SOUND DESIGN DISTRIBUTION HAS ADDED THE JAPANESE PHONO BRAND NAGAOKA TO ITS LINE-UP OF HIGH-END HIFI BRANDS.

Sound Design Distribution Ltd, of the UK, has signed a distribution deal with Nagaoka, a Japanese supplier of vinyl pick-up technology.

NAGAOKA

Founded in 1940 in Japan as a manufacturer of precision clock parts, Nagaoka produces phono cartridges and styli. It counts itself as an original influencer in the analogue sphere, today, they say they are responsible for manufacturing around 90 per cent of the world’s diamond styli.

Nagaoka MP-500 cartridge

MOVING PERMALLOY CARTRIDGE TECH

Nagaoka’s lightweight ‘Moving Permalloy’ (MP) cartridge technology has for decades allowed it to champion the advantages of low moving mass. As an alternative to MM designs, MP coils remain permanently mounted, but rather than use a heavy moving magnet, Nagaoka’s MP technology employs a tiny piece of magnetic metal dubbed ‘Permalloy’, which is extremely light, allowing, says the brand, a more accurate scanning of the record groove.

MP pickups are also electromagnetic transducers, delivering high signal voltages to the MM input of the pre-amplifier but with lower signal gain, thus avoiding the background noise associated with high gain levels. All Nagaoka styli are interchangeable with the cartridge bodies as part of a convenient upgrade path, allowing, for instance, the latest model range styli to be used as replacements in the older model bodies.

Nagaoka MP-200 cartridge

SOUND DESIGN DISTRIBUTION

SDD’s Nagaoka range comprises six ‘MP’ cartridge models and replacement styli alongside two new 80th anniversary ‘JT’ (JewelTone) series MM designs with replacement styli. SDD also supplies a line of vinyl accessories from Nagaoka.

Availability from September 2022.

Nagaoka JT-80

HiFi Pig Says: A very interesting brand, now available to UK audiophiles with their new UK distributor.