for all of you in Texas!!! Yours, ~ ian
+HiViNyws channel Did you hear Shure is closing down their D.J.Needle line down?Oh well,I can honestly say I never own Shure needles.just Stanton needles, and later, and currently Ortofon needles.Ortofon needles are very expensive,but worth every penny.
Very sad that they stop selling cartridges. They have already stopped manufacturung a while back, but you will be able to get replacement styli for some time (while stock lasts). I sometimes buy a few dirt cheap used shures and put jico or similar styli on for turntables i find, refurbish and sell. But yes, there are better out there.
After you are done with this group, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on mixing and matching stylus and cartridge. I have been very pleased with an MP-200 stylus on my 110 cartridge. I know that the 150 and 200 cartridges have even better internals, but the difference between just changing the stylus from the 110 to the 200 is impressive, and I think well worth the cost (~$130 on eBay direct from Japan).
Once again Ian this was informative and definitely key to my vinyl listening. I have never heard of the Nagaoka MP-200 until now. So thank you for given us more knowledge in the cartridge dept. You surely know your stuff and I certainly benefit from it. 'Hope you guys are doing better than ever. It is sunny in Boston today so I am going to get outside and make the best of the day. Talk to you soon~ Rob/Boston
Dear Comrade Rob!!!! :-D . Thank you too for always being the big brother to fellow VC members and to me. I always feel overawed that somebody as knowledgeable and senior in the VC, acknowledges my little humble presence. Thank YOU Big Brother Rob. May you, your family and your vinyl bros in Boston thrive on. Keep on living big for us, Brother Rob. We need your energy :-D Warmest Regards!!! ~ ian.
You did it again Ian :-) Great review as usual. I'm very happy with my new Nag MP150 but am tempted to buy the MP200 as well. Since I have a spare arm it might be a good idea :-) Ever since I read the review you did on the Mani I've tried buying one but it was out of stock. But new stock will arrive this month so I hope to be able to order one before they are sold out again :-) I absolutely love the Croft hand build tube phono pre-amp you have ! It looks and sounds absolutely worth the money. Very tempting......very ! :-) Regards, Arno
WOW Bro Arno:-D you have the excellent Goldring 1006 and now the MP150!!! ALL GREAT :-D!!!!! What a happy exciting update from you. Brother, thank you for your time writing so nicely to me. I feel very happy reading your well written notes to me always. They are helping fellow friends too!! All the very best, Buddy Arno. Please enjoy a superb weekend, what with GR1006 AND MP-150 WITH YOU ;-D!!!
Brother, yes the DL-110! :-D Thank you for your suggestion!!... and thanks for sharing your thoughts previously too: about you preferring the MP-110 after trying the Grado Green, Green with 8MZ stylus and the Goldring 1006!!! Yes I do rate the MP-110 very close to the GR1006 :-D I will organize and buy a turntable very soon to pit it against the Rega Planar 3. Same price point: $950-$1000. :-D I see it important to find it out: which one is the better one!?! I will announce it in three weeks' time. Warmest Regards Buddy!! ~ ian.
Great review as always. I’ve suspected that MP-200 is going to win, but neverthless great info presented in a way that every audiophile should understand and respect. Thanks Ian for unbiased reviews and your great commitment to vinyl community.
Miljen Maletin Dear Brother Miljen....how are you👋😄?! Thank you for coming by again and catching up! I have been hoping the mp200 doesn't win this series coz i find it getting a bit "boring"...but no choice...the performance displayed by all the carts here leave me no choice. The Nag wins really big. Superb again💪😄✌... Best Regards Buddy.
I love what you do for us Ian. I own the bronze but now I am looking at the MP-200. I might be able to pay more for the MP-300 but will I get a noticeable difference? It might get to the point of having to ask my dog because it would be outside of my range.
:-D :-D :-D so cute!! Your dog is your financial comptroller!!! Hahaha..>!! "Woof woof!!! Daddy you can go ahead!!" Thank you Buddy for coming by, and your kind words. I will continue to work hard... you friends enjoy the journey ok!! Warmest Regards! ~ ~ ian.
Indeed the MP 200 is much better and i would not have expected a difference as big as this. Thanks for the review and especially for all the detailed written information you added to the video. I am rellay interested in both the hardware used and your music selection.
This was an excellent review. I love the direct audio feed. That makes the review 100% better! I was always curious about how these two particular cartridges compared. Now, I am really curious on how the MP-200 compares to another well loved cartridge, the Denon DL-110.
Blake G Dear Buddy👋😄🎵🎶🎶!! Great to see you again!!! Thank you for noticing that since this video onwards, i have been using the direct audio feed/output from the phono preamp ✌😄✌ Warmest Regards Buddy!
Personally I'm not a big fan of the Nagaoka cartridges but I do of course respect your opinion. Thank you for your time effort you put into these reviews. I always enjoy watching them
Dear Buddy :-D great to see you again!!! How are you? You have decided between the RP8/10 and the SL1200G? Which one did you get? I am sure too you have been enjoying your Goldring cartridge!!! Cheers cheers :-D!!!
Hello Ian, I'm very good thank you :-). My initial choice was to wait for the Planar10 to come on the marked and take it from there. But now I'm wondering if that will happen in a near future? I've listened to the RP10 and I'm very impressed. To me it sounds very precise and dynamic and still very involving into the music. So I'm starting to leaning towards if I should maybe go for a used RP10. I suspect the SL 1200G is an expensive choice compared to the sound you get. I think the cheaper SL 1200GR gives more bang for your buck. Do you have an opinion of what you would go for if you were to choose between them? Cheers :-D
Dear Brother :-D I think the RP10 $6k, and thus is a more expensive deck than the SL1200G at $4k :-D !!! But yes, I have heard the RP10 before and it sounds really good!!!!! Detailed, precise, dynamic! I have yet to listen to both RP10 and SL1200G side by side though :-D . I hope you get the chance and let me know Buddy!!! Let me know my friend ! Anytime!!! I am very eager to hear of your experience.... getting the same cart on both the RP10 and SL1200G and having a shoot-out! WOW :-D !!!
hey, any chance you might ever do a shootout between the top of the line nagaoka MP500 and its peers? (ortofon black, etc?) i've been loving my MP-200 lately but I'm getting upgraditis
Ooooh Brother!!! Upgraditis!!!!😄... I do have the MP500, Goldring 1042 and 2MBlack, but have yet to sit down to do the careful auditions carefully, and as such I really can't help with anything solid now... I really would like to shootout between all of them and let you guys know too😅💪✌!!!🎶🎵🎶🎶 Let me know if you have gotten to compare the two too!.... most of my friends said even the MP200 is better than the 2Mblack... but unless I have heard it myself, I wouldn't comment. Warmest Regards my friend, and hope you have a good upgraditis solution soon...enjoy the upgraditis journey😄💪💪💪
@Mr. Tex Yes Brother! The Goldring 1042s are superb! I love them too!!! Sure will plan a shootout between the 1042 and MP-200 along the way. Thank you!!!🤗🤗🤗
Wonderfully executed review Ian!!!!!👍 It looks like a Nag is in my future. I upgraded the motor in my Rega and though I was hoping the Bronze would do better I'm not surprised by the results. Since I'm so obsessed with the longevity of my favorite records I have an excuse to splurge on the mp-500, line contact stylus. Late this year or early next...!!
Eric Jensen Hi Eric👋👋👋😄!!!!!! GREAT TO SEE YOU!!! My knees go soft when you said "i have an excuse to splurge on the MP-500"... OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!!! Thank you for your time again!!! I love your comment and help on the turntable shoot-out between the P1-HX500-DebutDC!!!! I often refer people to your succinct and logical statements made 💪😄THANK YOU BROTHER!
Once again, you have given us all a masterpiece in vinyl appreciation and husbandry. Thank you for your dedication. I had the misfortune to purchase a 2M Bronze a while back (before I found your channel). It now resides in a dark cupboard along with my other audio mistakes. I fully agree with your review; I could never get it to sing. There are now only three cartridges I would ever use for my vinyl playback: 1. My Nagaoka MP150 2. My XXXXXXX 3. My XXXXXXX (All MM) I'll disclose after your series ends so as to not influence any followers but there won't be a huge surprise, I'm sure. Have a great weekend in Sunny Singapore. My family and I hope to return again sometime soon. Best wishes from Qatar.
AnalogueInQatar Brother, so happy to hear from you again. And all your concerns and wise choices😄!!!! Still have not met you!...and I must get to meet you when you're here again. Coffee☕on me!!!👋😄 Best regards to you and your family Brother!...good weekend!
Hello Ian, thank you so much again for all of the fantastic cartridge reviews! I purchased a Nagaoka MP-110 for my old Pioneer PL-300 based on your recommendation, and it sounds great. Since then, however, I have purchased a new turntable (VPI Prime Signature). My budget is small after buying the turntable, so I am looking for a somewhat inexpensive cartridge to put on it. The MP-200 was my first thought, but given its compliance number and light weight, it may not be a good match for the Prime Signature (tonearm mass is only 9g). The Ortofon 2M carts fall solidly into the "green zone of compliance". You seemed to really like the 2M Blue, but not so much the 2M Bronze. Would you take the Blue over the Bronze for your desert island cart, or should I look for something all together different?
Hi Ian! I want to thank you so very much for all of your hard work and seemingly endless passion for vinyl and the entire VC as a whole. I’ve been watching your videos for quite a long time now, and have purchased numerous items thanks to your detailed reviews. I bought a Nagaoka MP110 thanks to you and love it, but think I may upgrade to an MP200 after seeing this vid. Not to mention, the stylus is pretty much shot at this point, but not sure I feel there is enough of a difference between the 2 carts to upgrade or just replace the stylus. Thanks very much again, Ian!
Nick Pantazi Buddy👋😄...i am very happy to hear that you have chosen well and have been thoroughly enjoying your vinyl playback journey💪😄🎶🎶🎶🎶!!! Thank you for sharing and your kind time. I wish you even more good years of vinyl bliss and enjoyment. Catch up anytime Buddy!
