Nagra Now Shipping HD PHONO Reference Preamplifier

The result of more than four years of R&D efforts, Nagra's new ambitious phono stage is finally in production and the first units are shipping worldwide. Audio Technology Switzerland is already delivering the first units of this new Nagra design, the ideal companion to the Reference turntable and Reference MC cartridge. When all three systems are combined they form the ultimate analog source - a reference playback solution for LP lovers.

Many years in the making, the project is meant as the ultimate tool for recording professionals. Now, even without the opportunity to present it at the NAMM Show 2022, the Austrian microphone innovator officially launched its new LCT 1040 microphone system that lets users adapt sound to any vocalist, instrument or sound source with an easy workflow. The microphone itself is a unique tube/FET design and 1" condenser capsule that is connected to a power supply and detachable remote-control unit where users can select polar patterns but also much more.

Simon Brown rethinks what he needs as the amp that will be the centerpiece in his own audio system and perfects a previous design with a true hybrid design. As he writes, "This amp is a “hybrid” in many ways. There is the obvious way in which it uses both valves and MOSFETs. But it’s also a hybrid in its use of enriched Class A/B, which means it is running Class A up to a few watts. This is deliberate." Read the complete project now. This article was originally published in audioXpress, March 2007.