Nagra Reference Turntable

ANALOG GEAR NEWS

Nagra Reference Turntable

Mike Mettler  |  Mar 19, 2024

 

 

While we have indeed been focused on featuring more reasonably priced gear here on AP of late, we do still want to recognize some higher-end, high-caliber products as well — besides, we love looking at aspirational gear as much as most audiophiles do, you know? With that in mind, we turn our lens onto the Nagra Reference turntable, a truly high-end model if ever there was.

최근 AP에서 합리적인 가격대의 장비를 소개하는 데 주력하고 있지만, 저희도 대부분의 오디오 애호가들만큼이나 고급스럽고 수준 높은 제품도 소개하고 싶었습니다. 이러한 점을 염두에 두고 진정한 하이엔드 모델인 Nagra 레퍼런스 턴테이블을 소개합니다.

 

Some background here first. In order to follow in the footsteps of Nagra’s flagship Reference Anniversary turntable — which the long-respected Swiss company introduced in 2021 in conjunction with their 70th anniversary — Nagra’s R&D team spent an additional two years to come up with the more simply named, but no less impressive, Reference turntable.

Usually, we tend to save a product’s SRP reveal until the end of each Analog Gear News report — but, in this particular case, we’re going to share the coin required for this one upfront. Ready? The Nagra Reference turntable’s SRP is (yes) $128,000. Let’s find out why by detailing all the spec/feature details about what exactly the Reference table entails.

먼저 배경 설명부터 하겠습니다. 오랫동안 존경받아온 스위스 회사가 2021년 창립 70주년을 맞아 선보인 Nagra의 플래그십 제품인 레퍼런스 애니버서리 턴테이블의 발자취를 따르기 위해 Nagra의 R&D 팀은 2년의 시간을 더 투자하여 더 단순하지만 인상적인 레퍼런스 턴테이블을 탄생시켰습니다. 일반적으로 제품의 SRP 공개는 각 아날로그 기어 뉴스 보도가 끝날 때까지 미루는 편이지만, 이 특별한 경우에는 이 제품에 필요한 코인을 미리 공유하고자 합니다. 준비되셨나요? Nagra 레퍼런스 턴테이블의 SRP는 $128,000입니다. 레퍼런스 테이블이 정확히 어떤 사양과 기능을 갖추고 있는지 자세히 살펴보면서 그 이유를 알아봅시다.

 

To start with, the Reference turntable deploys dual high-precision Swiss-made decoupled brushless DC motors, which, according to Nagra, “optimize both torque and speed accuracy.” The Reference motor drive system weighs 11.2kg (24.6lb).

우선, Reference 턴테이블은 "토크와 속도 정확도를 모두 최적화"하는 스위스산 듀얼 고정밀 디커플링 브러시리스 DC 모터를 채택하고 있습니다(Nagra에 따르면). 레퍼런스 모터 드라이브 시스템의 무게는 11.2kg(24.6파운드)입니다.

 

For “absolute” speed calibration, an accelerometer monitors the Reference table’s floating chassis to ensure its “absolute” stability — otherwise, calibration will not take place. That calibration process is done over 20 seconds, a period of time wherein the platter’s speed is “precisely” calibrated during actual playback (i.e., with the stylus in groove). During this 20sec cycle, the platter’s speed is compared with a high-precision quartz reference. Nagra says that “any deviation from this absolute speed reference is corrected accordingly.”

"절대" 속도 보정을 위해 가속도계는 레퍼런스 테이블의 플로팅 섀시를 모니터링하여 "절대" 안정성을 보장하며, 그렇지 않으면 보정이 수행되지 않습니다. 이 보정 프로세스는 20초 동안 수행되며, 이 시간 동안 실제 재생 시(즉, 스타일러스를 홈에 넣은 상태에서) 플래터의 속도가 "정밀하게" 보정됩니다. 이 20초 주기 동안 플래터의 속도는 고정밀 쿼츠 레퍼런스와 비교됩니다. Nagra는 "이 절대 속도 기준에서 벗어난 편차는 그에 따라 보정된다"고 말합니다.

 

 

A Nagra Modulometer is on the table’s front control panel (as seen above). During playback, no active speed control is employed — instead, the motors only run in closed-loop mode. By eliminating active speed control, Nagra feels “cogging” and “associated ill effects” on image stability generated by active systems will be avoided.