Thank you so very much for your reply, Ian! 😀 I am so happy to hear back from you. Words can not express how appreciative I am for you using your own money, and putting in the time to do these reviews. I also love the vids of all your tips, your Hi-Fi shopping adventures, or even just opening a box full of goodies! It is so wonderful to see someone who is so selfless in the name of Hi-Fi, vinyl, and a general pursuit of happiness and friendship among everyone and the VC. 😀🎵👍 Thanks again, Ian! - Nick
I enjoy your video a lot. I currently own Rega P5 with Exact 2 and Maggi 1.6R. I wonder is it possible for you to do a comparison among MP-110, 150, and 200? So that we can understand the difference? I wonder the most significant difference is on the top end extension and resolution? Thanks for your feedback.
Finally someone. The popularity of the entire 2M series makes me wonder what on earth people are doing. They're just not very good and definitely not better than the competition.
Sky Captain Dear Brother, thank you yet again for your coming by catching up👋😄. We go on, one by one🤗✌✌✌!!! News: i will be buying a turntable at the $1k price range to have a important shoot-out with the Rega Planar3 soon. We vinyl on💪😄 best regards Brother!!! ~ ian.
Two years ago I succumbed to Ortofon's hype and I bought a 2M Black. I soon discovered that 70s era Shures and Grados sound better, and, thanks to TH-cam, I dissevered that that the 2M Bronze is better than the Black. Ortofon MMs are fine if your idea of a good LP is a barcoded reissue from Urban Outfitters. Meanwhile I went back to my Denon and Dynavector MCs.
G'day Ian my man! Another great insightful and honest assessment of affordable HiFi. Its refreshing to watch a true multi comparitive without the looming question mark of manufacturer influence/pressure being a possiblity. I have found since chatting with you that the synergy between the Nagaoka carts and the Schiit Mani is astounding, it really makes the step up to something "better" a large financial decision and not always with a substantial sound improvement percentage increase - diminishing returns!!?? The Croft looks wonderful sitting there, I am sure you are enjoying it. My FGS and Accession are all run in now and the WOW factor is so much fun!!! I've just changed TT mat and after some indecision have settled on a particular mat that brings everything together nicely - SYNERGY again that makes magic sounds to my ears hahah. Looking forward to your next installment...
Brother!!! Thank you for your kindest time spent writing in!!! :-D Garrott FGS and Accession giving you the fun? :-D congratulations!!! I was nodding my head so hard and repeatedly as i read you say *"...it really makes the step up to something "better" a large financial decision and not always with a substantial sound improvement percentage increase - diminishing returns!!??"* I totally agree with you!!!!! Brother, i congratulate you for getting your ideal mat eventually!!! Let me know what is it too :-D!!! Looking forward too to your constant updates and love the chats!!!!!!! Weekend now! ENJOY YOURS BRO!!! ~ ian.
Great review. Have to concur. I had a 2m blue because of the hype. A lot of surface noise made me sell it and buy a gold ring 2000 series. Much better!
Hi!! What goldring did you get? I'm considering a goldring 2200 but I don't know how does it track... I currently have an at440mla which tracks very well but doesn't have a very balanced sound. How do you like your goldring? Thanks!
Thank you once again for a wonderful, thorough review. You explain the differences that you find so well. I’m pleased that you found the MP200 to be so good as I ordered one last week (from Japan) Now if only I could find a Mani to buy my source would be complete! Wonder why everyone is out of stock, even Schitt themselves. Keep up the good work, it’s very much appreciated. Kind regards- Ron
Dear Ron from the U.K. !!! Thank YOU for coming by!!!! :-D WOW you pulled the trigger EXTREMELY TIMELY ;-D . HAHHAHAA!!!! Happy for you Buddy!!!!!!!! Hope your Mani comes in as early as possible :-D IT is crazy excellent. We enjoy our journey dear Brother :-D Warmest Regards, I heard the weather in the U.K. has been absolutely fantastic these past few days, 18degC and sunny... have a good weekend my friend. ~ ian
Dear Buddy Tone :-D !!! You have been so kind to all your fellow VC members.... travelling so much and bringing us along with you on your road trip. Beautiful :-D!!!! Warmest Regards, just checked, it is 22degC in California now.... enjoy! ~ ian.
hey my brother... yes it is a very nice cool Southern California Spring evening here with a beautiful sunset and a slight ocean breeze... wish the two of you could be here right now
The came from the TH-cam music library, I just like the tunes! My channel has a No Copyright Music playlist that you can check out! Some cool music from some very talented folks!
Dear Buddy Alvaro!!! Yes of course, please get the MP-150!!! Your friend in Tokyo this month can indeed get it for you :-D . !!! Yay!!! BRother, i have read your email.... we shall look ahead.... November for you, and October for me, coz my son has school holidays only in October. Apologies, we will meet again, hopefully in 2019!!! :-D Best Regards, ~ ian.
You are very good at finding good adjectives to describe sounds. I went to see the Nagaoka MP-110 with other eyes after your review. I am restoring a turntable here and it will be the one I will install on it. At the moment, I use a Grado Green, but since this other turntable is direct-drive I know it will not be a good fit in it because it is quite noise-prone. I look forward to a review of the Denon DL-110. I believe that at some point you will still have one to give your opinion about it. Cheers.
Dear Brother Douglas, sorry I have not come to the DL-110 as yet. I am very happy that you catch up with me here again :-D!!! Thank YOU!!! Yes, still enjoying our Grado Green!!! Hi five!!!! Restoring your turntable!?!! WOW!!!!!! SOUNDS REALLY FUNNN!!!!! :-D heeheehee.... you piqued my interest!... what/which one are your restoring? :-DYummy!!! ~ ian
Thanks Ian! Very Interesting since the Bronze is the most expensive here in the USA at $440. I've read good things about the MP-200 for a few years. Now I know for sure it's a great cartridge. I think I may give that or the MP-300 a try. Oh, I think I found a new turntable to buy. The Acoustic Signature Primus. I compared it to the Rega P6 and also the Clearaudio Concept but I ended up liking the A.S. the most. So either the Primus or their better Wow turntable is what I'll get. Cheers.
I carefully listended your comaparison: It seems, that the taste is a big number here. In all aspects I'd prefer the ortofon, because it is brighter in the midrange and high. Probably that is a difference if age. I even would preferl the ortofnon blue against the Hana EL in your other comparisin, for the same reason.
Ian, Glad to see the Grado out pace the 2MBr in the review. I could really hear the difference there with bass and treble details. Seems the MP-200 ran far ahead of the pack though. :-) I'm guessing how the RP2 review will go... MP-200 for the win! (Yet still hoping out for the Grado > the little guy has a special place in my heart - love that little cart!). Great review brother! -Brad
H2Vinyl Brother Brad👋😄sorry for my late reply. Really sorry. Dear Buddy, I am trying to get the video ready in 2 weeks' time. Will do my best. I have to be careful as usual and get all stones turned😃🎶🎶🎶 but yet be concise. Thank you my friend🤗!!! Warmest Regards and have a good weekend Brad!
Hello again Ian. Thank you for yet another fantastic video. I really appreciate all the effort you put in to your videos! I am a relative newbie when it comes to turntables/cartridges/phono amps etc., but as you know, I bought the Mani on your recommendation and it sits very well with my Marantz TT15S1. My only question would be, how to upgrade the Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge, which comes as standard? Do you have any suggestions as to how to make this turntable sound even more terrific, cartridge-wise? Cheers, from the UK! James
Time well spent listening to my friend Ian! Very interesting review. Were you able to get a Swagman lab power supply upgrade for the Mani? I am planning to get one in about 3 months. Thinking of doing this as I will not be able to do a full phono preamp upgrade for a while. Needing to get new speakers first as one of my old speakers is going out. Considering Focal Aria, Harbeth, Watkins Gen 4, ATC, Magnepan, and Golden Ear. If there is anything that may take more research and thought than getting a TT it is getting speakers. You have such a beautiful family. May the Lord bless them.
AH!!! You and your brother with the TWO :-D Mani's are now considering the Swagman! I bought in one 2 months ago, but have yet to have time to unbox it and listen to my Mani through it. Apologies my dear Brother. Brother, you may drop the Harbeth. :-D They are like those overhyped cartridges, and many, many other speaker manufacturers beat them at their own game long time ago. I bought into the hype of Harbeths, and paid heavily for my mistake 3 year ago. Alan Shaw has also been very unkind to many vinyl lovers and spoke ungentlemanly against vinyl playback with subjective words unbecoming of a gentleman with integrity. Not just poor in terms of sound quality, and easily beaten by other speakers, the workmanship is actually poor. My new Harbeth Super HL5 plus actually has unaligned gaps within the rectangular grille crevice. And the edge veneer easily chips off when removing and putting on the grille. Absolutely horrendous, overhyped speaker from an unworthy owner. Sorry but many friends and I felt strongly, and firmly against Harbeths, and all of us have moved on. I second your Watkins Gen 4, ATC, Magnepan and GoldenEar choices :-D!!! And may I add: AudioNote AN-J, AN-K speakers. They are absolutely transparent, very, very clear, and dynamic, detailed and musical speakers. My wife waxed lyrical often during listening, about the AN-Ks I bought and taking residence in my room too. Warmest Regards Buddy!!! Hope you discover the AN-J, AN-K speakers!! ~ ian.
You reply is so much appreciated! By the way a small clarification. It my Dad who also bought a Mani and has a Nagaoka 110. He likes your videos as well and believes you give sincere advice. And he really appreciates how excellent his vintage Denon sounds with the Mani and 110. Good to see his beautiful vintage rosewood Denon sounding beautiful again. I was thinking the same thing looking at Alan Shaw comparing digital and vinyl in his video. He just does not get it at all. I have wondered if that transfers into the speaker designs and sounds like it does. Thank you for the direct and honest advice. I spoke to the Bill Watkins Jr. and had a great conversation. Very humble and down to earth. And they like vinyl. He said they sell Oracle tables at their store. Going to check out AN-J and AN-K. Your wife's endorsement intrigues me. If it is a speaker that truly moves the intellect and emotions then it is something special indeed. Best Regards!!!
