Already a reference in the moving-magnet (MM) cell category, Nagaoka has set its sights even higher with the MP-700.
At Vumètre, many of us own the MP-120 and the MP-150, the holy grail for any rock fan who likes to keep a taut sound in analog listening. And to test the MM part of the high-end preamplifiers, we also own an MP-500, set against all the cells in its range (at 999 €, so mostly MCs).
With the MP-700, Nagaoka goes even further than the MP-500 by increasing the use of permalloy circuits, a technology derived from Moving Magnet (MM), which here becomes Moving Permalloy (hence the term “MP”), with a moving part of this material attached directly to the cantilever. The cantilever itself has been redesigned for this new cell, in Boron and combined with a 0.12 x 0.3 mm MicroRidge diamond. A flexible shock absorber on which the cantilever rests enhances vibration control, combined with a suspension wire to maintain precision control.
Housed in a highly rigid Duralumin body with three layers of nickel plating, tin plating and insulating coating, the MP-700 is even less subject to heat variations and external interference than other models in the range. Obviously handcrafted in Japan, this top-of-the-range MM cell is launched this month in Europe at a price of 1 299 €, or directly mounted on a cell holder (MP-700H) at 1 399 €. We cannot wait to listen!
04/16/2025