Record Important Moments With a Nagra Device
Nagra started out in the 1950s in Switzerland. You can still find some of the early products from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s on eBay. On the other end of the range, there are some items from the post-2000 era that are available secondhand.
What are some of the classic models available?The earliest items go back to 1951. You may be able to find reasonably priced used items on eBay made by Nagra, including:
- Nagra II: First appearing in the market in 1953, this was the first model to go into mass production. It has miniature tubes and a clockwork motor. A subsequent version of this product, the II CI, comes with printed circuit boards rather than chassis wiring.
- Nagra III NP: This was one of the first items made by the company that could be used for coil work. The "NP" stands for the Neopilot sync on the monaural recorder.
- Nagra IV-L: This is also a monaural recorder with Neopilot sync, and it has two microphone inputs and an audio limiter. Later versions of this product included power for the microphones and equalizers.
As these devices were evolving over time, numerous advancements occurred. Factors that can influence a purchase include:
- Time code support
- Ability to support different size reels
- Full track versus half track
- Stereo capabilities
- High fidelity
- Digital recording abilities
- Multiple channels
Because the company has continued to adapt and expand its selection, there are several modern options that you might consider. Some of these might be appropriate for professional purposes. Choices can include:
- Sources: There are digital-to-analog converters and CD players.
- Preamplifiers: The Valve Phono preamp and the Classic preamp use tube mechanics.
- Integrated amp: The Classic INT offers 100 W rms per channel of output and has a user-friendly LCD screen.
- Power amps: The HD AMP is a mono amp with a bandwidth that ranges from 0 Hz to 120 KHz, +0/-0.5 dB. The Classic AMP has a modulo meter on its front panel, letting you know how much power is coming out of each output channel. It has both balanced and unbalanced inputs and can be used in a bridged configuration. The VPA comes with two mono block vacuum tube power amps. Their power output is 50 watts, and theyre made with a zero negative feedback design.