I SO love your in-your-face reviews! I really check daily on youtube whether you have a new video! To Joerie, where did you get one? I thought the Nagaoka's were quite expensive in the Benelux? What's interesting is that here in the Netherlands, they use Ortofon everywhere, but your tests consistently test them as lower end carts! Really cool! Oh, still saving for a new turntable, as my old Thorens TD160 had given up the ghost. I wonder whether I'll ever see you review my Ortofon MC3 Turbo. I kind of dread the day ;)
Heh Buddy :-D !!!! How are YOU!?!!! :-D heard 4 months ago that your Thorens TD160 was "on its last legs"...and you have narrowed down your search to a SL1200GR, 1200G or a Planar6!! How? How? :-D
Well, I guess I spoke too soon. Not about the Thorens, I disconnected it, because it just doesn't work properly any more. Unfortunately, as often happens, situations change. So in 2 or 3 months I'll know how much money I have to spend. Not really how I prefer things to be, but hey. For the GR and Planar 6, I'm just worried it might perform on a lower level than the rest of the set does, and I really don't want to sell it soon again.. Even though I think it'll be a gamble to a certain point. We do have some shops with these turntables, but many are set up poorly and their equipment is usually nothing like mine.. ;) Then again, maybe I'm worrying too much and overthinking it... So your video's and tests, and those of Vinyl Room really help :) Thanks!!
Weird, my answer never registered I see. Yep. But then our washing machine and dishwasher broke, cars had serviced and my wife decided to visit her sister in Australia to help her in her pregnancy. So all the savings disappeared very rapidly unfortunately. However, I'm well on my way again. Probably going to sell my Linn streamer as I use my turntable way more often than the streamer anyway. Which open things up yet again :) One thing I DO know: I want to try out different cartridges you looked at. Oh, I tried the Clearaudio MM and hated it, but we presumed it might be a rebadged AT95E, a 40 euro cartridge! Oh, I also really loved a completely rebuilt Thorens TD124 I heared. Wow! But we don't have any shops outside DJ outlets who sell the 1200G. And they're only interested in shifting boxes, even if they are 3500 euros. When I told them I'd like to hear it first, they were actually baffled. Perhaps Germany...
Hello Ian, disappointed to hear about the bronze😣 when I previously had the bronze I found it quite enjoyable as I do the 110 the question is is the 150 a big jump and it's a 200 even a bigger jump this is a big decision towards the dream budget system!?!?😃
Yes Brother :-D the MP-150 is a big jump from the already excellent MP-110, and at $100 price difference from the mP-150, one can actually get the Boron cantileve and an even better stylus!!! Sound performance hike as well!! But, all: MP-110, MP-150 and MP-200, superb!!! I love them all, and I still play my records too with my recommended Grado Red, Goldring 1006 and Grado Green!!! Love them all! Here, i read that you are assembling a dream budget system....so yes!!! The MP-200 if possible :-D and if you don't mind its purple body (I like the green Bakelite-like hue of the MP-150 :-D ...hahaha). Of course, sound quality is the most overriding deciding factor!! Any other updates from your system bro>?
HiViNyws channel thanks Ian you give me a lot to think about. I do like the green body over the purple but sound quality is most important. yes the budget dream system sounds so great with the 110 but this will be the last upgrade it's either the 150 or the 200 and then I will reveal the 2,500 to 3,000 budget system that sounds almost as good as the $20,000 system I know it's hard to believe but true bouncing audio components is the key!!!!😃😎
Mr Ian how are you my friend I can't wait for the new goldring e1 2 and 3 review wish you the best for you and your family I am enjoying my nakamichi 700 cassette deck
These comparisons would be far more useful with hi-res download comparisons etc, alá Vinyl Room and others. Are the sound samples in the video recorded with mic or digital transfer?
Hi Brother Bjøn!!! Hope you are doing well with your P3!!! :-D Sorry to have missed this message from you...coz TH-cam doesn't notify the channel owner of every message. I find it not nice at all because I want to reply every message as early as possible. It is courtesy too. Warmest Regards :-D
Ian, thank you for another great shoot out, Yes the mp-200 is amazing. I use it myself and love the sound. This cartridge makes me wonder if it’s time to start thinking about upgrading to the mp 500 soon👍👍
OOh Brother with the latest AudioAlchemy PPA1 AND the PS5 :-D!!!!!! How are you!?! Thank you Sir for sharing always!and your extremely kind time taken to write to me, to fellow friends here. Your sharing has always been insightful and helpful! Your experience treasured. Thank YOU Brother for being so nice to us. All the Best and enjoy a peaceful weekend with lots of exciting vinyl listening!! ~ ian.
I bought a mp500, I'm in heaven! I also own 2M bronze, it sounds light, thin, lean, cold, bright in comparison. The mp500 is an absolute beast! I will never upgrade pickup again, this one can give you peace in mind forever, and you can finally stop wondering about upgrades, and start buying vinyl!
Hi Ian, will I need a spacer for MP-200 on my Rega P3 2016 model ?. I'm using the Rega exact at the moment. I have Croft pre/power very nice. Thanks for all your hard work great videos.
David Redgrave Dear David, yes you would need the spacer, 6mm or 8mm would be good for Stylus Rake Angle of 91-92deg. You are well on your way Brother 👍😄✌🎶🎶🎶!!!!! Musical bliss coming!!!! Hahaha!!! Warmest Regards Buddy, and thank you for catching up!!! ~ ian.
David Redgrave Dear David, yes you would need the spacer, 6mm or 8mm would be good for Stylus Rake Angle of 91-92deg. You are well on your way Brother 👍😄✌🎶🎶🎶!!!!! Musical bliss coming!!!! Hahaha!!! Warmest Regards Buddy, and thank you for catching up!!! ~ ian. And oooh enjoy your Croft pre/power👋😄⚡⚡⚡!!!! Yummy!!!
Dear Buddy :-D good to see you again!!! Yes, i use 42dB for the Nagaokas and Goldrings, and much of all the MM carts. 42dB is sufficient for my system. But I always advise friends to use the 48dB if it works better for their systems. Warmest Regards my friend!!! ~ ian.
Hey great video can you answer me a question? This is my setup: Pro-ject esprit sb turntable Pro-ject tube box s phone stage Cambridge cxa60 amp Wharfedale Denton speakers I want to upgrade my speakers to kef ls50s here soon. Do you think the ortofon bronze would work good with my current setup and turntable or would it be too much and I should stick with the blue? Thanks in advance My set up is not nearly as nice as yours I only paid about 2200 bucks for everything I want to keep my turntable for now and just up grade my cartridge and speakers am I doing this right to get best possible sound quality with my budget?
Another excellent review but having used a MP-200 stylus in my MP-11B in my Rega Planar 3 (RB300) I am finding the resonance to be much lower than would be expected looking at the specifications. It appears to have compliance over 20 rather than the 10-11 expected (7.2@100Hz) and I was wondering if you had noticed this as well Ian?
Dear Ian ! Thank You for all your reviews ! There are very interesting and exciting. Only one question : What do you mean about Denon DL110 vs Grado 1006 or Nagaoka MP 150 ? Thanks
Great review! But all of it is system dependent, yes you can hear the difference in that system.The mp 200 may sound different in another system and the 2m bronze may sound better.I just ordered a Hana eh which I think will sound better in my system which is on the bright side the nagaoka cartridges are very good for the money.There are trade offs with anything you add to your system for me the midrange on the hana did it for me.Great review love the energy!
Brother with all that experience!!! Thank you for catching up with me here again and writing a SUPERB piece of sharing (YET AGAIN, ALWAYS), and HELPING fellow vinyl buddies here. THANK YOOOOOOOOOUUU!!!!!! You are too kind, very resourceful and always helpful ready to put in your time. Thank you BROTHER :-D !!! NASA Teflon caps?:-D you are amazing. Yours, ~ ian.
After 3 years I have finally got round to connecting my PC to the USB input on my Audiolab 8200CD, now I am using the Audiolabs DAC I can clearly hear some of the differences you highlight. I am considering the 2M Bronze to replace the ageing 2M Blue currently fitted to my old Transcriptors/SME combo, so your review was most useful. It may well be that on audition it will prove to work as symbiotically as the 2M Blue, I hope so because I am not sure I can bring myself to fit an ugly cartridge to that deck :). Might I ask, were you comparing a brand new 2M with a bedded in MP200? All the best.
I have watched many of your review videos and enjoy your energy. The one thing I have never heard you mention is inner groove distortion for any cartridge reviewed. This for me is a major point when talking about any cartridge worth buying. Any given cartridge might sound sublime anywhere up until approaching the portion before the deadwax and then distortion creeps in to varying degrees, which is a big negative for me. As far as I know, the Mirco Line profile is the only one that can truly keep IGD under control. How well does the Nag mp150/200, with its eliptical stylus do in that area?
Best review videos on the web. Agree re the MP200 - I fitted one to a friend's deck and was seriously impressed.
Brother, thank you for catching up!!! Have fun, have fun!! Sorry for my late reply...
Warmest Regards buddy! ~ ian.
I agree best channel
HiViNyws channel we love you Ian!
You're still putting out the best cartridge reviews online! Thank you!
Dear Brother Evan. Thank you very much for coming by yet again. Great to have you here :-D !!!! Thank YOOOU!!!!
Ortofon bronze is special in my heart Cuz it was the first time I understood how amazing the detail in vinyl playback can be.
Great to see you again Brother!🤗🤗🤗
HiViNyws channel you too! Been studying hard i Know a lot about rega gear and goldring Elite cartridge in 1000 dollar mc category and atn150ml mm are latest finds along with technics 1200 mk2 and audio technica lp2x. Probably will buy a buy nomad from vpi 2. And i need a zyx m100 and mp500 from nag. Not Done lol
redgrapeskins haha its ok Ian!!it aint no goldring Elite or oc9 from AT.
redgrapeskins and Ian is not japanese man!
I find it amusing how many times I read comments where people talk about TH-cam's audio quality being terrible, yet I am able to detect a lot of the differences you are describing. Your reviews are exemplary in the way you select passages of music that demonstrate the differences in performance that you are describing.
Dear Sir, thank you for letting me know your kind feedback. I am very thankful for your kind words and appreciation. Though not entirely reflective of the true differences when heard "live" over a two-speaker stereo system right in front of you, i am glad there are telling differences we can still appreciate. The differences are huge when heard live, and without the digitization uploading to youtube and viewers' subsequent viewing via another DAC layer that altogether introduces much time smear, phase-shift, pre-ring and post-ring into the process. I am glad all of you trust my honest judgement and review based upon what is heard live over a 2-speaker stereo, cartridge to phonostage to amp to speakers :-D Thank you Sir.
