Dunno if it’s to that extent… and of course the CDJapan Nagaoka prices are really good for what you get, so a lot of ppl are starting to go that route. That and eBay. But if you were to ask me if the US distributor (LP Gear?) list prices are ‘milking it’ some (maybe more than some), I’d probably say yes. And I think that just loses them a lot of sales to the sources I mentioned. .
Now that I own an MP-500 and know what it can do, I would pay the US prices if I had too. But I likely would not have taken a shot on one unheard were it not for the much lower pricing direct from Japan.
For those of you who have ordered through CDJapan, how long did it take to arrive? I chose airmail and it’s been sitting at Processed Through Facility in Tokyo for two weeks now…
This was my experience as well, somehow I can get a cart from Japan faster than the US mail can send me a small package one state away
I chose DHL, I've had good luck getting knives from Japan thru them quickly. My experience has been world class.
I used the registered airmail for MP-500 and extra stylus, and I ordered Nov 4, 2023, and it shipped Nov 16, and was delivered Dec 1.
Just got this from CDJ, hope it helps. We are offering two kinds of coupons applicable only thru. March 26th! 1,000JPY OFF Code SAKURA24C10 For puchases of 10,000JPY or more 300JPY OFF Code SAKURA24C03 For puchases of 6,000JPY or more
Yeah I saw this earlier but code isn't active yet (I think it'll go live sometime tonight overnight). Gonna try to see if I can get it to work with other codes too.
Yeah, so mine should have at least made it to the U.S. by now; if I had your timeline, mine would be delivered tomorrow, but I’m not sure if it has actually left Japan at this point. Oh well.
Now, I was remiss to add that of the 7 business days my MP-200H took to arrive from CDJapan to me down under I didn’t receive any tracking after the first couple of days when it just showed in Japan, and then it suddenly rocked up 5 days later. So, hopefully it will just rock up any day now for you too ☮️
Now, this is the kind of inspiration that I look for…I’m considering grabbing an MP-500 stylus to try on my Mp-200 in the near future…best case it sounds terrific and provides a point of difference with the MP-200 stylus and provides a taste of the MP-500…worst case it becomes a spare stylus when I eventually get me an MP-500 for my birthday in a few months time…win/win…oh, and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select
Circling back, code is now live but it’s the only coupon that can be used (but you can redeem points if you have any)
That's who I ordered my MP-500 and stylus from. Maybe not the absolute rock-bottom price but still great and ships very quickly. Actual transit time from pickup in Tokyo to delivery in NJ was ~24 hrs. in both cases via FedEx International Priority.
I don’t have the 200, but I’ve heard very good things about that boron cantilever. If you do decide to purchase the 500, I would strongly suggest also picking up a 110 cart ($92) to put your (now homeless) 200 stylus on, that should be a very nice combo! I personally did not notice much drop off (if at all) mounting my 150 stylus on a 110 cart. Plus that purple and black is a great looking combo, especially for a Prince fan. The CDJ discount codes should be working now.
I love the MP-200 and, yes, I think you’re right the boron cantilever on the stylus has a lot to do with its sound. Now, I also have the MP-110 and found the 200 stylus didn’t sound as good in the 110 body as it’s own 110 stylus…perhaps (unlike the 150 stylus which I could see might improve on the 110 stylus in the 110 body with its same aluminium cantilever but nude diamond) the 200’s boron cantilever exposes the 110 cart for its shortfalls. The opposite was true though when I plugged the 110 stylus into the 200 body, that combo was better than the MP-110 complete…so there is some magic in the 200 body. I suspect that by plugging a 500 stylus into the 200 body would sound very similar to the complete MP-200 combo, with the fine line diamond tip bringing more detail…not a bad thing at all, but it would probably always naw at me wondering what the complete MP-500 would bring. I think I’m going to keep saving and buy an MP-500 outright in a few months and keep my MP-200 for its wonderful sound (and colour) ☮️
Thanks all for your shipping stories. As you would imagine, as soon as I threw this question out there, it arrived in NY earlier today and has just cleared customs.
Just ordered a 500 and 110 stylus for my 150 cart. The 500 for my best condition records and the 110 for my records that have seen much better days. And of course I’ll keep the 150 in the mix too.
Another nice 500 review… Nagaoka MP-500 Cartridge Review Listening to the 300 tonite. Pulled out another Topping PA7- Plus amp, as I own 2, pulled out the Sound Anchors and positioned em on the stone hearth, pulled the ProAc 1sc off the shelf and hooked everything up via an extra set of balanced out of the Denafrips Athena. No subs. Lucky Thompson, Molly Tuttle, A Gift to Pops, Donavan Frankenreiter, just pulling whatever. The Gift to Pops is a real stunner, a record store day release a bit back, the unhurried way the bombastic horns and percussion is so effortlessly communicated, held together in a legible way that is a true tribute to the genius that was Louis Armstrong. Beatifully done. Thru the little truth tellers 1sc, the mp300 is a percussive machine w/drive and energy aplomb, panache and personality, Louis would have luved. The little cart certainly is a direct communicator. I can imagine many saying ‘this’ is a plateau upon which I could camp for a good long time, plenty of territory to explore, perhaps re-examine , reconfigure one’s priorities. A fresh perspective. One day I’ll do the ‘500 thing’ but the second step down ain’t too bad. It’s a fun cart to listen too. B well…
anyone with the same or similar issue? just received a brand new mp-500H from CDJapan, installed yesterday in a SL1210G, instantly I did notice a loud background noise. After checking everything, interconnects, ground, lead wires, phono preamp, etc. Everything is well in place. I did try with other cartridges mounted on AT Head shells, AT-LH 11gr, 13gr, ART9XI, AT33 Mono, and DS-Audio with the Hana Blue, and all are dead silent. Even with the TT switched off, when exchanging cartridges, all AT remain silent except the Nagaoka. When no head shell attached to the tone arm there is a slight background noise but the moment I attach any AT it stops completely, but not with the Nagaoka I know I could try to mount the MP500 in a AT head shell but I'm waiting for CDJapan CS to come back with an answer, MP-500H received 48hrs ago! and don't want to put the guarantee at risk. And another question, anyone experienced returns from EU to Japan? who pays? customs clearance already paid to receive the order, etc. ? any feedback is much appreciated
The "When no head shell attached to the tone arm there is a slight background noise" is weird. There should be NONE. I would try to understand that, before blaming the cartridge. What kind of noise do you hear? Hiss? Low frequency hum? Static?
the typical (background) noise of a phono. And in regard to "before blaming the cartridge", weird that with any other head shell it remains fully silent but not NG... and also thinking about sensitivity MM vs MC thanks very much for the input!
