During our visit to Nagra’s headquarters three years ago, the Swiss manufacturer told us they were working on designing a network player; an essential omission from a catalog already spanning from DACs to amplifiers and turntables. The Nagra Streamer has been available since last year, ready to complement any ultra high-end Hi-Fi system.
Nagra manufactures all of its devices in-house. Their attention to detail is evident at every stage, from crafting the chassis out of raw aluminum blocks to subjecting each unit to extensive testing before it reaches its future owner. The Streamer is no exception to these procedures, ensuring it offers the highest-quality network playback in line with Nagra’s other productions.
General Overview of the Nagra Streamer
The Nagra Streamer is the smallest device in the brand’s lineup. It is part of a new range logically called “Compact.” For now, there are two models: the Streamer and the Compact Phono, a preamplifier for turntables. These products are fully aligned with Nagra’s philosophy, built from solid aluminum blocks. However, they are significantly smaller than those in the Classic, HD, and Reference lines.
The Streamer has turned out to be Nagra’s first network player. But more precisely it’s a network bridge, meaning it includes no digital-to-analog converter: its audio outputs are exclusively digital. It must therefore be paired with a DAC, whether standalone or integrated into an amplifier. Due to the compact size of the unit, Nagra couldn’t include an extensive range of connections. Only two digital outputs are available. The first, using optical fiber, is called N-Link, and it is exclusively available for use with a Nagra DAC.
The second, more universal output takes the form of an RCA connector using the SPDIF standard. It is limited to 192/24, the highest Hi-Res quality supported by Qobuz, and also the most common. To go beyond this, you must use the N-Link connector. Nagra has not included a USB Audio output, which would have been compatible with digital streams beyond 192/24. It’s up to you and your system to decide whether this is limiting. DSD is also supported, in DoP mode, to be transmitted via the coaxial RCA output.
As always, Nagra is rather quiet about the numbers. Don’t wait on further information about harmonic distortion rate, frequency response, or signal-to-noise ratio, but take comfort from the Swiss manufacturer’s principle to look down on such concerns. They deliver the results first and the numbers come after. Moreover, listening experience doesn’t always correlate with the figures these days, which tend to be excellent across almost all digital products down to the entry-level. Note that the supplied 12V external power supply can be replaced by the ultra high-end Nagra Classic PSU, which operates at the same voltage. Also, Nagra will release the Compact PSU in the fall, a more affordable power supply dedicated to the Streamer and Phono.
Using the Nagra Streamer
The Nagra Streamer is extremely easy to set up so long as there’s an available network port nearby. There’s no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth here, which could introduce complications and instability. Once the Streamer is connected to the network and plugged into power it automatically obtains the IP address. Good job that is as there’s no alternative; this network player operates without a dedicated app! However, by using the universal UPnP application mControl, you can view the Streamer’s settings and even perform software updates.
To send music to this player, you must use one of the compatible standards. There’s AirPlay 2 for simplicity’s sake, though it will limit playback quality to CD resolution. Through the UPnP protocol you can use the mControl app, which includes Qobuz and lets you access your audio file library. Indeed, the Nagra Streamer features a USB-A port that can accept a flash drive or an external hard drive. This app is required to read its contents.
More high-end, the Nagra network player is compatible with both Audirvana and Roon. These two advanced solutions integrate Qobuz and allow you to manage your file library stored on a computer or a NAS server. But we can even do you one better: Qobuz Connect! Nagra is among the first partners to have integrated this compatibility. Thus, you can use your Qobuz applications and simply select the Nagra Streamer from the list of Connect playback points.
One realizes that the Nagra Streamer is a very simple device to set up and also simple to use on a daily basis, especially with Qobuz Connect. It has no display, no button. The single yellow LED screen on the front indicates whether the device is powered on and connected, and that’s all the UI you need. Small and discreet, the Streamer disappears behind its essential function of receiving high-resolution digital streams.
Listening
We did not have a system matching the level of this network player during our tests, so we paired it with our usual reference products: Mytek & TEAC DAC, SPL amplifier, and Dynaudio speakers. This allowed us to start from a baseline we know by heart, in comparison with other more conventional and more affordable network players. We were thus able to assess the contribution of the Nagra network bridge.
From the very first notes of the album Gadabout Season by Brandee Younger, one feels something very different underfoot. A feeling confirmed when listening to our reference excerpts, which we play in every test. The sense of presence is striking, with the harp presenting dimensions similar to the real instrument. It’s supported by a drum set of admirable discretion and a remarkable depth of impact. We really didn’t expect such a difference compared to mainstream network players. From the moment you plug in a DAC the difference between a streamer and another is usually outsized. Nagra proves the opposite to us in a beautiful way.
Overall, the sound seems less tense, less fatiguing than usual, allowing for volume to be increased without feeling overwhelmed. Annahstasia’s distinctive voice on the album Tether wonderfully exercises the Nagra Streamer’s full mastery of what it transmits to the DAC and feeds down the rest of the chain. The voice seems so realistic in its intonations and modulations that it comes to life before us. It goes without saying that the coherence is total across the entire spectrum, with a very realistic sound presence, including in the bass explored down to the lowest notes.
The live album 4 . 24 by Cyrille Aimée amply benefits from the Nagra Streamer’s ability to explore the slightest micro-details. One effortlessly feels the boundaries of the intimate venue where the recording took place. The voice comes out perfectly and decisively forward, detached from the instruments. A turn of the head suffices to single any particular instrument out as if they were all in front of you. The precision of the percussion and the reverberations that accompany them greatly contributes to the overall realism. More modern music is not left behind, with its powerful basses never getting muffled or taken out of place thanks to exemplary levels of articulation.
Unsurprisingly, large orchestral formations also get special treatment from the qualities of the Nagra Streamer. Listening to Brahms’ Clarinet Sonatas by the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, everything sounds perfectly accurate. The soundstage is wide and deep with a layering that is easy to distinguish, including in its verticality. The timbres of the instruments suffer from no flaw. It should be noted that we of course used Qobuz Connect for all our listening sessions. This makes it clear that the app on mobile, tablet, or computer is capable of driving a wireless speaker just like the greatest systems and the best network players.