~ ian.
I think part of the reason the differences translate well over TH-cam is the interplay between the speakers, the room and your recording device. Counter intuitively, I think this actually presents the differences better than if we were listening to a direct feed (where the differences might be lost due to our own equipment's influence). Certain characteristics such as transient response and tonality seem to be exaggerated, while certain subtle differences like micro-dynamics and imaging don't translate as well.
Keep up the great work :)
Seriously .... Being able to hear the difference between a dog barking and a cat miawing will still be possible, even with youtube 320 kbps compression...
Likewise, some of these cartridges sound vastly different to eachother, and yes that is easily heard and easily recorded, and easily conveyed through a youtube video. But just know, had you been there for real listening to these cartridges, you would have found these differences way more 'Outspoken'
@@Lasse3 I'm unsure whether you are addressing my first post or my second post.
In the case of my first post, I was making the point that many people complain about TH-cam having poor audio quality. I think a lot of people (particularly self proclaimed audiophiles) over estimate the acuity of their hearing. Take a look at some blind test results of various audio codecs at various bitrates (as well as other blind listening tests that highlight BS claims from audiophiles) and you'll see how poorly people perform.
If you are addressing my second post, I was speculating that the sum total of factors in the recording chain may actually pronounce some of the differences because the characteristics are being exaggerated by the room and then filtered by the microphone's position and frequency response.
Amazing audible obvious difference shown in easiest convenient way. Thank you, Ian!
Alexey Kovalevsky Thank you Brother for coming by too!!! Great to have your presence here again😄☄✌✌✌! Best Regards Buddy!!! Enjoy your lovely weekend!
Outstanding reviews lan. I switched from the Grado Prestige Red1 to the Nagaoka MP-110 based on your recommendation and I couldn't be happier. Thanks!
THank you BROTHER :-D!!!! NOW : ENJOY!!!!!!!!!>...... Yes the MP-110 still is better than the Grado Red. Very clear improvement. Let us continue having our vinyl analogue bliss!! Cheers cheers Buddy Victor!! See you! ~ ian.
Another great cartridge review! I just keep getting more and more happy with my MP-110 thanks to you!
Oh YES Brother Mike!!! YOUR MP-110 posts are brilliant!!! :-D I just bought another JNP-110 stylus replacement for standby duties!! Can't live without one!! Thank you Brother Mike for your catching up, your time and friendship always. Humbled to have received your kindness again, Best Regards Buddy!!! ~ ian.
Hi Ian, Another great review! I don’t know where you get the time and energy to make such detailed and enthusiastic videos. Your efforts are both informative and entertaining. Thank you so much!
Hope you are doing well in California too Buddy!!! Thank you so much, brother, for your empathy and understanding.
Doing all these work does take up a lot of time from my family. A lot. I do my best to spend as much time with them as possible. Again, i want to say, that, messages from you, and others, is very important to me, because everything can be very daunting and bring me to my knees, but your messages and others', is the only propulsive force and meaning to me continuing to do these work. .. Brother Steven, thank you. Thank you. Thank you...
May you have a wonderful time there with your vinyl buddies too :-D
~ ian.
Thanks for another great review! Enjoy it very much. I bet you can imagine the smile on my face :-) while I am playing vinyl with the 150. Kudos to Nagaoka for engineering so many marvellous carts! For the look alone, I would have gone for the Ortofon. Such a minimalist and modern look. Fit well on my first deck of Pro-Ject Carbon Esprit White. My first cart was the 2M Blue until your recommendation of MP-100. When the 150 review came, the rest was history... The sonic difference between Ortofon and Nagaoka is stark. I can hear the difference even on a pair of cheap computer speakers.
Thanks again for the time spent in producing in-depth review. VC owes you a lot! Can't wait for the next episode.
Brother, Thank you very much for your kindest regards again. I owe it to you. I am very happy to hear from you.
I am very happy with your SL1200GR, Nagaoka and Mani now :-D it is a stupendous combination of three GIANTS :-D really...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You must be on cloud nine every day enjoying beautiful vinyl analogue bliss :-D
Best Regards, and hope the temperature runs a bit cooler from now on in our Red Dot!
~ ian.
Dear Ian: At last my MP200 arrived from Japan & was fitted to my SRM-Tech Arena turntable immediately. Your review was spot on, what a revelation from a moving magnet cartridge. It is everything that you said it was and will only improve. Thank you once again for your insight. Anyway, enough of this, back to Astral Weeks by Van Morrison- bliss...!
Kind regards - Ron
Thank you so much for reviewing the three cartridges! When I compared to the Nagaoka MP-110, I can hear some limitations when compared to the Ortofon 2M Bronze and vice versa - So after watching the review, the Nagaoka MP-200 will be on my top buy list, giving me something the best of both worlds!
Brother :-D Nin2 Hao3!!!! Hope you are enjoying your Spring in Canada now!!!! Teresa Teng over the weekend? :-D . thank you for your time Buddy catching up!!!
The MP200 may become a benchmark for vinyl lovers as it combines all necessary musical qualities in a balanced and a coherent manner , add to this the correct price tag ................more than once spectacular performance of some very expensive hifi gear destroys the delicate harmony of what is music all about......................I think this Nagaoka is a real winner.
Hi; Ian wonderful review and song selection. I was thinking the bronze would come close to Nagaoka, but what a surprise. Thank you so much for yet another details review.
Buddy Sari, all the best to you in Penang too.... hope your elections turn out favourably for the good of all you friends in our good neighbour Malaysia :-D !!! May you all be well and happy.
Great review Ian. I bought my Nag MP150 partially based on your review and I've not been disappointed by it yet. One of the most impressive things about the MP150 is its ability to handle dense, complicated music with little effort while still maintaining separation and clarity. It never seems to be overwhelmed. Even when I would expect the music to bring the cartridge to its knees it never gives up and never seems to be working too hard. I love it.
Dear Buddy, thank you very much yet again for coming by and lending your kind voice. I am really jubilated myself to be able to use great carts with great performance at much cheaper prices than the industry would have us believe. :-D Really happy!!! So much gumption involved... YES!!!!!!!! :-D hahaha the victory is ours, the common folks, the reasonable, logical, consumers who believe in honest works by honest manufacturers who plough the ground everyday without resorting to advertisements on magazines (physical or online) indulging in the "you scratch my back, i scratch yours" vicious cycle, marketing and " tie-ups" with certain turntable manufacturers to whitewash us with poor products that we thought would be the bog standard...
:-D we win from now on. We are all honest common folks.
Thank you Buddy, again, for your precious time writing in. Very kind of you!
Best Regards Brother!!!!!!!!!! ~ ian.
Nice review, Ian! I have MP-200, love it. Thanks!
iamkeds 💪😄⚡!!!! Way to go Bro!!!!!!!
Another great cartridge review!. I look forward to your videos and agree, the NP-200 is a fantastic cardridge. I am tempted to move up to the NP-300 & eventually the NP-500. I will wait patiently for your reviews on those cartridges and appreciate the time spent on making these videos.
J S Brother, thank you too for your time staying close by and your catching up👋😄. Will do my diligent best for you brothers!
Wow you are simply the best, every review i saw before was ridiculous in compare with this. Thank you!
An excellent, very thorough demonstration on these "Group E cartridges". It is a little discouraging that the Ortofon 2M Bronze MM has not at least performed at the same consistent level, and capability of the Nagaoka MP-150. However, I know better now. Thank you.🎼🎵
Hello to you Ian👋🏻...another excellent review, but I’ve figured out what I really enjoy about these and that’s looking at your beautiful system! 🙂ahhh I thank you for the time it takes to make these...have a good weekend my friend....hope the fam is well....Lis
L. E. Dear Sis Lis!!! You should be in bed sleeping now and not chatting with me👋😁!! Lol... of course i am even more touched to see you at this time. Thank you Sister Lisa for your kindness and time again. Mokobaby🐶 sends her regards to you too....she's besides me now... woof woof Sis Lis😍
HiViNyws channel brother Ian....I’m an earlier riser don’t want to miss the start of a day...🌞bike will be out today wooohoo! Hello to Mokobaby 🐶too
Hi Ian. Another in-depth and entertaining review. I continue to be floored with my GR 1006 and Mani purchases. I'm enjoying vinyl again, in part to your great advice. Curious to know how the 2M black would fair. Best wishes Alan
Thank you so much. I’ve watch all of your videos and I just love them. I’ve been waiting for this one for a while. I’ve been weighing over the 2MBronze and MP-200 for a long time now and you certainly cleared up my thoughts. Thank you again and I can’t wait for more helpful videos and vinyl digging travels to Japan! Peace.
Amazing video Ian! You always put so much effort in your video's, that really can be seen. The MP-200 is my favourite. I'm sure the MP-200 will be a nice upgrade after my MP-110 ;) have a nice day!
Trance n' Drive Dear Buddy....thank you so much for coming by and lending in your support yet again🤗i am very touched by your gestures. Thank you for the friendship. All the Best Sir!
Wow, such a huge difference with the nmp-200. Thank you so much for the comparison❤❤❤
This is wonderful, Ian. I was so looking forward to getting back home so I could listen to to your appraisal. As you know, I've also recently acquired the MP-200 myself, so what a surprise to find it here in your generous as well as substantial round up. You've been fair to choose rated and recommended carts from the Hi-Fi press, so I was more than intrigued to see/hear if your findings balanced up with my own assessment in regards to the Nagaoka MP-200. Firstly I was quite surprised to be able to hear the differences, many of which were rather substantial.
I'm thrilled to read that your findings matched mine.
Its like having a grown up MP-110. It takes all the qualities of that fabulous cartridge and refines them even more. Dynamics, sound stage, clarity and resolution, and lower surface noise made the whole listening experience more involving and enjoyable.
I noticed that things sound even better after a few weeks of play.
Fantastic review, Ian ... reviews I trust 👍
Dearest Chris :-D I am delighted and heartened by your presence again. Thank you my brother for always being with me, and I have to say: through these years.
Thank you Brother.
WIshing you many joyous years of analog joy and bliss, friendship and love binding with your family and friends.
