Nagra Compact Player Introduced Alongside Classic Preamp II-S

Propping up the bar at The Lower Third (formerly The 12 Bar Club) on London's famous Denmark Street was Nagra's Compact Player, a minimalist-styled network streamer/DAC feeding a Classic amp and DeVore Fidelity Micr/O speakers. Quite the bartop set-up.

However, the main event (above) was in the back room, accessed through a bijou yet impressive 'Nagra Museum', where Oscars and historically significant Nagra products were on display.

The focus of the evening was a system incorporating the new Compact Player and power supply, Classic Amp, and a prototype of Nagra's upcoming Classic Preamp II-S, which should land in 2026. Completing this high-end, digitally sourced system was a pair of DeVore Fidelity O/Bronze loudspeakers, all joined by Transparent cabling.

Absolute Sounds Founder Ricardo Franassovici welcomed the chosen few and gave an enthusiastic introduction, during which it was evident that Nagra was a brand he felt was missing from the Absolute Sounds roster until the partnership was agreed upon recently.

Then followed a short history of Nagra by company CEO Pascal Mauroux, highlighting how Nagra's tape recorders have shaped the sound we hear for entertainment, encompassing Hollywood blockbusters to top-selling albums, as well as a stint in spycraft thanks to the SN miniature analogue recorder.

However, it was the longevity of Nagra products alongside their technical ability that was the main message here, as not only are they built to last, but Nagra also has the capacity to continue servicing its legacy offerings.

It was then the turn of Matthieu Latour, the Sales and Marketing director for Nagra, to introduce and tell us more about the new products whilst underlining the importance to Nagra of reproducing sound as accurately as possible. To this end, most of the components are designed and manufactured in-house.

The Nagra Compact Player is a complete digital source that combines a DAC and streamer, supporting all formats, from MP3 to DSD256 and DXD. Its clean casement is hewn from a solid block of aluminium and houses the highly-regarded Nagra clock and a low-noise power supply.

Although the software was not quite ready for the demo, we were promised Roon compatibility and access to all expected hi-res streaming services, with Qobuz and Tidal namechecked during the presentation.

Aside from the 12V DC PSU connector for the Compact line's dedicated power supply wrapped in a similar aluminium billet, the unfussy rear panel offers an RJ45 Ethernet port, RCA outputs and a USB port.

Little was given away about the prototype Nagra Classic Preamp II-S being demoed, save that it spearheads next year's generation of amplifiers. We assume it will follow the model of a trio of valves in the preamp's circuit – two ECC83s and one ECC81 - and will be supported by a no-compromise design and high-quality, custom-made components.

The evening was rounded off by a casual playback session, as the room wasn't conducive to critical listening. That said, the Nagra's ability, clarity and dynamism were abundantly clear to hear even in this room.

We are expecting pricing for the Nagra Compact Player to be announced soon. However, in the USA, it's priced at $7,500, making it one of the more accessible products from this brand. The Classic Preamp II-S will be officially launched in the first quarter of 2026, with pricing and details released closer to that time.

For more information visit Nagra