Nagra 모듈로미터는 테이블의 전면 컨트롤 패널에 있습니다(위 그림 참조). 재생 중에는 능동 속도 제어가 사용되지 않고 대신 모터가 폐쇄 루프 모드에서만 작동합니다. Nagra는 액티브 속도 제어를 제거함으로써 액티브 시스템에서 발생하는 이미지 안정성에 대한 "코깅" 및 "관련 악영향"을 피할 수 있다고 생각합니다.

 

 

Nagra additionally reveals that they took inspiration from their own IV-S tape machine for the belt used in the Reference’s motor drive. Because the original supplier of said belts is no longer active, Nagra “faithfully” reproduced it themselves, and they’ve paid further homage to their own analog recorder legacy here by calling this LP drive the Nagra IV – LXX caliber.

또한 Nagra는 레퍼런스 모터 드라이브에 사용된 벨트를 자사의 IV-S 테이프 머신에서 영감을 받았다고 밝혔습니다. 해당 벨트의 원래 공급업체가 더 이상 활동하지 않기 때문에 Nagra는 이를 "충실하게" 직접 재현했으며, 이 LP 드라이브를 Nagra IV - LXX 칼리버라고 부르며 아날로그 레코더의 유산에 더욱 경의를 표했습니다.

 

 

The Reference table employs a heavy, phenolic-damped CNC-machined aerospace-grade aluminium platter with an Alcantara surface. Beneath the platter is a subplatter and shaft/bearing system. The subplatter is machined from high-strength aluminium, and a phenolic interlayer is applied atop the subplatter for resonance decoupling.

레퍼런스 테이블은 알칸타라 표면의 페놀 댐핑 처리된 CNC 가공 항공우주 등급 알루미늄 플래터를 사용합니다.플래터 아래에는 서브 플래터와 샤프트/베어링 시스템이 있습니다. 서브플래터는 고강도 알루미늄으로 가공되며, 공진 디커플링을 위해 페놀 중간층이 서브플래터 상단에 적용됩니다.

 

The transition from subplatter to the shaft/bearing system is accomplished by way of a machined brass adapter that’s re-machined in mounted form for “tightest tolerances.” The shaft/bearing housing is machined from spheroidal graphite iron, and the ultra-precision shaft is fabricated from induction-hardened steel that is, according to Nagra, “subjected to a centuries-old watchmaker’s super finishing procedure.”

서브플래터에서 샤프트/베어링 시스템으로의 전환은 "가장 엄격한 공차"를 위해 장착된 형태로 재가공된 황동 어댑터를 통해 이루어집니다. 샤프트/베어링 하우징은 구상 흑연 철로 가공되며, 초정밀 샤프트는 "수백 년 된 워치메이커의 슈퍼 마감 절차를 거친" 유도 경화 강철로 제작됩니다(Nagra에 따르면).

 

The shaft bushing is machined of sintered bronze and high-temperature/pressure impregnated with oil for maintenance-free operation. The bearing is comprised of stacked carbide balls that have been “subjected to the highest polish grade possible.”

샤프트 부싱은 소결 청동과 고온/고압에서 오일이 함침된 청동으로 가공되어 유지보수 없이 작동합니다. 베어링은 "가능한 최고 등급의 광택 처리"를 거친 적층 카바이드 볼로 구성되어 있습니다.

 

 

The Reference table’s “substantial” suspension pillars employ both a spring mechanism and a highly viscous fluid contained in a “diver/chamber” configuration that, when combined, provide suspension and displacement “in three dimensions.” This system is said to provide “unparalleled resistance to both self-generated and room/airborne vibrations and resonances.”

레퍼런스 테이블의 "실질적인" 서스펜션 기둥은 스프링 메커니즘과 "다이버/챔버" 구성에 포함된 고점도 유체를 모두 사용하며, 이를 결합하면 "3차원적으로" 서스펜션과 변위를 제공합니다. 이 시스템은 "자체적으로 발생하는 진동과 실내/공기 중 진동 및 공진에 대한 탁월한 저항력"을 제공한다고 합니다.

 

To ensure stability of the floating suspension, the plane on which the suspension functions is as close as possible to the plane of the LP playing surface — hence, the reason for the height of the suspension pillars. Nagra says their own lab measurements confirm a self-resonance of the suspended chassis of less than 3Hz. Overall leveling of the Reference table is accomplished by rotating the massive threaded feet of the suspension pillars.