Yours,
~ ian.
Hi Ian,
You got good taste, first thing I noticed was Stravinky's Rite of Spring. One of my all time favorite classical pieces.
Brother with the Magic Carpet Ride!!!! :-D hehheh.... my is humble...and i have lots to discover and really learn from you all!!!! Rite of Spring....indeed wonderful!! I got the record about 8 months ago :-D ... see, i am slow :-D
Thank you Ian. I waited for this since day 1 of cartridge review. 😄
Oliver Sayson Dear Brother, thank you. It has been quite a while... in fact 2 years. Thank you so much for your amazing patience and kindness.
Have a great weekend Buddy. ...and warmest regards 🤗!
Another excellent & informative video, keep them coming 👍
tweaker man And keep yours coming too Buddy!!!! Yours are rarefied and precious sharings💪😄☝️📻🎙🎛🎶🎶🎶!!!
Dear Ian, thank you for including that bonus bit with the MP-150. ... I'm not surprised about the outcome. I spent a lot of time researching all the Ortofon 2M's and the final result made me decide to look elsewhere. ... Appreciating your Shokunin spirit very much: Ganbatte! ~ Josh
Dearest Brother Josh, :-D thank you for always being around and lending me your kindest support, time and friendship.
I hope all is brilliant, peaceful and well in Berlin for you and your friends!!
We ganbatte together :-D YAY!!!
~ ian.
Thanks for another amazing review. So happy with the Nagaoka MP-110 that you recommended, such a well-rounded cartridge and amazing value. You can really hear the differences you show, even on TH-cam and they really matter, you not only hear a difference, on it's own the Bronze probably sound fine, but you can feel the difference and it makes you enjoy music so much more. I'm using the Nagaoka with the Musical Fidelity V90-LPS now, I already had a nice high quality linear power supply for it and you gave it a positive review. The power supply really improved the sound, so I hope it's comparable with the Schiit Mani ! Not sure if I ever want to upgrade to the MP-150 or MP-200 ( both still in my price range ), but then again the MP-110 is almost a year old and I must have put about 600 hours on it now. I even had to buy a much better DAC ( Chord Qutest ) to keep up with the sound of vinyl ! Thanks again and looking forward to your next review :)
Joerie Mortelmans Yo Buddy 👋😄good to see you again!!!! Yea let's continue to enjoy the MP-110 . I am loving it all the time!!! Superb outlier performer. Excellent. Thank you for your time and kindness. Chat anytime bro! Warmest Regards!🤗
What an amazing indepth review. So much detail. You must have spend tons of free time to make this long video. Great. You're to only one who can do this. In my opinion. Always interesting. It's an Ortofon review, but I'm convinced once again I made the best choice of getting a Nagaoka cartridge. Now I have to work harder to get an upgrade haha. Next step is to get the Mp 150.What a sound. Rock hard.
Dear Brother Lars, thank you very much for coming by again. Continue to enjoy your MP-110!! I am PLAYING NOW Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers' numbers with my P3 and MP-110 now!! :-D Whether it is MP-110, MP-150, MP-200, Grado Red or GR1006, i enjoy them all :-D the MP-150 is superb, and yes of course, can be your next hifi toy!!!! :-D Best Regards Brother, again, thank you for your time.
We vinyl on!! See you bro, anytime okay!
~ ian.
Thank you very much for all of your hard work Ian!
I purchased a 2M Bronze nearly 4 years ago for my old Kenwood turntable. Now I see why it was a little disappointing. You are providing a real service.
Dear Big Brother Richard, love you and keep us alive with all your lovely, humorous, witty and intriguing episodes :-D !!!
Hey Ian, What a fantastic video to start my weekend with, thank you so much!! :-)
Again, you have confirmed my opinion on Ortofon cartridges.
phonatic Dear Buddy....🤗thank you for catching up yet again and your kindest time. We go on with even more bliss in vinyl analog💪😄
I have used a Nagaoka MP11 Boron for years and will need to replace it as it has had many hours use. Having compared it to an Ortofon 2M Blue that I own I much prefer the MP11 Boron. The midrange richness produced by the MP11 Boron makes the sound of vocals and instruments so believable and realistic. Drum kits sound amazing with the MP11 Boron. I really believe the Boron cantilevers add so much to the improved performance of the Nagaoka Mp11 Boron and MP200 when comparing to cartridges of a similar price. Thank you Ian for producing such a detailed and informative video.
sam66muso Dear Sir, yhank you so much for sharing your kind experiences with all of us. Your MP-11 Boron is a classic. Many other friends who have realized the greatness and effectiveness of Nagaoka carts much earlier than me have told me lots recently too. Amazing. I too, am a late Nagaoka adopter. Only realized so much over the past two years doing these tests for these community projects👋😄✌☄☄☄
Another fine video , Ian ! Closer comparison with these two cartridges, but the MP-200 is a great step above! Much closer than the phono stage comparison of the last video! Have a great weekend,Buddy!
The Ortofon 2M series are the classic example of style over substance. They are very sexy looking carts, but that is where it end. The Nagaoka are not pretty, but deliver performance beyond their price points. Excellent review, the difference is quite pronounced when you are engaged and listening. If your intent is to just hear music the Bronze would suffice, but if you are looking to immerse yourself and feel the music then their is no comparison. I just replaced my stylus, but I know for certain my next cartridge will be a Nagaoka 200. Thank you again for everything you do and the detail thorough analysis you present. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Brother Luis, thank you and yes, all you have said are correct :-D!!! Nagaoka looks plain Jane but delivers wallops of substance!!!! 2M's case-body look modern and sculpted...but sound-wise, not optimal at all. Thank you for your wellwishes, :-D my sons, parents, wife and I just came back from dinner :-D It is Mothers' Day tomorrow! :-D . Happy Mothers' Day to your wife too and hope your boys and kitty are cuddling up nicely to her this weekend! You too!
HiViNyws channel happy mother's day to your lovely wife. Mother's day here is next Sunday. I hope you enjoy the time with your family. Take care my friend.
Great videos. I enjoy all the info you pass along. Also a big thank you for introducing me to some great jazz and classical music. I have already bought Vanessa's album and several from Reference Recordings. I currently use an MP-110 because of your review and thinking of making the jump to the 150 or 200. Hope to see many more videos from you.
I somewhat anticipated and assumed what the results would be when I saw the title of this video in my subscriber feed this morning. Given the past performances of the Ortofon carts, I figured this one would in family with the Red and Blue reviews. I have a 2M Black but if I had seen your videos when I first started to jump back into vinyl, I would have steered clear of it now. Not to mention, the Shibata's while nice for detail, really exacerbate surface noise. I am not sure I would go back to a Shibata diamond again.
The Croft is sounding really nice. It doesn't seem overly warm and produces a nice tone. Now I know what cartridge to go for to have a nice mid priced cart on my deck ;) I am planning to switch back to your gifted Nagaoka here in the coming weeks.
Once again, great stuff Ian!
Dearest Paul, thank you for your kind time yet again :-D I am still planning a surprise for you, but the opportunity is still not here yet!!! Just nudged my wife beside me about your message! We say hi to you! Sons and us, plus my parents, just back from dinner. Mothers' Day tomorrow. The dinner is to celebrate Mothers' Day for my mother and my wife of course :-D . Have a brilliant weekend Brother, hope Spring is good for all of you in Texas!!!
Yours,
~ ian
+HiViNyws channel Did you hear Shure is closing down their D.J.Needle line down?Oh well,I can honestly say I never own Shure needles.just Stanton needles, and later, and currently Ortofon needles.Ortofon needles are very expensive,but worth every penny.
Very sad that they stop selling cartridges. They have already stopped manufacturung a while back, but you will be able to get replacement styli for some time (while stock lasts). I sometimes buy a few dirt cheap used shures and put jico or similar styli on for turntables i find, refurbish and sell. But yes, there are better out there.
After you are done with this group, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on mixing and matching stylus and cartridge. I have been very pleased with an MP-200 stylus on my 110 cartridge. I know that the 150 and 200 cartridges have even better internals, but the difference between just changing the stylus from the 110 to the 200 is impressive, and I think well worth the cost (~$130 on eBay direct from Japan).
Thanks for all your hard work. Love the channel
Once again Ian this was informative and definitely key to my vinyl listening. I have never heard of the Nagaoka MP-200 until now. So thank you for given us more knowledge in the cartridge dept. You surely know your stuff and I certainly benefit from it. 'Hope you guys are doing better than ever. It is sunny in Boston today so I am going to get outside and make the best of the day. Talk to you soon~
Rob/Boston
Dear Comrade Rob!!!! :-D . Thank you too for always being the big brother to fellow VC members and to me. I always feel overawed that somebody as knowledgeable and senior in the VC, acknowledges my little humble presence. Thank YOU Big Brother Rob. May you, your family and your vinyl bros in Boston thrive on. Keep on living big for us, Brother Rob. We need your energy :-D
Warmest Regards!!!
~ ian.
You did it again Ian :-)
Great review as usual.
I'm very happy with my new Nag MP150 but am tempted to buy the MP200 as well.
Since I have a spare arm it might be a good idea :-)
Ever since I read the review you did on the Mani I've tried buying one but it was out of stock.
But new stock will arrive this month so I hope to be able to order one before they are sold out again :-)
I absolutely love the Croft hand build tube phono pre-amp you have !
It looks and sounds absolutely worth the money.
Very tempting......very ! :-)
Regards,
Arno
WOW Bro Arno:-D you have the excellent Goldring 1006 and now the MP150!!! ALL GREAT :-D!!!!! What a happy exciting update from you. Brother, thank you for your time writing so nicely to me. I feel very happy reading your well written notes to me always. They are helping fellow friends too!!
All the very best, Buddy Arno. Please enjoy a superb weekend, what with GR1006 AND MP-150 WITH YOU ;-D!!!
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the venerable Denon DL-110.
Brother, yes the DL-110! :-D Thank you for your suggestion!!... and thanks for sharing your thoughts previously too: about you preferring the MP-110 after trying the Grado Green, Green with 8MZ stylus and the Goldring 1006!!! Yes I do rate the MP-110 very close to the GR1006 :-D
I will organize and buy a turntable very soon to pit it against the Rega Planar 3. Same price point: $950-$1000.
