Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

This is a true champion of the MP genre. Nagaoka’s previous flagship, the longstanding MP-500 [HFN Feb ’11 and Jan ’23], demonstrated much of the moving-permalloy’s potential [see boxout], including excellent tracking ability and very low distortion, but still possessed a gently declining treble that fell 9dB from 10kHz to 20kHz following a 1-2dB boost through the presence region. Not only does the MP-700 fix this in one stroke [see Graph 1] but it also offers class-leading (low) THD [see Graph 2] and tracking at just 1.4g downforce. On test it sailed through the top 80µm groove pitch and navigated the maximum +18dB groove (re. 315Hz/5cm/sec) at just <0.5% distortion. The MP-700’s microridge stylus, high 30cu compliance and tensioning wire are an essential part of the equation but it does mean a low effective mass tonearm is essential – particularly if used with the ‘high mass’ (26g) headshell – to avoid the subsonic arm/cart resonance frequency drifting down into LP warp territory.

Otherwise, output is a medium 3.8mV (re. 1kHz/5cm/sec), channel balance is far tighter than the spec’d 1dB at 0.3dB and channel separation is a huge 40dB through the midrange. The asymmetry between lateral vs. vertical responses [black vs. red, Graph 1] emphasises strong central stereo images, the latter with a ‘brighter’ +1.3dB treble lift, the former dropping to –2.5dB/20kHz. The stereo response [dotted trace] is remarkably uniform and extended with a mild –1dB decline from 1kHz down to 20Hz and a ‘flat’ ±0.5dB above 1kHz, reaching well beyond 20kHz. Distortion is exceptionally low [Graph 2] achieving a sub-3% stereo THD from 20Hz-20kHz (–8dB re. 5cm/sec) and a peak of <7% at ~10kHz from vertical (L-R) cuts. A worthy flagship! PM