Adam Savage's Nagra Spy Recorder Collection!

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  • čas přidán 11. 09. 2024
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    Adam pops open his custom-made carrying case for his collection of Nagra vintage audio recording equipment. It's an assembly of rare audio gear that has a direct lineage to the swiss spy recorders used in the 1970s, including the iconic compact reel-to-reel Nagra recorder. Adam walks us through the collection and shows some of the recorder's notable features that have made it a favorite among tech historians.
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Komentáře • 570

  • @JakeBiddlecome
    @JakeBiddlecome Před 3 lety +255

    When I was a kid my dad had one of those mini cassette recorders (not a spy piece) that he got for his graduation. Super tiny. Apparently it was top of the line at the time. I roll played so many spy stories with that thing - it was so cool. I learned that the tapes he had given me weren't all blank and he had used them as his own personal diary for years. I learned so much about him that he doesn't know I know, so I guess it was kind of a spy kit after all.

    • @anchorbait6662
      @anchorbait6662 Před 3 lety +10

      That's a great story and memory to have. Thanks for sharing

    • @carolann811
      @carolann811 Před 3 lety +1

      Thanks for sharing. I can just see a little boy out there, spying on what he thinks is the world and it's magnificent tales. But the real story was there all along.

    • @thomashverring9484
      @thomashverring9484 Před 3 lety +4

      When my brother and I were kids, we used to tape all kinds of things. We made radio programs (my late grandmother sings on one of them), recorded music (never really stopped doing that), and my brother began discreetly spying on us all during dinner. So we have recordings (now called "Family Business #") with many family members and old friends of the family now long dead. I'm so glad that he did. He never stopped, actually, because he works with sound design and music composition for theatre, art installations, and all kinds of things all over the world, so he often needs interesting sounds. I've heard myself pop up the weirdest places X^D

    • @thomashverring9484
      @thomashverring9484 Před 3 lety +1

      Oh, and I of course sent him a link to this video, because I know he'll appreciate it!

  • @microbuilder
    @microbuilder Před 3 lety +220

    I feel like Techmoan would like this video...

    • @SDsailor7
      @SDsailor7 Před 3 lety +10

      He would love it! We need to tell him about this video.
      Cheers

    • @Klau5
      @Klau5 Před 3 lety +3

      A man of coulter i see

    • @tangyorange6509
      @tangyorange6509 Před 3 lety +2

      Love my Nagra kit

    • @RÅNÇIÐ
      @RÅNÇIРPřed 3 lety +1

      Hell yea, my thoughts exactly

    • @JAGrossman1
      @JAGrossman1 Před 3 lety +3

      this is right up Techmoan's alley!

  • @robertchmielewski7699
    @robertchmielewski7699 Před 3 lety +92

    Fun fact is : in polish language the word "nagra" literally means "It will record" :) It is probably because it's creator was polish guy Stefan Kudelski

  • @davidhenning6179
    @davidhenning6179 Před 3 lety +222

    The whole, "I built this myself, but I didn't film it," thing is a cover story. It's actually Jamie's recording gear case from when he was a spy. Adam just bought it off him under the condition that he wouldn't say how he actually go it. 😆

    • @howardbeatman2820
      @howardbeatman2820 Před 3 lety +8

      We're not supposed to blow his cover!!!

    • @talon262
      @talon262 Před 3 lety +22

      Jamie's codename: "Walrus"

    • @TheQuyman
      @TheQuyman Před 3 lety +9

      "I built this myself, but I didn't film it," could've be the name of his auto biography

    • @terpsmcgerps
      @terpsmcgerps Před 3 lety +1

      Jamie would be the most conspicuous spy ever

    • @TheGreatAtario
      @TheGreatAtario Před 3 lety +5

      _[Doing the fingers-mustache impression]:_ Well, now I gotta kill ya.

  • @abbysharp1659
    @abbysharp1659 Před 3 lety +121

    the people deserve a period spy movie where everything is played really seriously but the spy character is just adam savage gleefully using all of this recording gear

    • @pinchopaxtonsgreatestminds9591
      @pinchopaxtonsgreatestminds9591 Před 3 lety +3

      He fits the bill! I actually want to use him in a comic I am making.

    • @lautimartinez6341
      @lautimartinez6341 Před 3 lety +2

      Watch The Man from U.N.C.L.E, it pretty much exactly that lol.