:-D I see it important to find it out: which one is the better one!?!
I will announce it in three weeks' time.
Warmest Regards Buddy!!
~ ian.
I would love to hear your view on it as well and the dl301!
Great review as always. I’ve suspected that MP-200 is going to win, but neverthless great info presented in a way that every audiophile should understand and respect. Thanks Ian for unbiased reviews and your great commitment to vinyl community.
Miljen Maletin Dear Brother Miljen....how are you👋😄?! Thank you for coming by again and catching up! I have been hoping the mp200 doesn't win this series coz i find it getting a bit "boring"...but no choice...the performance displayed by all the carts here leave me no choice. The Nag wins really big. Superb again💪😄✌... Best Regards Buddy.
I love what you do for us Ian. I own the bronze but now I am looking at the MP-200. I might be able to pay more for the MP-300 but will I get a noticeable difference? It might get to the point of having to ask my dog because it would be outside of my range.
:-D :-D :-D so cute!! Your dog is your financial comptroller!!! Hahaha..>!! "Woof woof!!! Daddy you can go ahead!!"
Thank you Buddy for coming by, and your kind words. I will continue to work hard... you friends enjoy the journey ok!! Warmest Regards! ~
~ ian.
Indeed the MP 200 is much better and i would not have expected a difference as big as this.
Thanks for the review and especially for all the detailed written information you added to the video.
I am rellay interested in both the hardware used and your music selection.
This was an excellent review. I love the direct audio feed. That makes the review 100% better! I was always curious about how these two particular cartridges compared. Now, I am really curious on how the MP-200 compares to another well loved cartridge, the Denon DL-110.
Blake G Dear Buddy👋😄🎵🎶🎶!! Great to see you again!!! Thank you for noticing that since this video onwards, i have been using the direct audio feed/output from the phono preamp ✌😄✌
Warmest Regards Buddy!
Personally I'm not a big fan of the Nagaoka cartridges but I do of course respect your opinion. Thank you for your time effort you put into these reviews. I always enjoy watching them
Dear Buddy :-D great to see you again!!! How are you? You have decided between the RP8/10 and the SL1200G? Which one did you get? I am sure too you have been enjoying your Goldring cartridge!!! Cheers cheers :-D!!!
Hello Ian, I'm very good thank you :-). My initial choice was to wait for the Planar10 to come on the marked and take it from there. But now I'm wondering if that will happen in a near future? I've listened to the RP10 and I'm very impressed. To me it sounds very precise and dynamic and still very involving into the music. So I'm starting to leaning towards if I should maybe go for a used RP10. I suspect the SL 1200G is an expensive choice compared to the sound you get. I think the cheaper SL 1200GR gives more bang for your buck. Do you have an opinion of what you would go for if you were to choose between them? Cheers :-D
Dear Brother :-D I think the RP10 $6k, and thus is a more expensive deck than the SL1200G at $4k :-D !!! But yes, I have heard the RP10 before and it sounds really good!!!!! Detailed, precise, dynamic! I have yet to listen to both RP10 and SL1200G side by side though :-D . I hope you get the chance and let me know Buddy!!! Let me know my friend ! Anytime!!! I am very eager to hear of your experience.... getting the same cart on both the RP10 and SL1200G and having a shoot-out! WOW :-D !!!
Listening with Meze Neo neo and it's hard to hear the differences but bronze and mp200. They both sound good to my ears. Thank you for the comparison.
Thank you for the nice review. I love my Grado Sonata2 but I think it's time to try a Nagaoka...
hey, any chance you might ever do a shootout between the top of the line nagaoka MP500 and its peers? (ortofon black, etc?) i've been loving my MP-200 lately but I'm getting upgraditis
Ooooh Brother!!! Upgraditis!!!!😄... I do have the MP500, Goldring 1042 and 2MBlack, but have yet to sit down to do the careful auditions carefully, and as such I really can't help with anything solid now... I really would like to shootout between all of them and let you guys know too😅💪✌!!!🎶🎵🎶🎶
Let me know if you have gotten to compare the two too!.... most of my friends said even the MP200 is better than the 2Mblack... but unless I have heard it myself, I wouldn't comment.
Warmest Regards my friend, and hope you have a good upgraditis solution soon...enjoy the upgraditis journey😄💪💪💪
@Mr. Tex Yes Brother! The Goldring 1042s are superb! I love them too!!! Sure will plan a shootout between the 1042 and MP-200 along the way.
Thank you!!!🤗🤗🤗
Mr. Tex i bought a 1022x its brilliant 2
Hi Ian l was considering upgrading to the 2MBr, but having watched your excellent review l will now seriously reconsider and seek out the MP200. 🙏🏾
Brother, yes, help yourself ✌😄👍
Thank you for coming by and catching up.
May you and your family be well and happy, safe and healthy💪🍀💚🏡🍀🍀🎶🎶🎶
Wonderfully executed review Ian!!!!!👍 It looks like a Nag is in my future. I upgraded the motor in my Rega and though I was hoping the Bronze would do better I'm not surprised by the results. Since I'm so obsessed with the longevity of my favorite records I have an excuse to splurge on the mp-500, line contact stylus.
Late this year or early next...!!
Eric Jensen Hi Eric👋👋👋😄!!!!!! GREAT TO SEE YOU!!! My knees go soft when you said "i have an excuse to splurge on the MP-500"...
OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!!!
Thank you for your time again!!! I love your comment and help on the turntable shoot-out between the P1-HX500-DebutDC!!!! I often refer people to your succinct and logical statements made 💪😄THANK YOU BROTHER!
HiViNyws channel I am humbled by your kind comments Ian. Thank you friend and be well.😊
Still like to see & hear your reviews even though they were a few years ago ..😊
Once again, you have given us all a masterpiece in vinyl appreciation and husbandry. Thank you for your dedication.
I had the misfortune to purchase a 2M Bronze a while back (before I found your channel). It now resides in a dark cupboard along with my other audio mistakes. I fully agree with your review; I could never get it to sing.
There are now only three cartridges I would ever use for my vinyl playback:
1. My Nagaoka MP150
2. My XXXXXXX
3. My XXXXXXX
(All MM)
I'll disclose after your series ends so as to not influence any followers but there won't be a huge surprise, I'm sure.
Have a great weekend in Sunny Singapore. My family and I hope to return again sometime soon.
Best wishes from Qatar.
AnalogueInQatar Brother, so happy to hear from you again. And all your concerns and wise choices😄!!!! Still have not met you!...and I must get to meet you when you're here again. Coffee☕on me!!!👋😄 Best regards to you and your family Brother!...good weekend!
Same here.
Great job Ian :o) will you maybe do a vid on your amplifiers & speakers?
Hello Ian, thank you so much again for all of the fantastic cartridge reviews! I purchased a Nagaoka MP-110 for my old Pioneer PL-300 based on your recommendation, and it sounds great. Since then, however, I have purchased a new turntable (VPI Prime Signature). My budget is small after buying the turntable, so I am looking for a somewhat inexpensive cartridge to put on it. The MP-200 was my first thought, but given its compliance number and light weight, it may not be a good match for the Prime Signature (tonearm mass is only 9g). The Ortofon 2M carts fall solidly into the "green zone of compliance". You seemed to really like the 2M Blue, but not so much the 2M Bronze. Would you take the Blue over the Bronze for your desert island cart, or should I look for something all together different?
Hi Ian! I want to thank you so very much for all of your hard work and seemingly endless passion for vinyl and the entire VC as a whole. I’ve been watching your videos for quite a long time now, and have purchased numerous items thanks to your detailed reviews. I bought a Nagaoka MP110 thanks to you and love it, but think I may upgrade to an MP200 after seeing this vid. Not to mention, the stylus is pretty much shot at this point, but not sure I feel there is enough of a difference between the 2 carts to upgrade or just replace the stylus. Thanks very much again, Ian!
Nick Pantazi Buddy👋😄...i am very happy to hear that you have chosen well and have been thoroughly enjoying your vinyl playback journey💪😄🎶🎶🎶🎶!!! Thank you for sharing and your kind time. I wish you even more good years of vinyl bliss and enjoyment. Catch up anytime Buddy!
Thank you so very much for your reply, Ian! 😀 I am so happy to hear back from you. Words can not express how appreciative I am for you using your own money, and putting in the time to do these reviews. I also love the vids of all your tips, your Hi-Fi shopping adventures, or even just opening a box full of goodies! It is so wonderful to see someone who is so selfless in the name of Hi-Fi, vinyl, and a general pursuit of happiness and friendship among everyone and the VC. 😀🎵👍
Thanks again, Ian!
- Nick
Real Hi-Fi for men with common pockets
Nebulus Nebulus Bro thank you!!!. we all raise our hands up👍😁 WE are the majority.
Good point!
I enjoy your video a lot. I currently own Rega P5 with Exact 2 and Maggi 1.6R. I wonder is it possible for you to do a comparison among MP-110, 150, and 200? So that we can understand the difference? I wonder the most significant difference is on the top end extension and resolution? Thanks for your feedback.
So would you recommend MP-200 over MP-150?
Finally someone. The popularity of the entire 2M series makes me wonder what on earth people are doing. They're just not very good and definitely not better than the competition.
@Taco they are the same cartridge, the only difference is the stylus. I don't think any of them are worth while compared to the competitors
Hi Ian. Revealing as always, your shoot-out are must-sees wether you have big or small budget for venturing into vinyl. Thank you. Peace- bPat
Sky Captain Dear Brother, thank you yet again for your coming by catching up👋😄. We go on, one by one🤗✌✌✌!!! News: i will be buying a turntable at the $1k price range to have a important shoot-out with the Rega Planar3 soon. We vinyl on💪😄 best regards Brother!!! ~ ian.
Two years ago I succumbed to Ortofon's hype and I bought a 2M Black. I soon discovered that 70s era Shures and Grados sound better, and, thanks to TH-cam, I dissevered that that the 2M Bronze is better than the Black. Ortofon MMs are fine if your idea of a good LP is a barcoded reissue from Urban Outfitters. Meanwhile I went back to my Denon and Dynavector MCs.
Snob.
The Schiit Mani does very well for its modest $129 US price but your new Croft RIAA is more clear, extended, and spacious.
