AV Mentor Matthieu Latour Interview

AV Mentor Matthieu Latour Interview

What plans does Nagra have in the vinyl space?

Will it introduce a new analog tape recorder?

What is its position on streaming?

These and other questions are answered by Matthieu Latour, the company representative we had the opportunity to meet a while ago.

Tell us something about the history of Nagra…

Nagra was founded in the early 1950s, by a young Polish man named Stefan Kudelski. Mr. Kudelski was an engineer by education. He worked in both the mechanical and electronic engineering fields  and contributed writings on both subjects.  Kudelski got his start in audio by designing something completely unrelated to his initial career path – a recorder using magnetic tape to be used for the programs needed at the time to control CNC automated machine tools. His idea was, perhaps, ahead of its time as it did not meet with immediate success in this specific field of industry. Nevertheless, he pursued the development of his idea.

In his attempt to find buyers for his device, he turned to the recording of sounds which, as fate would have it, proved to be a success. His recordings, included an interview with the bell ringer of Notre-Dame de Paris, which surprised the executives of radio companies, mainly because they were made with such a small device. At that time, the concept of sound engineering was associated with a team of people utilizing large and heavy machines that were moved by truck. Of course, on location reporters and broadcasters were thrilled with the promise that this device held.

That first Kudelski portable tape recorder changed the way journalists and sound engineers worked, especially in film and television, where sound recording often occurs outside the confines of a studio. It paved the way for sound engineering and documenting events that could not be recorded were it not for a small, easy-to-carry device. This was a revolution. It allowed the company to become what we know today, largely by evolving that original device while maintaining the general dimensions and format. Nagra’s Hi-Fi series products are continually evolving and innovating while maintaining an aesthetic and general size based on Kudelski’s first ideas.

Where is Nagra Hi-Fi today?

Today we have a large range of devices for demanding audiophiles which, in fact, has been expanded with both our Anniversary Reference turntable, which you see here, along with our new Reference MC phono cartridge. Also on the way to market is our new DAC, the Classic DAC II, which is the new version of the first generation Classic DAC introduced in 2015.

We are talking about a Version 2…

Yes. It will retain the dimensions and aesthetics of the original model but will have significant changes, the most important being the use of the new digital engine, which is used in our the larger models, the HD DAC X and the Tube DAC. Additionally it includes a custom-made port USB. It will rely on semiconductors for the analog stage. In fact, the circuit is very close to what we use in our recorders, with transistors suitable for military applications, which we hand pick and operate in class A. In Europe we will show it in Munich, in a few weeks, in a setup similar to last year, but this year the speakers will be Wilson’s new Alex V and not the XVX. We’ll also be showing the Reference turntable, which will be similar to the Anniversary we have here, but won’t be limited edition, as well as the HD PHONO, the HD Series phono preamplifier.

This is a question that I’m sure is expressed by many audiophiles: Do you intend to introduce a new tape recorder at some point?

It’s a request we hear all the time and right now there’s a very strong trend in the market. What I can reveal to you – and this is the first time I have mentioned this publicly – is that we have decided to bring back to the market the tape extension mechanism that we produced years ago. QGB, as it’s called, is a system that allows our portable tape recorders to run reels larger than five and seven inches, which are standard on portable tape recorders. This will allow Nagra owners to use them in the home environment. Original examples of the QGB are very rare and very often cost more than the tape recorder it is made for.

So one can buy a used Nagra portable tape recorder and the new QGB and have a desktop tape recorder ?

Exactly. And keep in mind that the new QGB will be identical to the old part, but it won’t be vintage. It will have the exact same form and function but it is a modern design. Right now we are in the prototyping phase and I don’t have more to tell you, but it is something that will be done. We have to relearn the art because the people who designed these things in Nagra have retired now. We have some help from them but we need time to design something new based on modern technology. In this part we are a little reminiscent of NASA, which has to relearn how to go to the moon.

On an industrial scale we stopped producing analog tape recorders at the end of the 90s and I think the last custom machine was made in 2010. We certainly have a stock of critical components to provide the relevant service.

But let me insist: Will you bring back Nagra’s analog tape recorder?

Once we are done with the QGB, we will deal with the technical know-how of the mechanical part, i.e. the movement of the tape and then the most critical part which is the heads. Electronics for playback and recording are perhaps the easiest…

It is therefore possible…

Yes. I can’t tell you with 100% certainty, though. Keep in mind that we are talking about a huge investment and a difficult project that will take time, even for Nagra. I can tell you we want to do it anyway.

Thank you for reading

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