    • @tjthrash0143
      @tjthrash0143 Před 3 lety +3

      I love it... but then he needs to show off the build to the people he spied on.

    • @righteousred723
      @righteousred723 Před 3 lety

      Sounds like a perfect movie for simps. I'll just rewatch agent 86 and you can wish for steve carrell to make weird noises pretending to be bond. You child

    • @AllenCavedo
      @AllenCavedo Před 3 lety +1

      As Adam said The Conversation is about as close as you’ll get. Also The Lives of Others is an excellent film and shows real Stasi secret police audio gear in use.

  • @OC35
    @OC35 Před 3 lety +3

    When I worked for Nagra’s UK agent, we had a prototype SN to show to the UK police. It had a fault so I had the job of flying to the Swiss factory to have it repaired. I have met Stefan Kudelski and at an exhibition introduced him to Ray Dolby!

  • @martinconrad9260
    @martinconrad9260 Před 3 lety +21

    "Please be kind - rewind." ~ Blockbuster, 1990

    • @thamomentum
      @thamomentum Před 3 lety

      Holy crap. A relic of the good ol' days

  • @igkgigoh
    @igkgigoh Před 3 lety +24

    Love how Adam said "RIGHT?!" just after I said "oh maaan!" 5:56
    This thing is beautiful

    • @tested
      @tested  Před 3 lety +12

      Ha!

    • @padraicbrady
      @padraicbrady Před 3 lety +2

      That's the great thing about these pieces. Before mass production, hot glue being 90% of the product, and software...old technology can be really beautiful. My favorite watch is still a mechanical with cut outs to show the mechanism running.

  • @jacobgrodman
    @jacobgrodman Před 3 lety +7

    "You can see why I was obsessed with this!"
    Not really, but your enthusiasm is incredibly infectious.

  • @jimmysgameclips
    @jimmysgameclips Před 3 lety +49

    **Job interview at tested**
    Shadowy figure: "Okay, speak"

  • @dio52
    @dio52 Před 3 lety +1

    Just watched The Conversation for the first time in maybe 15 years thanks to this. These days I have little or no interest in watching so many of the movies I bought in my twenties, but this one still holds up.

  • @user-tb5ns7hc5i
    @user-tb5ns7hc5i Před 3 lety +6

    These Nagra units have been featured/used in most if not all of the Mission Impossible films. Super cool tech from last century.

  • @TheChiefSmeg69
    @TheChiefSmeg69 Před 3 lety +49

    Adam, you should totally create a hollow book to hide your Naga recorder in along with a microphone!

    • @LarsJacobsenDK
      @LarsJacobsenDK Před 3 lety +2

      I second that motion!

    • @user-tb5ns7hc5i
      @user-tb5ns7hc5i Před 3 lety +2

      That’s how this unit was given to Tom cruise in the last Fallout mission impossible film. Inside a hollowed out book that self destructed after he listened to the recording.

    • @campkohler9131
      @campkohler9131 Před rokem

      @Leigh Johnson To add authenticity, the book's dust jacket should be enclosed in a glassine cover with a "San Francisco City Public Library" label having the correct Dewey Decimal and other markings. Now what would be the appropriate title of the book in order not to attract undue attention?

  • @tzisorey
    @tzisorey Před 3 lety

    4:53 - flute music starts an upward trill. "Mr Savage, your mission, should you choose to accept it...."
    Man, that look takes me right back to the *original* Mission Impossible TV series.

  • @jdinnis
    @jdinnis Před 3 lety +14

    Oh man, the chrome latches with the brass corners and handle are driving me nuts.....

    • @joepiper6064
      @joepiper6064 Před 3 lety

      I noticed that also!

    • @MaxPower_Designs
      @MaxPower_Designs Před 3 lety +1

      Yes thank you, I’m not the only one! Complete brushed silver equipment, chrome latches.......gold(brass) corners.....twitch.....twitch.....

  • @SPProps
    @SPProps Před 3 lety +19

    "I accidentally hit the Buy-It-Now button..." 😂 Yeah, that excuse didn't work for me either!

  • @user-tb5ns7hc5i
    @user-tb5ns7hc5i Před 3 lety +3

    OMG, the satisfying solid quality click it makes when the cover is reattached effortlessly to the recorder. This might be the coolest piece yet I’ve seen on this channel.