Yes Sir :-D !!! Thank you!!! I still love the Mani to bits............. head over heels.
G'day Ian my man! Another great insightful and honest assessment of affordable HiFi. Its refreshing to watch a true multi comparitive without the looming question mark of manufacturer influence/pressure being a possiblity. I have found since chatting with you that the synergy between the Nagaoka carts and the Schiit Mani is astounding, it really makes the step up to something "better" a large financial decision and not always with a substantial sound improvement percentage increase - diminishing returns!!??
The Croft looks wonderful sitting there, I am sure you are enjoying it. My FGS and Accession are all run in now and the WOW factor is so much fun!!! I've just changed TT mat and after some indecision have settled on a particular mat that brings everything together nicely - SYNERGY again that makes magic sounds to my ears hahah.
Looking forward to your next installment...
Brother!!! Thank you for your kindest time spent writing in!!! :-D Garrott FGS and Accession giving you the fun? :-D congratulations!!! I was nodding my head so hard and repeatedly as i read you say *"...it really makes the step up to something "better" a large financial decision and not always with a substantial sound improvement percentage increase - diminishing returns!!??"*
I totally agree with you!!!!!
Brother, i congratulate you for getting your ideal mat eventually!!!
Let me know what is it too :-D!!!
Looking forward too to your constant updates and love the chats!!!!!!!
Weekend now! ENJOY YOURS BRO!!!
~ ian.
Very nice review that's a big thumb'sup!
Mark Young Thank you Brother and may you continue to have a joyous vinyl'ing journey👋😄!!! Thank you for your time...and see you. Anytime Buddy!
Great review. Have to concur. I had a 2m blue because of the hype. A lot of surface noise made me sell it and buy a gold ring 2000 series. Much better!
Hi!! What goldring did you get? I'm considering a goldring 2200 but I don't know how does it track... I currently have an at440mla which tracks very well but doesn't have a very balanced sound. How do you like your goldring? Thanks!
Thank you once again for a wonderful, thorough review. You explain the differences that you find so well. I’m pleased that you found the MP200 to be so good as I ordered one last week (from Japan) Now if only I could find a Mani to buy my source would be complete! Wonder why everyone is out of stock, even Schitt themselves. Keep up the good work, it’s very much appreciated.
Kind regards- Ron
Dear Ron from the U.K. !!! Thank YOU for coming by!!!! :-D WOW you pulled the trigger EXTREMELY TIMELY ;-D . HAHHAHAA!!!! Happy for you Buddy!!!!!!!!
Hope your Mani comes in as early as possible :-D IT is crazy excellent. We enjoy our journey dear Brother :-D
Warmest Regards, I heard the weather in the U.K. has been absolutely fantastic these past few days, 18degC and sunny... have a good weekend my friend.
~ ian
Another wonderful (and accurate) review. You are awesome my friend ;-)
-TONE
Dear Buddy Tone :-D !!! You have been so kind to all your fellow VC members.... travelling so much and bringing us along with you on your road trip. Beautiful :-D!!!!
Warmest Regards, just checked, it is 22degC in California now.... enjoy! ~ ian.
hey my brother... yes it is a very nice cool Southern California Spring evening here with a beautiful sunset and a slight ocean breeze... wish the two of you could be here right now
TONE Scott Wowwww...... what a beautiful place to be in indeeeeeed👋😄🌅🕖!!!!!.... thank you for the love, from M and i. Best Regards to Am too!
Can you compare the Bronze vs. the MP-110 from memory?
Great review! Great video as always!
Yo Vinyl Buddy, thank YOU :-D!!!! Hope everything is spinning and rocking on fine in your home! Thanks for all your uploads!!! Warmest Regards, ~ ian.
Love your videos, they are very well done! Always great information, and always fun!
Hi-Fi Haven Brother i believe fellow TH-cam content creators can get permission and use your music creations ?💪😄
The came from the TH-cam music library, I just like the tunes! My channel has a No Copyright Music playlist that you can check out! Some cool music from some very talented folks!
Subscribed
Just love Melody Gardo's dreamy voice. . . 💓💓💓😁
Hi Buddy💪😄🎵🎶!!!
Hello, Ian. I have 2mBronze and I know what it is capable of. After your test, I'm more anxious to at least get the Nagaoka Mp150. Good job!
Dear Buddy Alvaro!!! Yes of course, please get the MP-150!!! Your friend in Tokyo this month can indeed get it for you :-D . !!! Yay!!! BRother, i have read your email.... we shall look ahead.... November for you, and October for me, coz my son has school holidays only in October. Apologies, we will meet again, hopefully in 2019!!! :-D
Best Regards,
~ ian.
You are very good at finding good adjectives to describe sounds.
I went to see the Nagaoka MP-110 with other eyes after your review. I am restoring a turntable here and it will be the one I will install on it.
At the moment, I use a Grado Green, but since this other turntable is direct-drive I know it will not be a good fit in it because it is quite noise-prone.
I look forward to a review of the Denon DL-110. I believe that at some point you will still have one to give your opinion about it.
Cheers.
Dear Brother Douglas, sorry I have not come to the DL-110 as yet. I am very happy that you catch up with me here again :-D!!! Thank YOU!!! Yes, still enjoying our Grado Green!!! Hi five!!!! Restoring your turntable!?!! WOW!!!!!! SOUNDS REALLY FUNNN!!!!! :-D heeheehee.... you piqued my interest!... what/which one are your restoring?
:-DYummy!!! ~ ian
It is a Brazilian brand. Gradiente. Model DD-1. www.audiorama.com.br/gradiente/dd1.htm
How does the Nagaoka MP-200 compare to the AUDIO TECHNICA - VM740ML?
Thanks Ian! Very Interesting since the Bronze is the most expensive here in the USA at $440. I've read good things about the MP-200 for a few years. Now I know for sure it's a great cartridge. I think I may give that or the MP-300 a try. Oh, I think I found a new turntable to buy. The Acoustic Signature Primus. I compared it to the Rega P6 and also the Clearaudio Concept but I ended up liking the A.S. the most. So either the Primus or their better Wow turntable is what I'll get. Cheers.
Buddy!! How are you!?! :-D Sugden Class A yeah!!!!!! Enjoy Brother!!! Now A.S. Primus or WOW? Way to go man Bro!!! :-D Hehheh... good good!!!!!
I carefully listended your comaparison: It seems, that the taste is a big number here. In all aspects I'd prefer the ortofon, because it is brighter in the midrange and high. Probably that is a difference if age. I even would preferl the ortofnon blue against the Hana EL in your other comparisin, for the same reason.
Ian, Glad to see the Grado out pace the 2MBr in the review. I could really hear the difference there with bass and treble details. Seems the MP-200 ran far ahead of the pack though. :-) I'm guessing how the RP2 review will go... MP-200 for the win! (Yet still hoping out for the Grado > the little guy has a special place in my heart - love that little cart!). Great review brother! -Brad
H2Vinyl Brother Brad👋😄sorry for my late reply. Really sorry.
Dear Buddy, I am trying to get the video ready in 2 weeks' time. Will do my best. I have to be careful as usual and get all stones turned😃🎶🎶🎶 but yet be concise. Thank you my friend🤗!!! Warmest Regards and have a good weekend Brad!
Hello again Ian. Thank you for yet another fantastic video. I really appreciate all the effort you put in to your videos! I am a relative newbie when it comes to turntables/cartridges/phono amps etc., but as you know, I bought the Mani on your recommendation and it sits very well with my Marantz TT15S1. My only question would be, how to upgrade the Clearaudio Virtuoso Wood cartridge, which comes as standard? Do you have any suggestions as to how to make this turntable sound even more terrific, cartridge-wise? Cheers, from the UK! James
The prices for the MP200 have risen considerably . The cartridge and stylus cost about $500 USD.
If you look on ebay, they can be found for $360 give or take as of 1/23.
Time well spent listening to my friend Ian! Very interesting review. Were you able to get a Swagman lab power supply upgrade for the Mani? I am planning to get one in about 3 months. Thinking of doing this as I will not be able to do a full phono preamp upgrade for a while. Needing to get new speakers first as one of my old speakers is going out. Considering Focal Aria, Harbeth, Watkins Gen 4, ATC, Magnepan, and Golden Ear. If there is anything that may take more research and thought than getting a TT it is getting speakers. You have such a beautiful family. May the Lord bless them.
AH!!! You and your brother with the TWO :-D Mani's are now considering the Swagman! I bought in one 2 months ago, but have yet to have time to unbox it and listen to my Mani through it. Apologies my dear Brother.
Brother, you may drop the Harbeth. :-D They are like those overhyped cartridges, and many, many other speaker manufacturers beat them at their own game long time ago. I bought into the hype of Harbeths, and paid heavily for my mistake 3 year ago. Alan Shaw has also been very unkind to many vinyl lovers and spoke ungentlemanly against vinyl playback with subjective words unbecoming of a gentleman with integrity. Not just poor in terms of sound quality, and easily beaten by other speakers, the workmanship is actually poor. My new Harbeth Super HL5 plus actually has unaligned gaps within the rectangular grille crevice. And the edge veneer easily chips off when removing and putting on the grille. Absolutely horrendous, overhyped speaker from an unworthy owner. Sorry but many friends and I felt strongly, and firmly against Harbeths, and all of us have moved on.
I second your Watkins Gen 4, ATC, Magnepan and GoldenEar choices :-D!!! And may I add: AudioNote AN-J, AN-K speakers. They are absolutely transparent, very, very clear, and dynamic, detailed and musical speakers. My wife waxed lyrical often during listening, about the AN-Ks I bought and taking residence in my room too.
Warmest Regards Buddy!!! Hope you discover the AN-J, AN-K speakers!!
~ ian.
You reply is so much appreciated! By the way a small clarification. It my Dad who also bought a Mani and has a Nagaoka 110. He likes your videos as well and believes you give sincere advice. And he really appreciates how excellent his vintage Denon sounds with the Mani and 110. Good to see his beautiful vintage rosewood Denon sounding beautiful again. I was thinking the same thing looking at Alan Shaw comparing digital and vinyl in his video. He just does not get it at all. I have wondered if that transfers into the speaker designs and sounds like it does. Thank you for the direct and honest advice. I spoke to the Bill Watkins Jr. and had a great conversation. Very humble and down to earth. And they like vinyl. He said they sell Oracle tables at their store. Going to check out AN-J and AN-K. Your wife's endorsement intrigues me. If it is a speaker that truly moves the intellect and emotions then it is something special indeed. Best Regards!!!
