Late 1960s Nagra IV-L Audio Recorder

This is my dear Reel to Reel. Why am I selling it? Well, it isn’t that dear. It is clunky, heavy, and I don’t really use 15ips as much as I thought I would. I fix typewriters, I don’t record orchestras. Not that the Nagra quality would ever audibly dip at a slower speed.

So let’s talk about the unit. If you haven’t heard of Nagra, well, shame on you. They are the finest audio devices ever made. While everyone is out there talking about why vinyl rules and annoying everyone in the process, you can always remind them that quarter inch tape has always boasted a far better frequency response. As far as tape goes, Nagra is the industry standard. The 4 series is still used in Hollywood and pro-audio studios to this day to master and record. The IV-L is the first generation model 4, a revolution. It features banana plugs for line level input, two non-phantom power XLR mic inputs, headphone out, a monitor speaker, and a mixer/power port.

The machine also boasts three broadcast recording speeds, 3 3/4ips, 7 1/2ips, and 15ips. It also has a series of balance settings, frequency settings, pilot sync (for cameras), and limiters. The internal speaker has its own volume control independent of the headphone volume control, though I’d recommend doing your listening through designated speakers. It is a mono-audio device, but most people would hardly notice it.

Hopefully you’ve read this far. The machine has seen better days, it’s a little beat, but it works perfectly, It has a brand new European made pinch roller, and all the speeds and functions are operating perfectly. IT IS COMPLETELY READY FOR PROFESSIONAL AUDIO USE. I have personally used it as an audio system for a year, including my designated PC audio system to handle microphones for all those pandemic Zoom meetings. The rewind is a little slow for metal 7 inch reels on the tail end as the belts are a little worn, but it muscles through. For 5 inch reels, or plastic 7 inch, the rewind works flawlessly. Otherwise, every function has been tested and is working flawlessly. The machine comes with two VERY well made 7 inch aluminum reels. I thought they’d sweeten the deal though I’d much rather keep them….I purchased them for this machine. It also comes with the power supply which is rather rare, it works well. I replaced the fuse for American voltage, though if you use it in Europe, you might need to check that end. I am also shipping it with the owners manual. So yeah, you get the full package deal.

I’m a little sad to see it go, but it kinda just sits around now, and I am NOT a collector, I don’t make enough for that. My SONY d5 cassette player will handle audio for zoom just fine, I don’t need industry leading audio for that crap. Besides, I have my Nagra IS :)

RECAP, this purchase will include:

Nagra IV-L

Nagra standard 5” lid

Nagra proprietary III & IV universal power adapter

Two anodized aluminum reels with fresh back-coated tape

Original IV-L user manual