플로팅 서스펜션의 안정성을 보장하기 위해 서스펜션이 작동하는 평면이 LP 재생 표면의 평면에 최대한 가깝게 배치되어 있으며, 이것이 서스펜션 기둥의 높이가 높은 이유입니다. Nagra는 자체 실험실 측정 결과 서스펜션 섀시의 자체 공진이 3Hz 미만으로 확인되었다고 말합니다. 레퍼런스 테이블의 전체적인 수평 조절은 서스펜션 기둥의 거대한 나사산 다리를 회전시켜 이루어집니다.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Reference table’s PSU is an external, HD-sized chassis that houses a linear power supply featuring an oversized medical-grade transformer and ultra-low noise regulators to provide a “quiet, stable supply” to the massive super-cap drive unit.

한편 레퍼런스 테이블의 PSU는 대형 슈퍼캡 드라이브 유닛에 '조용하고 안정적인 전원 공급'을 제공하기 위해 대형 의료용 변압기와 초저소음 레귤레이터를 갖춘 선형 전원 공급장치를 내장한 HD 크기의 외장형 섀시입니다.

 

The Reference table’s tonearm wand is of dual concentric carbon fiber that includes an intermediary layer of wood. The wood is said to be used to “form shape” as well as to “eliminate potential vibration,” resulting in an “ultra-rigid, extremely low resonance platform” for both the cartridge connection and bearing mounting.

레퍼런스 테이블의 톤암 봉은 이중 동심원 탄소 섬유로 만들어졌으며 중간층에 목재가 포함되어 있습니다. 이 목재는 "형태를 형성"하고 "잠재적인 진동을 제거"하는 데 사용되어 카트리지 연결과 베어링 장착 모두에 "초강성, 극도로 낮은 공진 플랫폼"을 만들어낸다고 합니다.

 

 

The arm itself is a single 10.5in piece with no separate headshell, and concomitant deleterious joint. The tonearm’s bearing is a CNC-machined hardened steel cone in a resonance-isolating, silicone-damped ultra-high-density polyethylene receiving cup. The tonearm’s traditional counterweight is supplemented by a low-hung, saddle-shaped weight that “provides stability while minimizing the tonearm’s effective mass.” (Nagra also offers an armless version of the Reference table with armboard options to accommodate most tonearms.)

톤암 자체는 별도의 헤드셸과 손상되기 쉬운 조인트가 없는 10.5인치 단일 부품입니다. 톤암의 베어링은 공진 차단 실리콘 댐핑 초고밀도 폴리에틸렌 수신 컵에 CNC 가공된 경화 강철 콘으로 되어 있습니다.톤암의 기존 카운터웨이트는 "톤암의 유효 질량을 최소화하면서 안정성을 제공하는" 낮은 안장 모양의 무게추로 보완되었습니다. (Nagra는 대부분의 톤암을 수용할 수 있는 암보드 옵션이 있는 암리스 버전의 레퍼런스 테이블도 제공합니다.)

 

The Reference comes with a pure copper record weight, and the table itself measures in at 67 x 28 x 45mm, w/h/d (26 x 11.6 x 17.8in) and weighs 71kg (156.5lb), while the PSU measures 40 x 10 x 32cm, w/h/d (15.7 x 3.9 x 12.6in).

레퍼런스 테이블은 순동 레코드 무게와 함께 제공되며, 테이블 자체의 크기는 67 x 28 x 45mm, 가로 세로(26 x 11.6 x 17.8인치), 무게는 71kg(156.5파운드)이며, PSU의 크기는 40 x 10 x 32cm, 가로 세로(15.7 x 3.9 x 12.6인치)입니다.

 

Finally, and just to reiterate the amount of coinage involved, the Nagra Reference turntable has an SRP of $128,000. (Hey, we can all dream, can’t we. . .)

마지막으로, 동전의 양을 다시 한 번 말씀드리자면 Nagra 레퍼런스 턴테이블의 SRP는 $128,000입니다. (이봐요, 우리 모두 꿈은 꿀 수 있잖아요, 그렇죠?)

 

For more about Nagra, go here.
To find an authorized Nagra retailer, go here.