Jimbos Audio ramblings

[Wakefield Turntables]

WOW! I've never seen them so you guys have been to some EPIC gigs.

[Jimbo]

WOW! I've never seen them so you guys have been to some EPIC gigs.

Such a long time ago but the memory is still fresh in my mind.

[Jimbo]

I have not posted here for a good while as I have been too distracted by upgrading my mountain bike and this years decorating which turned out to be a mammoth job on the Hall, stairs and landing. Nearly finished after 3 months work!

My attention has now once again returned to my system and possible upgrades which are in the pipeline both regarding the analogue system and maybe a new DAC. I did have a mess about with a few DACs and tried some CDP and streaming but soon got bored and abandoned the digital side of my system again. Whatever I do and which ever way I slice and dice it unfortunately I am left with a simple conclusion digital sounds errr digital and I want it to sound analogue which I find more satisfying on nearly every level apart from the effort involved. I suppose its like wishing an apple tastes like an orange and that is never going to happen.

However I have not given up entirely and plan to improve the FBA with a new DAC fairly soon just for fun and to quell the audio fool upgrade disease!. That will also tick the box swapping box.

Turning back to my analogue system I have been looking at possible alternative cartridges that may perform at the level of the 2M black or possibly better and the only one I am considering is the Nagaoka MP500. This cartridge by all accounts may be a worthy contender and give me a big slice of analogue satisfaction with a slightly different take to the 2M Black. I have considered MC cartridges - AGAIN but the cost out weighs the desire as I would have to spend a few thousand bucks to get a slam dunk improvement over the Black.


In my younger days I was a massive box swapper and indeed I see many folk are still battling with this disease but I cured myself by going cold turkey many years ago and now I don't have quite the urge as I did. Much of the hifi and gear I have heard over the last few years I can put into two categories. 1. Different. 2. Too expensive. As far as improving the sound I have, well that's tricky. In the past 8 years most bits of kit I have tried have led me to a dead end or one step forwards and 2 steps backward, so I have stuck where I am. Quite often I have actually found myself going round in circles but I am sure I am not the only one.

The room acoustic work I have done has bought about big improvements and just shows how fickle our hearing is when we try and change the sound with bits of wire, glowing glass bottles and new mysterious black boxes. All that we hear can be turned upside down very easily by room treatment or should I say trying to get out system to play nicely with our listening room or is it the other way round?


So now the autumn nights are drawing in I am playing a lot more music again and I will shine the spotlight on my system. I have bought a fair bit of music this year and have been astonished by some of it and how it sounds on the system. One album in particular an original analogue pressing of Kraftwerk Trans Europe Express is simply stunning. Comparing this to any remaster or re release on vinyl or digital shows a huge gulf between the original and all other issues. It has led me to dive down some very expensive rabbit holes.

[Macca]

In the 90s I had all the Nags up to the MP30 - which was superb. Then went MC for a bit, then went to the Ortofon 540 Mk2 which is what the Black used to be called.

Used that for a long time but never thought it was quite as good as the MP30. The MP30 seemed to have a little bit of an extra 'something' especially for rock music.

Much later I got an MP50 used and fitted the MP500 stylus. It's outstanding all-rounder, although I still think the MP30 had the edge with rock.

MP500 is a bit pricey but not heard any better all rounder. To put cost in perspective the most expensive cartridge I ever heard cost £15K and it wasn't as good.

Still have the MP50 and an MP15 although all vinyl paraphernalia is now mothballed.

[Jimbo]

Some of the reviews of the Nag MP500 suggest it actually sounds like a very good MC but with some of the benefits of an MM. It is probably the only MM cartridge that I feel could replace the 2M black. The last cartridge that actually got anywhere near the 2M was a M55e with an SAS boron cantilevered micro ridge Jico stylus.

I better start saving the pennies as the MP500 is not cheap. I wouldn't mind trying an MP30 though or MP50. May have a look around see what is available?

[Ali Tait]

Be interested in what you think of the 500, been thinking of getting one too. Trashing my Gullwing put me off pricey MC’s.

[Jimbo]

Be interested in what you think of the 500, been thinking of getting one too. Trashing my Gullwing put me off pricey MC’s.

I remember hearing that Gullwing on I think it was your Mission 774 tonearm sometime back Ali.

Very nice but ouch very expensive!

[Wakefield Turntables]

£800 for the mp500, that's about 2M ball park? I've never ever heard a Nag! Can you believe that? I'm looking forward to hearing what you've got to say about that one when (if) you get one.

[Jimbo]

£800 for the mp500, that's about 2M ball park? I've never ever heard a Nag! Can you believe that? I'm looking forward to hearing what you've got to say about that one when (if) you get one.

Looking at £500 for a Nag MP500 imported from Japan.

[Barry]

Yes I heard that combination of Ali's at the one and only (so far) AoS get together that Martin had arranged.

The Mission 774 arm is quite versatile; offering a stable and inert platform for both fixed and moving coil cartridges.

My complaint is with those cartridges that have a long exposed and vulnerable cantilever. Especially those that have a boron cantilever, which are particularly brittle and easily snapped.