  • @stagesixx
    @stagesixx Před 2 lety

    The first time I ever opened up a Nagra recorder, I was completely blown away. The top hinges up like the hood of a car and inside is like a fine watch. Military grade electronic components, gold conductors, aerospace quality machining. I could just stare at it forever, I can’t think of anything quite impressive, not even an Arriflex camera.

  • @steves.4720
    @steves.4720 Před 3 lety +8

    I'm also Nagra-obsessed - I've got 20+ of them, all of the flavors from SN to the T Audio. The SNST-R is the one we're all trying to find - it's the 'audiophile' stereo Nagra SN that was actually made for music recording and playback. Running at 3.75ips and with freq response from 50Hz - 15kHz, it was introduced in 1999 and sold in very limited numbers. Finding one now is impossible and you'd have to give up a kidney to get one.

  • @geirmyklebust
    @geirmyklebust Před 3 lety +6

    Back in the early 70s; I was 12 years old, I held in my hands similar recorder. I was impressed of the size, and the feeling of high quality.

  • @j.r.millstone
    @j.r.millstone Před 3 lety +67

    Darmok and Jalad used a Nagra when the walls fell.

  • @ryanrider569
    @ryanrider569 Před 3 lety +2

    Filming what you are doing can exponentially increase the time and frustration of a project.
    Never feel bad about not filming something for us. While we all absolutely love to watch every minute of your content, we also want you to enjoy what you do and the projects you truly want to work on.

  • @simonhoney2050
    @simonhoney2050 Před 3 lety +69

    "I accidentally committed to buy this." We all know what that's like. No further explanation necessary.

    • @f.d.6667
      @f.d.6667 Před 3 lety +7

      The eBay "Buy Now" button is proof that free will is just an illusion!

  • @gymprofessor329
    @gymprofessor329 Před 3 lety +14

    As a vintage, too expensive to own tape machine freak, I about lost it at the thumbnail.

    • @SDsailor7
      @SDsailor7 Před 3 lety

      I have never seen one of those so i was also very exited when i saw it.
      What a beautiful machine.
      I had one ree to reel that came in a briefcase (not those big ugly ones from the fifties) i think it was from the eighties because it had the ribbon wire connectors it was mfr by atomic, i could not fix it so i donated it to a thrift store.

  • @groermaik
    @groermaik Před 3 lety +13

    Sometimes, I wake up in the wee hours of the morning with an idea of how to build just one piece of a project, and...17 hours later, the project is completely done and I don't know how I did that.

  • @Tonyjwo
    @Tonyjwo Před 3 lety +1

    Just wanted to clarify a few things about these Nagra tape recorders. I worked on these and all Nagra products from the early 1980’s to late 1990’s. I was an apprentice to a Swiss engineer who was the Service manager at Nagra in Switzerland. He emigrated to Australia in the late 70’s and I trained under him for a number of years. We had factory level Service ability including all the parts, test equipment and jigs.
    Firstly the lever on the LHS has 3 positions, middle off, push in play/rec, pull out and push up to lock. This pull out is for rewind and moves a small white circular reel brake near the reel to stop it moving. If you don’t pull it out and you rewind the tape, you’ll wear out the plastic. Also don’t leave it in the on position even without the batteries as the pinch roller will sit on the capstan and get a flat spot.
    The smaller cassette version Nagra you mentioned was called a JBR. It didn’t use 50Hz or 60Hz it had a record bias of 32KHz which is the same as a digital quartz watch. That way if it was hidden on someone it couldn’t be detected. It could only record, there was not play or erase. The Nagra SN’s versions could record 50 or 60Hz pilot tones for synchronizing with film recording.
    The SN and JBR were quite often gaffer taped to the lower back of under cover police when they were doing covert work, I did hear a few interesting recordings when I worked on them!
    As far as I remember a Nagra SN was also taken to the moon on an Apollo mission.

  • @zeroy
    @zeroy Před 3 lety +9

    These cost a bomb, $1500-$5000 - nice collection there Adam!

  • @nottelling6598
    @nottelling6598 Před 3 lety +10

    9:15 You have a hidden space in your spy recorder box and _you didn't put anything _*_in it?_*
    Who are you and what have you done with Adam Savage?

