5/6/2023 0 Comments Miroir mp150 reviewBecause of it's low-medium compliance figures, it will pair very well with medium mass "S"-arms (so for those of you with Japanese DD tables equipped with such - take note!) Still, this could be a great option for those on a budget who like more "musical" cartridges, and want to stick with MM/MI. I was able to get a good deal on mine due to it being on sale, but at regular "street price", it may make more sense to spend a bit more to go up to the MP-200 (hence why I call the MP-150 the akward middle child of the MP lineup). The only thing I can really fault it on is that admittedly, some may find it a bit spendy for what it is compared to competing options from other brands (and even within Nagaoka's options). Overall: The MP-150 is a very nice midrange-ish cartridge of the moving iron/moving magnet varieties. One other thing worth noting: For those of you who like the MP-110 for it's "surface noise killer" attributes, you will not find that at all in the MP-150 - it pulls a lot more information out of the grooves, and is much more revealing of flaws than the MP-110 - dirty/poor condition records will not be as fun to listen to on the MP-150, but it will reward you rather well if you mainly buy VG+ (or better) records and keep them clean. But I doubt you will find better tracking without either buying a more expensive cart, and/or one which uses a more advanced stylus profile (w/Audio Technica carts probably being the easiest/cheapest route to such). However, on records with more groove wear on the inner grooves (or especially challenging inner tracks), it begins to reveal it's limitations. It's better than the MP-110 (which is no slouch for a budget cart), and IMO, even better than the 2M Blue in this regard - as it seems to be able to handle some more difficult-to-track material on the end of a record side a bit better. Tracking ability: I find the overall tracking ability to be excellent on the MP-150. If I'm being completely honest, it's not an entirely different beast than the Ortofon 2M Blue IMO - with the MP-150 being a bit warmer/more musical, and the Blue being a bit more forward/detailed in it's presentation. It's probably not the last word in detail, but overall it's a very easy listening cartridge. I can listen to it for hours on end with no listening fatigue, which is always a good thing IMO. It's nice and balanced overall, leaning slightly warm in it's presentation. The best way I can describe it's sound overall is "liquid". Well recorded drums/cymbals and vocals seem to "pop" out of the speakers, pianos have very natural decay to them, and even some rather subtle details such as keyboard strokes and bass guitar picking seem to make their way into the room. But the most noticeable change was a lushness to it's midrange that really brings a good recording to life. The bass response tightened up considerably (and is very "punchy" sounding) with some use, and the soundstage grew bigger and wider. Most of the changes I noticed occurred by the 25 hour mark, and I haven't heard much difference past 30. Even if the presentation seemed a bit flat for the first few hours of listening, there is a noticeable improvement in the top end over the 110 - not only does it reach higher/have more clarity, the treble response is also sweeter and more refined than that of the 110 (which comparatively speaking, has some more grit to the highs/is more rolled off in frequency extension).īreak-in/overall sound character: After the first 3 hours or so of listening, I began to notice this cartridge coming to life - Nagaoka states that break-in time is approximately 30 hours, and I feel this is pretty spot on. Initial impressions: Upon first needle drop, I could already tell that the MP-150 is a considerable step up from the MP-110 (to my ears). I will primarily be using this to point out what I feel the MP-150 improves upon over the MP-110. Not a ton of cartridge experience relatively speaking, but maybe helpful as some points of reference/comparison. 7 elliptical), with an improved body/generator, a nude stylus instead of bonded, and an improved, tapered aluminum cantilever.įor a bit of background context: I have previous experience w/the MP-110, as well as the Ortofon 2M Red & Blue, and Shure V15 III. For reference, the MP-150 is an entirely different cartridge than the 110, other than the stylus profile type (.4 x. Also, there are lots of reviews & opinions on the Nagaoka MP-110 and MP-200 out there, so I thought the MP-150 could use some more, being somewhat of the "awkard middle child" in the MP-series lineup. So I've decided to pop in for a review! I've given some brief equipment "first impression" thoughts on here before, but I went ahead and spent some time with this one - enough that I feel I can give a more thoughtful opinion on it.
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