Ever since our founding in 1951, Nagra’s company culture has driven our pursuit of perfection. Combine this with the Swiss tradition of precision engineering and it was inevitable that constant research and development on the HD line platforms would result in advances fully justifying the release of products that substantially extend the sonic envelope of the HD line.

The latest products to bear the “Reference” name are the Reference PREAMP, Reference DAC and Reference AMP.

Back in 1992, Nagra was the first audio manufacturer to release a high-definition digital recorder the Nagra D (24 bit, 96 kHz). Originally launched in 2018, the Nagra HD DAC X drew upon this innovative technology.

The release of the Nagra Reference turntable and cartridge, followed by the Nagra HD PHONO, set new standards for analog reproduction in the same way as our own reel-to-reel player, the marvelous Nagra IV-S, had when it was launched. Now it was time for us to focus once again on the digital world and benefit from what we had learned with the new Nagra Streamer.

Our intensive research and painstaking extensive listening sessions resulted in essential component changes in the audio unit, including custom made capacitors. We created a new generation of high voltage power supplies inside the audio signal unit (generating the 200 V DC grid tension). For the power supplies, we added super-cap capacity. The Reference DAC was given dual chassis power supplies, one dedicated to the audio signal section and one dedicated to the digital section, as well as all controls and relay switching, including home automation*.

* Although the Reference PREAMP (as well as the future DAC and PHONO) can run on a single power supply, the sound is more spectacular and life-like with two PSUs. Starting with one PSU will give customers an easy upgrade path and allow them to add a second one for unrivaled performance at some time in the future.

The Reference DAC features new mechanical damping with the addition of a phenolic layer inside the top cover and a Reference medallion above the modulometer clearly identifies it as part of the Reference family of products.