I SO love your in-your-face reviews! I really check daily on youtube whether you have a new video! To Joerie, where did you get one? I thought the Nagaoka's were quite expensive in the Benelux? What's interesting is that here in the Netherlands, they use Ortofon everywhere, but your tests consistently test them as lower end carts! Really cool! Oh, still saving for a new turntable, as my old Thorens TD160 had given up the ghost. I wonder whether I'll ever see you review my Ortofon MC3 Turbo. I kind of dread the day ;)
Heh Buddy :-D !!!! How are YOU!?!!! :-D heard 4 months ago that your Thorens TD160 was "on its last legs"...and you have narrowed down your search to a SL1200GR, 1200G or a Planar6!! How? How? :-D
Well, I guess I spoke too soon. Not about the Thorens, I disconnected it, because it just doesn't work properly any more. Unfortunately, as often happens, situations change. So in 2 or 3 months I'll know how much money I have to spend. Not really how I prefer things to be, but hey. For the GR and Planar 6, I'm just worried it might perform on a lower level than the rest of the set does, and I really don't want to sell it soon again.. Even though I think it'll be a gamble to a certain point. We do have some shops with these turntables, but many are set up poorly and their equipment is usually nothing like mine.. ;) Then again, maybe I'm worrying too much and overthinking it... So your video's and tests, and those of Vinyl Room really help :) Thanks!!
Weird, my answer never registered I see. Yep. But then our washing machine and dishwasher broke, cars had serviced and my wife decided to visit her sister in Australia to help her in her pregnancy. So all the savings disappeared very rapidly unfortunately. However, I'm well on my way again. Probably going to sell my Linn streamer as I use my turntable way more often than the streamer anyway. Which open things up yet again :) One thing I DO know: I want to try out different cartridges you looked at. Oh, I tried the Clearaudio MM and hated it, but we presumed it might be a rebadged AT95E, a 40 euro cartridge! Oh, I also really loved a completely rebuilt Thorens TD124 I heared. Wow! But we don't have any shops outside DJ outlets who sell the 1200G. And they're only interested in shifting boxes, even if they are 3500 euros. When I told them I'd like to hear it first, they were actually baffled. Perhaps Germany...
Have you ever done a review or shoot out with the Audio Technics AT33ev ?
Hello Ian, disappointed to hear about the bronze😣 when I previously had the bronze I found it quite enjoyable as I do the 110 the question is is the 150 a big jump and it's a 200 even a bigger jump this is a big decision towards the dream budget system!?!?😃
Yes Brother :-D the MP-150 is a big jump from the already excellent MP-110, and at $100 price difference from the mP-150, one can actually get the Boron cantileve and an even better stylus!!! Sound performance hike as well!! But, all: MP-110, MP-150 and MP-200, superb!!! I love them all, and I still play my records too with my recommended Grado Red, Goldring 1006 and Grado Green!!! Love them all!
Here, i read that you are assembling a dream budget system....so yes!!! The MP-200 if possible :-D and if you don't mind its purple body (I like the green Bakelite-like hue of the MP-150 :-D ...hahaha). Of course, sound quality is the most overriding deciding factor!! Any other updates from your system bro>?
HiViNyws channel thanks Ian you give me a lot to think about. I do like the green body over the purple but sound quality is most important. yes the budget dream system sounds so great with the 110 but this will be the last upgrade it's either the 150 or the 200 and then I will reveal the 2,500 to 3,000 budget system that sounds almost as good as the $20,000 system I know it's hard to believe but true bouncing audio components is the key!!!!😃😎
Mr Ian how are you my friend I can't wait for the new goldring e1 2 and 3 review wish you the best for you and your family I am enjoying my nakamichi 700 cassette deck
Review of the Nagaoka MP 500, any time soon???
These comparisons would be far more useful with hi-res download comparisons etc, alá Vinyl Room and others. Are the sound samples in the video recorded with mic or digital transfer?
Barry Brennan I’m sure he wants more than 5 viewers, that’s why everyone settles with TH-cam.
Hi Brother Bjøn!!! Hope you are doing well with your P3!!! :-D Sorry to have missed this message from you...coz TH-cam doesn't notify the channel owner of every message. I find it not nice at all because I want to reply every message as early as possible. It is courtesy too. Warmest Regards :-D
Like your review, a lot! You helped me once in the past. Was wondering if the NMP200 would work well with the Project Debut DC Carbon?
Ian, thank you for another great shoot out, Yes the mp-200 is amazing. I use it myself and love the sound. This cartridge makes me wonder if it’s time to start thinking about upgrading to the mp 500 soon👍👍
OOh Brother with the latest AudioAlchemy PPA1 AND the PS5 :-D!!!!!! How are you!?! Thank you Sir for sharing always!and your extremely kind time taken to write to me, to fellow friends here. Your sharing has always been insightful and helpful! Your experience treasured. Thank YOU Brother for being so nice to us.
All the Best and enjoy a peaceful weekend with lots of exciting vinyl listening!!
~ ian.
I bought a mp500, I'm in heaven!
I also own 2M bronze, it sounds light, thin, lean, cold, bright in comparison.
The mp500 is an absolute beast! I will never upgrade pickup again, this one can give you peace in mind forever, and you can finally stop wondering about upgrades, and start buying vinyl!
@@Lasse3 Congrats on your upgrade! The mp500 is hands down one of the best MM cartridge on the market.
What would be your choice for bass heavy electronic music on a Technics 1200 and schiit mani, Mp-200 or Mp-150? Thanks again Ian for all the info!
Brother Jose,
Either one will do. The MP-200 is even better than the astounding MP-150.
✌😄Have fun 🎶🎵🎶🎶!!!
Hi Ian, will I need a spacer for MP-200 on my Rega P3 2016 model ?. I'm using the Rega exact at the moment. I have Croft pre/power very nice.
Thanks for all your hard work great videos.
David Redgrave Dear David, yes you would need the spacer, 6mm or 8mm would be good for Stylus Rake Angle of 91-92deg. You are well on your way Brother 👍😄✌🎶🎶🎶!!!!! Musical bliss coming!!!! Hahaha!!! Warmest Regards Buddy, and thank you for catching up!!! ~ ian.
David Redgrave Dear David, yes you would need the spacer, 6mm or 8mm would be good for Stylus Rake Angle of 91-92deg. You are well on your way Brother 👍😄✌🎶🎶🎶!!!!! Musical bliss coming!!!! Hahaha!!! Warmest Regards Buddy, and thank you for catching up!!! ~ ian.
And oooh enjoy your Croft pre/power👋😄⚡⚡⚡!!!! Yummy!!!
What gain is the mani set at? Do you always use 40db or the higher 48db setting for the mm carts?
Dear Buddy :-D good to see you again!!!
Yes, i use 42dB for the Nagaokas and Goldrings, and much of all the MM carts. 42dB is sufficient for my system. But I always advise friends to use the 48dB if it works better for their systems.
Warmest Regards my friend!!!
~ ian.
Hey great video can you answer me a question? This is my setup:
Pro-ject esprit sb turntable
Pro-ject tube box s phone stage
Cambridge cxa60 amp
Wharfedale Denton speakers
I want to upgrade my speakers to kef ls50s here soon. Do you think the ortofon bronze would work good with my current setup and turntable or would it be too much and I should stick with the blue? Thanks in advance
My set up is not nearly as nice as yours I only paid about 2200 bucks for everything I want to keep my turntable for now and just up grade my cartridge and speakers am I doing this right to get best possible sound quality with my budget?
Another excellent review but having used a MP-200 stylus in my MP-11B in my Rega Planar 3 (RB300) I am finding the resonance to be much lower than would be expected looking at the specifications. It appears to have compliance over 20 rather than the 10-11 expected (7.2@100Hz) and I was wondering if you had noticed this as well Ian?
I would love to see you compare these carts to the Hana EL or EH, then it would be a complete Group E comparison!
Dear Ian ! Thank You for all your reviews ! There are very interesting and exciting. Only one question : What do you mean about Denon DL110 vs Grado 1006 or Nagaoka MP 150 ? Thanks
Great review! But all of it is system dependent, yes you can hear the difference in that system.The mp 200 may sound different in another system and the 2m bronze may sound better.I just ordered a Hana eh which I think will sound better in my system which is on the bright side the nagaoka cartridges are very good for the money.There are trade offs with anything you add to your system for me the midrange on the hana did it for me.Great review love the energy!
Enjoy your vinyl endeavours Brother👋😄👍🎵🎶
Ian ... you never compared MP200 to any Audio Technica cart??
Thanks again, Ian!
Brother with all that experience!!! Thank you for catching up with me here again and writing a SUPERB piece of sharing (YET AGAIN, ALWAYS), and HELPING fellow vinyl buddies here. THANK YOOOOOOOOOUUU!!!!!! You are too kind, very resourceful and always helpful ready to put in your time. Thank you BROTHER :-D !!!
NASA Teflon caps?:-D you are amazing.
Yours,
~ ian.
After 3 years I have finally got round to connecting my PC to the USB input on my Audiolab 8200CD, now I am using the Audiolabs DAC I can clearly hear some of the differences you highlight.
I am considering the 2M Bronze to replace the ageing 2M Blue currently fitted to my old Transcriptors/SME combo, so your review was most useful. It may well be that on audition it will prove to work as symbiotically as the 2M Blue, I hope so because I am not sure I can bring myself to fit an ugly cartridge to that deck :). Might I ask, were you comparing a brand new 2M with a bedded in MP200?
All the best.
I have watched many of your review videos and enjoy your energy. The one thing I have never heard you mention is inner groove distortion for any cartridge reviewed. This for me is a major point when talking about any cartridge worth buying. Any given cartridge might sound sublime anywhere up until approaching the portion before the deadwax and then distortion creeps in to varying degrees, which is a big negative for me. As far as I know, the Mirco Line profile is the only one that can truly keep IGD under control. How well does the Nag mp150/200, with its eliptical stylus do in that area?