{"product_id":"nagra-reference-mc-cartridge","title":"Nagra Reference MC Cartridge","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor all of its nearly three quarter of a century existence, Nagra has been, first and foremost, research and development driven.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Reference MC is the cartridge Nagra builds when it is no longer interested in commercial trade-offs. It is the product of a number of years of intense R\u0026amp;D supplemented by exhaustive listening tests, designed in parallel with Nagra's 70th Anniversary Reference turntable and tonearm system as the analog generator for the company's most demanding playback platform. It is also the cartridge Nagra recommends for any serious high-end turntable in any system — the partner the customer chooses when the rest of the front end deserves it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe generator is a multi-layer transducer built around a double-layer coil body wound with hyper-pure silver windings. Two output variants are offered: the 4 Ω version delivers 0.30 mV at 5 cm\/s for the customer with the lowest-noise step-up devices and a strong preference for absolute resolution; the 6 Ω version delivers 0.45 mV at 5 cm\/s for broader compatibility with the tube and transformer-coupled phono stages most reference-tier listeners run. Either version answers naturally into the Nagra \u003ca href=\"\/products\/nagra-hd-phono\"\u003eHD Phono\u003c\/a\u003e and the Nagra \u003ca href=\"\/products\/nagra-classic-phono\"\u003eClassic Phono\u003c\/a\u003e, both of which Alma carries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cantilever is a stiff ruby beam mated to a high-strength titanium structure with a diamond-like-carbon (DLC) coating — a combination chosen for the lowest energy storage and the cleanest signal transfer between groove and coil. The stylus is a Fritz Gyger S profile produced in Switzerland; the same profile that has come to define the upper tier of Swiss-made cartridges. The cartridge body uses a proprietary super-magnesium alloy for its main mass, with the critical generator interface built from EXIUM AM — an aerospace-derived non-ferrous alloy with exceptional damping properties developed through collaboration between the French national space agency CNES, the École des Mines de Paris, and LBI Foundries. Nagra holds exclusive worldwide audio rights to EXIUM AM. The combination quiets the structural noise floor in a way the cartridge customer at this tier has come to expect from Swiss watchmaking and from Nagra specifically.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTracking force is set between 2.0 and 2.2 grams. Compliance is 12 µm\/mN. Channel balance is held below 0.5 dB. Crosstalk exceeds 30 dB. The cartridge weighs 14.3 grams. It is the analog front end the customer is building toward — and the moment to choose it is when the rest of the system is finally worth what it can deliver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMain Features\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMulti-layer transducer with double-layer coil body, hyper-pure silver windings\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAvailable in 4 Ω (0.30 mV \/ 5 cm\/s) and 6 Ω (0.45 mV \/ 5 cm\/s) variants\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStiff ruby cantilever, high-strength titanium structure with DLC coating\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFritz Gyger S stylus profile, Swiss-produced\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBody in proprietary super-magnesium alloy\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCritical generator interface in EXIUM AM aerospace alloy (Nagra holds exclusive worldwide audio rights)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesigned and manufactured by Audio Technology Switzerland\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGenerator type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Multi-layer transducer with double-layer coil body, hyper-pure silver windings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVariants:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4 Ω version (0.30 mV @ 5 cm\/s) or 6 Ω version (0.45 mV @ 5 cm\/s)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCantilever:\u003c\/strong\u003e Stiff ruby with high-strength titanium structure, DLC-coated\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStylus profile:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fritz Gyger S (Swiss-produced)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBody material:\u003c\/strong\u003e Proprietary super-magnesium alloy with EXIUM AM aerospace-alloy generator interface\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTracking force:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.0 – 2.2 g\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompliance:\u003c\/strong\u003e 12 µm\/mN\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChannel balance:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u0026lt; 0.5 dB\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrosstalk:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u0026gt; 30 dB\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 14.3 g\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDesigned and manufactured by:\u003c\/strong\u003e Audio Technology Switzerland\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nagraaudio.com\/product\/nagra-reference-mc-cartridge\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eManufacturer page\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nagra","offers":[{"title":"4 Ω","offer_id":48738269692123,"sku":null,"price":20500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"6 Ω","offer_id":48738269724891,"sku":null,"price":20500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1363\/6553\/files\/cartridge01.png?v=1777859634","url":"https:\/\/almaaudio.com\/products\/nagra-reference-mc-cartridge","provider":"Alma Music and Audio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}