    • @coyoteseattle
      @coyoteseattle Před 3 lety +2

      Of course he put something in it. But it wouldn't be much of a secret if he went blabbing about it on the internet, would it?

  • @x1984x
    @x1984x Před 3 lety +55

    Adam must have over $1m worth of just pure geek toys in his collection. 😂

    • @WoLpH
      @WoLpH Před 3 lety +4

      The big question is... worth or paid for. I wouldn't be surprised if he paid for about $1M and that it would be worth far more now

    • @ZeD69420
      @ZeD69420 Před 3 lety +1

      @@WoLpHWoLpH Well anything he has bought is most definitely worth more now because he has owned it.

    • @FENomadtrooper
      @FENomadtrooper Před 3 lety

      I'd say he's probably made toys with a total worth that high alone.

  • @carolann811
    @carolann811 Před 3 lety +1

    Oh, man. I do transcription and seeing this, I was transported to what must have been a past life experience. I know the feel and weight of the headphones on my head, the smell of the equipment, the quality of the audio. The delicate thump as the tape heads engage. I have goosebumps.

  • @davidbrownlow5245
    @davidbrownlow5245 Před 3 lety +1

    My film school teacher claimed to be one of the first importers of Nagra tape recorders into the US. BTY Nagra is Polish for “record”. Stephen Kudelski created the first Nagra recorders. He was originally interested in using magnetic tape for robotic memory. When building his first devices he realized they would also make a great audio recorder. His girlfriend at the time was a reporter for Swiss radio so he built her one. When other reporters saw it they all wanted one and the Nagra II was born. The first truly portable reel to reel tape recorder used for Film was the Nagra III, still a great tape recorder. Later when the company developed he built recorders for many other industries and applications. The SN was made not just for CIA but for anybody who wanted to do audio surveillance. The main feature of the SN was that it could make a good recording at super slow speed. That little reel could hold something like six hours of audio. FYI his main innovation wasn’t just the recorder it was that is was a “phase coherent” recording. Meaning the audio was truly flat across the entire human audible spectrum making for a realistic and pleasing recording.

  • @jhota42
    @jhota42 Před 3 lety +15

    Just speaking hypothetically, but I know some people who were in the intelligence game in the 1970s. And if I had had a conversation with them about what equipment they used, they might have told me their preferred headsets were Sennheiser.

    • @user-tb5ns7hc5i
      @user-tb5ns7hc5i Před 3 lety +2

      I own those pioneer headphones and this model was not built for sound quality, but for materials, workmanship, and a piece of aesthetic art, they are gorgeous and very detailed quality. They match the quality of this recorder perfectly.

    • @jhota42
      @jhota42 Před 3 lety +1

      @@user-tb5ns7hc5i Yeah, period Sennheiser 414s are not attractive. They look kind of cheap, really. But the sound quality is still impressive.

    • @user-tb5ns7hc5i
      @user-tb5ns7hc5i Před 3 lety

      @@jhota42 you are totally correct that Sennheisers were often used in this unit though, as Nagra makes a connection plug for them.

    • @user-tb5ns7hc5i
      @user-tb5ns7hc5i Před 3 lety

      There’s actually a really cool video on CZcams of ABBA wearing a leather headphone model similar to this pioneer in one of their 70s music vids. The blond singer has it wrapped around her forehead like a headband to hold her hair back. Lol.

  • @steveoneill8822
    @steveoneill8822 Před 3 lety +4

    25 years and 3 careers ago I studied to be a sound engineer. In the sound for film class we learned how to use a Nagra. There is 1 specific, proprietary nut on it that costs hundreds of dollars. The 1st class the instructor informed us 'DO NOT LOOSE THE NAGRA NUT!' And each subsequent quiz, test, exam the 1st question was "What's the 1st rule of using the Nagra? A. Don't loose the nagra nut, B. Don't loose the nagra nut, C. Don't loose the nagra nut or D. DON'T LOOSE THE NAGRA NUT

  • @bennettniizawa7200
    @bennettniizawa7200 Před 3 lety +12

    This video will self-destruct in ten seconds...

    • @raygunsforronnie847
      @raygunsforronnie847 Před 3 lety

      Cue Lalo Schifrin-composed theme music... "Good luck, Jim". Roll music.

  • @KOVintageTech
    @KOVintageTech Před 3 lety

    I finally threw the switch and picked up an SNN. It is the crown jewel of my collection. Thanks for sharing your set up!

