In 1951, the company's founder Stefan Kudelski invented the first portable recorder, simply called the Nagra I. Nagra comes from a Polish word that means “it is recording”. The Nagra I was followed by an impressive trail of game-changing products that revolutionized the face of sound recording. Its impact has been tremendous in the field of art, science, and technology. The company changed the way sound was recorded in the field.
Nagra recorders have been used to record sound all around the world and even beyond, with NASA in the Apollo space program. This long tradition of excellence has been perpetuated for generations. And since 1998, Nagra has been synonymous with sound reproduction at home for demanding music and Hi-Fi lovers.
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Nagra I, the company designed a very special product that sets new standards in black disk reproduction. The Nagra I and Nagra II made use of a Thorens spring winding mechanism to rotate the reels and the capstan. Electronics were used for signal recording and playback in this ground-breaking portable recorder. So Nagra early recorders share a common root with turntables. During the golden age of analog, the idea to make a Nagra turntable was often discussed. Stefan Kudelski even filed a patent in 1972 for a special tonearm tracking system.
While often contemplated, it was not until four years ago that the design and engineering of a turntable befitting the name Nagra began. Working as a team, Nagra’s staff of extremely talented designers and engineers relentlessly pursued perfection n the fields of applied physics, mechanical and electronic engineering, as well as material science. Four years later, after hundreds upon hundreds of scientific team hours, accompanied by exhaustive listening tests, the result is a turntable that company believes, "extends the current edge of the arts. It is a first step in a return to our legacy of analog mechanical reproduction and will be followed by more projects to be announced in 2022."
The Reference Anniversary turntable is an analog product governed by immutable laws of physics and mechanics, very much like Nagra legendary reel to reel recorders. As such, it is not subject to the rapidly progressing and ever-changing developments of the digital domain. This means that the Anniversary turntable will remain technologically relevant for generations. For many it will be a last turntable purchase and a product which is proudly passed down from generation to generation, just like many Nagra III recorders from the 50’s, which are still in active use today, the Nagra Reference Anniversary turntable is a product for life.
The main features of the Nagra Reference Anniversary turntable include a precise dual motor drive system with belt transmission inspired by the legendary Nagra IV series reel to reel, moving an exclusive aerospace material platter on a non-resonant chassis with floating mechanical and hydraulic suspension. The platter was designed with a watchmaker style caliber with special finishes, with a skeleton” transparent methacrylate top surface revealing the drive system’s workings and finishes. Other essential details include the pure copper record weight, unique no-contact magnetic anti-skating, camera lens-like “on the fly” adjustable VTA, custom silver monocrystal tonearm wiring, external and internal super-cap modules, and a dedicated external power supply as found in the HD range. Each turntable is personalized with an engraved name plate including number within the 70 unit number sequence.
In addition to the innovative two motor system, the turntable features an accelerometer that monitors the floating chassis to ensure that it is absolutely stable - otherwise calibration does not take place. Calibration is done over a 20 second window during which time the platter’s speed is precisely calibrated during actual playback (stylus in groove). During this 20 second cycle the platter’s speed is compared with a high precision quartz reference. Any deviation from this absolute speed reference is corrected accordingly. An easy to read, distinctly Nagra Modulometer on the turntable’s front control panel makes calibration (and pitch control) simple. During listening no active speed control is employed, and the motors are only running in a closed loop mode. By eliminating active speed control the “cogging” and associated ill effects on image stability generated by such active systems is avoided.
Another critical component is the turntable platter itself. It is this component which intervenes as the interface between the LP and the motor drive. In this case, Nagra selected a highly specialized, very high density (60% more dense than titanium), non-ferrous alloy with extreme damping properties. This alloy is called Exium AM. It was developed by a French company on special request of the CNES space agency, and in collaboration with the famous Ecole des Mines de Paris. To produce usable material, the alloy, in molten form, must be spun in a centrifugal casting machine, and is precision CNC machined into the exacting specifications of the Reference Anniversary turntable’s 6.5 kg/14.3 lb. platter. The end result is a platter that is extremely inert and the first ever audio component to be produced using this alloy.
The Reference Anniversary turntable was designed as a system. This means that the turntable and its tonearm were designed to work from the “ground up” as a unified playback system. Careful consideration was given to the development of a dual concentric carbon fiber tonearm with a unique geometrical bearing shape, and performance capabilities commensurate with the turntable itself. Offered as a very limited edition of 70 units, each of which includes “in home” set up and dial-in by Nagra factory specialists, invitation to visit Nagra factory for a VIP tour and exclusive accessories.
www.nagraaudio.com
