Nagra Launches Its First Phono Cartridge

Manufactured "In House" As Shown in Video Tour

Nagra recently announced the launch of the Nagra Reference MC, its first phono cartridge. Delivery of the first production units is scheduled for December and will be available in both 4 ohm and 6 ohm internal impedance variants outputting respectively, 0.30mV@5cm/S and .45mV@5cm/S.

The built in-house cartridge features a ruby cantilever mated to a titanium structure with DLC (diamond like carbon) coating. The Swiss-made stylus is a Gyger S. The double layer coil is wound using hyper-pure silver wire. Instead of the usual soldered junctions between coil and output pin, the Reference's pin is a continuous single piece from its external end point to the internal coil contact point., which lowers inductance.

The cartridge body is partly made of EXIUM AM a self-damping, non-ferrous alloy developed by the French equivalent of NASA (CNES) in partnership with the French firm LBI Foundries. Other parts of the body are of a proprietary super magnesium alloy.

Specifications 

Impedance 4 or 6 Ohms 

Compliance 12 μm/mN 

Ouput voltage 0.45 mV (6 Ohm) 0.3 mV (4 Ohm) @ 5 cm/S 

Channel balance < 0.5 dB 

Crosstalk > 30 dB 

Weight 14.3 g 

Stylus FGS 

Cantilever Titanium / Ruby 

Transducer Multi-Layer Core 

Coil material Pure Silver 

Tracking force 2 – 2.2 g 

If you have to ask the price, well...you know how that works. To learn more about the cartridge and about Nagra, watch the video embedded below TrackingAngle editor Michael Fremer produced at Nagra's factory this past summer.