  • @appalachianunderground8474

    I don’t know which I enjoy the most, the content of your awesome channel or the enthusiasm that you always share with us, thanks for all the awesomeness!!!

  • @jeremybecker8309
    @jeremybecker8309 Před 3 lety

    Welcome to the NAGRA club, Adam. And you are correct. Many of us still use the larger machines, mainly the IV-S on a daily basis. And you were correct- NAGRA is built is Switzerland. FYI, in Polish (Stefan Kudelski was from Poland) the word NAGRA means "It Records".

  • @karanash8025
    @karanash8025 Před 3 lety

    I have the same thing with collecting old cookbooks. They show the fashions of techniques and ingredients. And often show the influences of the times. Thrifty cooking is definitely a feature in WWII era recipes, so many feature unusual ingredient subs as well.

  • @ARTofTY-TV
    @ARTofTY-TV Před 3 lety +5

    Just when you thought Techmoan had this angle of CZcams covered, in comes the Savage!

  • @docskate4312
    @docskate4312 Před 3 lety

    You are right.
    The case and what's in it is absolutely Beautiful.

  • @ogrrecords
    @ogrrecords Před 3 lety +2

    Of all the cool things I've seen you work on in your shop, this just went to the top of the list. Thanks for sharing!

  • @keithreay
    @keithreay Před 3 lety +3

    I just started The Americans (I’m on season 2 now)... this is the universe telling me to keep doing what I’m doing... Great Show and Tell... keep up the great work.

  • @pamdemonia
    @pamdemonia Před 3 lety +1

    Oh wow, that's the thing I always loved from "The Conversation" especially after dealing with the big Nagra 4.2s at the NYU film equipment checkout! Glad someone is collecting these!

  • @beautifulsmall
    @beautifulsmall Před 3 lety

    Had five big reel to reel recorders in the 80's , jumble sales. great machines, so wonderful to listen to music from a machine that moves.

  • @tested
    @tested  Před 3 lety +6

    Watch in VR on Oculus TV: ocul.us/3xo6z4t
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    Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks:
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    • @achuck4321
      @achuck4321 Před 3 lety +1

      I love these types of videos. Love seeing esoteric stuff.

    • @bookon999
      @bookon999 Před 3 lety +2

      @Thomas Sheridan It 's a real word, just one intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest. So maybe it's just new to you?

    • @tested
      @tested  Před 3 lety +3

      @Thomas Sheridan ? www.dictionary.com/browse/esoteric?s=t

  • @asitu
    @asitu Před 3 lety

    This is so cooool! I don't look in the mirror when I go over my collections, but I do see the light in Adam's eyes when he go over his. Love it!

  • @user-tb5ns7hc5i
    @user-tb5ns7hc5i Před 3 lety +3

    You have great taste Adam. I own those same Pioneer headphones and love them, but at $5k-20k for this recorder now, I will have to just admire yours. Beautiful. Thankyou for sharing your impressive collection of antiquities.

    • @longwing
      @longwing Před 3 lety

      What headphones are those?

    • @BobHannent
      @BobHannent Před 3 lety

      @@longwing SEL-40 about 8m30s

  • @skycow2
    @skycow2 Před 3 lety +1

    The intro credits for the 1971 movie "Klute" feature a small spy reel-to-reel in a silver case, but it wasn't the beautiful Nagra. It took me years before I found out that it was the EDI model M-75B by Electro Data Inc. made around 1966-67. It was pretty much a copy of an earlier one developed for the CIA...

  • @CaesiusX
    @CaesiusX Před 3 lety

    Those are indeed works of art! That entire set is simply gorgeous! 🤍
    8:52 Taking sandpaper to the felt, thus aging it perfectly, was a brilliant idea!

  • @Chris-sk8zf
    @Chris-sk8zf Před 3 lety +1

    those old nagra tape decks are incredible, and they sound absolutely wonderful too, i'm dying to own one. the ones they used for field sound cost about as much as a luxury car back in their day.

  • @davewortley2293
    @davewortley2293 Před 2 lety

    I am a kindred spirit, I love the history behind these beautiful pieces of equipment, they are like technological jewellery, and a privilege to own

  • @BufftatJunkie
    @BufftatJunkie Před 3 lety +3

    Great to see someone so passionate about something, this is some cool stuff and the box looks good.

