The Nagra Reference turntable is the cream of the vinyl crop from the country that values fine mechanics (and cheese).
Let’s start with the bad news regarding the brand new Nagra Reference turntable. Indeed, this Swiss is not for everyone, given its price of – yes – $128,000. However, if you happen to have that money to spend, then you will score something very special with this machine. It seamlessly joins the Reference Anniversary version released six years ago. And like that model, it is meant to last a lifetime. The player comes as a balanced unit. By that, we mean that all the components are carefully matched. So replacing a tonearm with something else, for example, is a significantly less good idea. Unless you know exactly what you are doing. Should you want to, however, Nagra has armless version of the player in the range, including an “arm board” on which you can mount other tone arms. We wouldn’t advice to do so…
High-end materials
The solidly built Nagra Reference consists of a non-resonant chassis of high rigidity. A floating, hydraulic suspension has also been implemented. In terms of drive, the same mechanism is used as in the world-famous Nagra IV tape recorders. The standard version of the player comes with a dual concentric carbon fiber tone arm. The turntable is made of aviation aluminum and resin, with the surface based on Alcantara. That material is a suede-like microfiber originally used in Williams F1 racing cars.
Should you wish to purchase a Nagra Reference: they are available immediately for the already mentioned amount of $128,000. Once you have it in your home, you can nicely play the Nagra anniversary record on it.
