Products of the Year

Editor's Choice of 1996

Nagra-D 4-channel open-reel digital recorder

In this case, the award is literal: Having borrowed a Nagra-D to produce Stereophile's Festival and Sonata CDs, I felt we had to purchase our own. This tiny Swiss gem of a component combines massive functionality—four channels, each with its own mike preamp, 20-bit A/D converter, and choice of analog or digital input/output, 24-bit data storage, PC control of all functions and settings—with sound quality to die for. Having just finished using the Nagra-D for our Serenade CD, I can't find a single area where the recorder's performance seems to have been compromised. Summing up in a single sentence, and paraphrasing my review conclusion: To see a Nagra-D is to want to touch it; to touch a Nagra-D is to want to buy it. In my humble opinion, the Nagra-D defines the concept of High End.—John Atkinson

2020 Postscript: I continued to use the Nagra-D for my recording projects for the next 10 years until it was supplanted by digital audio workstation apps. I replaced the internal NiCad battery in 2005 and while I only occasionally used the recorder over the next 15 years, I kept the battery charged. However, when I went to play some tapes in June 2020, the rotating head scanner failed, presumably due to a lack of lubricant.—John Atkinson