  • @SparrowHawk183
    @SparrowHawk183 Před 3 lety

    What a beautiful collection of industrial magic! Wow, there's such an era of industrial design that these Negra devices fall into, every detail and component designed and built to such a high level. And the tactility! Love those mechanical pieces, so good. Thanks for sharing, Adam!

  • @sharedknowledge6640
    @sharedknowledge6640 Před 3 lety

    A friend, who has since passed away, was a Boeing engineer working on helping make their planes quieter in the 70s and he loved Nagra’s recorders which they used for lots of things. They were well engineered machines. Nice video and build of the storage box.

  • @SaturnCanuck
    @SaturnCanuck Před 3 lety

    Dude that is awesome. I love 1960s and 1970s technology, the look and craftsmanship of it all.

  • @mainematt1234
    @mainematt1234 Před 3 lety +1

    You have to love the engineering and mechanical aptitude to create something like that...aah the Swiss. Super cool!

  • @gizzymoee
    @gizzymoee Před 3 lety +2

    There’s a Nagra JBR (tape recorder) currently for sale on eBay. These have gone up in price recently, and ever since have been beyond my price range.

  • @acopernic
    @acopernic Před 3 lety +8

    It's a swiss company... (30miles from my place)... 🌼

  • @toggtlas7099
    @toggtlas7099 Před 3 lety +19

    I like that Adam is so humble about money despite being a multi-millionaire! That's classy! 👏

    • @jakebaker4066
      @jakebaker4066 Před 3 lety +7

      A million dollars isn’t a lot of money in San Francisco

    • @lordperezident
      @lordperezident Před 3 lety +4

      @@jakebaker4066 that's for damn sure. San Francisco is top 3 most expensive places to live

    • @toggtlas7099
      @toggtlas7099 Před 3 lety +5

      @@jakebaker4066 Keyword being "Multi". Savage is worth around 10 million USD. Going to claim "tHat iSn'T a LoT oF mOnEy iN sF" too?

    • @tjthrash0143
      @tjthrash0143 Před 3 lety +6

      @@toggtlas7099 That is indeed alot of money. But when talking about "worth" its important to remember that it is not a value of cash on hand. Its everything. I would bet that all the items in his shop are half to three quarters of that.

    • @stargazer7644
      @stargazer7644 Před 3 lety

      @@toggtlas7099 no, it really isn’t a lot of money in sf. When you figure the shittiest little tiny place to live costs easily over a million bucks.

  • @scottimusgarrett15
    @scottimusgarrett15 Před 3 lety

    I have ALWAYS loved those little reel-to-reels. They were always the epitome of '60's "spy-cool" to me. Lovely piece of kit! I'm truly jealous!😁

  • @AllenCavedo
    @AllenCavedo Před 3 lety

    Excellent video on a terrific topic. Super nice collection you have there. I bought a Nagra 4.2 single track recorder a few years ago just to have one. As you say it is a beautiful piece of mechanical and electrical engineering. A giant Swiss watch that records and plays sound. And although it is from the 1970’s it still works perfectly. I use it to show the youngsters how sound was recorded back in the day.

  • @charlie9ine
    @charlie9ine Před 3 lety +1

    My initiation into film in the early 80s. The sounds guy with the boom and Nagra laying on his back behind a sofa

  • @brianally1531
    @brianally1531 Před 3 lety

    What an incredible coincidence seeing this today. (No, i don't have any Nagra devices for you.) That's a lovely collection you have in that box. I get the appeal. It's such a pleasure to hold this kind of precision equipment.
    A wonderful film, too, eh? A nostalgic warning about the Haunting of America that goes on to this day.

  • @juanm.9462
    @juanm.9462 Před 2 lety +1

    Very neat peace! I am lucky to have one of my own which is actually the SNST model. Wish I had the rest in the case. Great collection there and great presentation of the NAGRA equipment.

  • @TypewriterChicago
    @TypewriterChicago Před 3 lety

    I heard you had an SN, it was shown on Tested a while back. Finally getting to see it! Such beautiful machines, absolutely ingenious. Impossible not to admire and respect the refined craftsmanship that went into making them, truly a form of fine artistry.

