The Nagra PL-P is Swiss preamplifier perfection—elegant, obsessive, and unapologetically serious about musical truth. Designed during Nagra’s golden era, the PL-P brings the brand’s legendary professional heritage into the home with stunning results: jet-black backgrounds, uncanny dynamic realism, and a sense of control that makes everything downstream sound better. Its phono stage is especially revered—quiet, precise, and utterly musical—while the line stage delivers clarity and flow without ever feeling clinical. Like everything from Nagra, the PL-P is built like a scientific instrument and voiced like a concert hall. It doesn’t add flavor or drama—it simply steps aside and lets the music speak with authority, scale, and grace.
Production
1997-2009
Condition
10/10
Serial No.
5500728
Orig. MSRP
$9500
Restoration
- Replaced rechargeable NiMH batteries
- Replaced six capacitors in the power supply
- Verified input/output levels
- Verified all inputs, outputs & functions
- Verified modulometer and indicator operation
Factory Specs
Full-function, battery-powered preamplifier with transformer-coupled MC phono stage and headphone outputs.
Tube complements: phono stage, one 12AT7/ECC81, one 12AX7/ECC83; line-stage, two 12AT7, four 12AX7. Power source: 8 D-size Nickel-Cadmium power cells, rechargeable via PLP-CCC3 AC power-supply unit.
Input impedance: >100k ohms (line stage); 100 ohms to 47k ohms (phono stage).
Output impedance: 60 ohms.
A full manufacturer's test and measurement report is included with each PL-P, including colored Audio Precision graphs.
Dimensions: 12.2" W by 3" H by 10" D.
Weight: 9 lbs, 13 oz with 8 D-cells.
Liner Notes
Battery operated tube pre-amplifier with phono stage
The PL-P vacuum tube pre-amplifier is a high quality pure class A tube based pre-amplifier including a high precision phono stage for vinyl records. With its unique internal rechargeable battery power supply, the highly sensitive phono stage, features individually hand-wound NAGRA built transformers, is entirely isolated from the mains power supply and hence avoids any form of hum loop. Able to handle both moving coil and moving magnet cartridges and up to 4 independent sources the PL-P is an extremely flexible preamplifier.
Uncompromised power supply
In any pre-amplifier, the power supply is a sensitive and significant component. This is especially true when dealing with phono levels. That’s why the PL-P power supply uses a set of rechargeable “D” cell batteries, operating through an external current charging AC supply. This design eliminates all disruptive effects of AC powering from wall outlets and may solve persistent hum problems. The internal power supply regulation circuitry of the PL-P uses proprietary, dual DC-to-DC converters to eliminate power supply ripples and assures a clean power source for all active electronic stages and components.
Unique design phono stage
The phono stage is built around the best tubes out of our selection and especially designed Nagra transformers for impressive noise figures, dynamic and high-resolution performance with both moving magnet and moving-coil cartridges. Variable capacitive (from 47 pF to 837 pF) and resistive (30 Ω to 330 Ω) loading is provided to allow ideal matching with most available cartridges. Switches for selecting the appropriate loading options are internally mounted on the circuit board to protect sensitive low-level signals from undesirable interferences.
A class tube
Two triode sections, biased for pure class-A operation, are implemented in each channel for additional amplification. The PL-P has two stages, the first one for level input management and the second for output level management and record loop. As in all vacuum tube circuits within the PL-P, precise DC filament voltage regulation from the power supply ensures low-noise, high-resolution performance and a long lifetime. The output stage vacuum tubes, operating in pure class-A, are directly coupled to the output connectors; they can accommodate loads as low as 600 Ω. To facilitate tape transcriptions and external signal processing, a full tape loop facility is also provided.
Attention to detail
To reduce unwanted interference, the main circuit board is mounted on elastomer dampers to eliminate the effect of external vibrations.
To conserve component life and battery reserve, only those vacuum tubes required for the selected input are turned on. The audio output is automatically muted when switching between input sources.
Packing
We'll deliver this piece in its original factory box, so you can be sure it will be protected just as Nagra intended.
Shipping
This piece ships to the contiguous United States for a flat rate of $75, which includes our packaging and our insurance. Of course, we'll ship anywhere in the world, just drop us a line and we'll give you an estimate – even if you're just curious.
Stock No.
9266549162205