  • @dsaweaa883
    @dsaweaa883 Před 3 lety +16

    i love how much he dont care about the price, hes so happy with and about it that hes not gonna sell anyway =)

    • @fionafiona1146
      @fionafiona1146 Před 3 lety +2

      He also has the budget, I'd love his collection to remain valued like this in a "maker" Museum (documentation helps) he could found... Less gross than the Philadelphia college of physicians "Mütter" museum but hardly less awesome.

    • @ultranitro437
      @ultranitro437 Před 3 lety +1

      He also has lots and lots of money.

    • @jaredmehrlich6683
      @jaredmehrlich6683 Před 3 lety +1

      Hes a third generation rich guy. His Grandfather was a famous surgeon.

    • @fionafiona1146
      @fionafiona1146 Před 3 lety +1

      @@jaredmehrlich6683 as if Money smoothes access to money, such a surprise, I'll write to the family Lady Jenny ne Westphalia!

  • @RaidsEpicly
    @RaidsEpicly Před 3 lety

    It's easy to forget how ridiculously fast technology has improved in the last two centuries, but my god is seeing this from only 50 years ago a crazy example. It's like an entirely different world of technology even from what I was used to as a young millenial.
    Manual rewind! My god

  • @vigunfighter
    @vigunfighter Před 3 lety

    I vaguely recall being fascinated by a scene in, IIRC "Secret Agent Man" (is that name of the show, or just the title song?...) With Patrick McGowen McGuen something something>
    Anyway, he pulls an electric shaver out of his dopp bag , opens it up, and converts it into a mini real-to-real tape recorder.
    How very cool! This would have been in the late 60's.

  • @davydatwood3158
    @davydatwood3158 Před 3 lety

    This was a lot of fun to watch; there's nothing better than watching someone wax eloquent about something they're really, really into. Plus, you've given me ideas for something I might try to build myself! So, thank you!
    And... if you ever get the chance to do a cameo as "Q" - the Bond "Q," not the Star Trek one or the conspiracy one - you really should take it. :)

  • @donaldpriola1807
    @donaldpriola1807 Před 3 lety

    One object you would live is the Teenage Engineering OP-1. Not only is it a beautiful thing to hold, it is a triumph in engineering.

  • @Broadshore
    @Broadshore Před 3 lety

    Wow!!!! Adam has NAGRA system.. The LAST TIME I see one.. ONE!! was at my Uncle house in the 80's.

  • @chrisplan9
    @chrisplan9 Před 3 lety

    I was watching episode 4 of spycraft on netflicks and noticed at 34:51 one of these beautiful devices appear. If i hadn't just watch this video i wouldn't have appreciated the reference as much. Thanks Adam and tested peeps.

  • @Dsschuh
    @Dsschuh Před 3 lety

    Adam, Thank you. I am fascinated by the history of almost everything!
    Your presentations are always fascinating! I went to the Nagra website and looked up every model. Such beauty in an amazingly small package! And, when you make a carrying/presentation case, they are also works of art. Keep up the good work, please.

  • @ultranitro437
    @ultranitro437 Před 3 lety +1

    Someday, I want to visit the Adam Savage Collection Museum to see all of this unique stuff up close!

  • @organfairy
    @organfairy Před 3 lety

    Cool piece of equipment. But there is one thing that really grinds my gears: Why didn't Nagra use standard reels? Back in the 1960s there was a standard size of reels that could have been used (often used in the old "Mission Impossible" series) - reels that could also fit on a normal reel to reel machine. They had the same diameter but the tape was about 2 mm wider. Because of this the spy recorder can only use tapes made for that particular model and the tapes cannot be played on anything but the spy recorder.

  • @InssiAjaton
    @InssiAjaton Před 3 lety

    As a poor student, I would drool over those Nagras. Somewhere I had seen an article about what the radio reporters used when they (finally) got out of the boundaries of the studios and the huge and clunky gear there. Of course the Nagra was way, way beyond my budgets, I think it cost more than a good family car.. I also seem to remember there was another, a bit cheaper model -- Uher, as I recall -- still beyond my reach, like a low end car. But this takes me back another several years, when I had once access to a pocket size wire recorder. Yes, not tape, but steel wire! It was actually intended for dictation machine use. I borrowed it and demonstrated it in my second to last year in the high school, where one of the practices was to present (generally only verbally) something unique. Our time allocation was 5 to 6 or 7 minutes each. Before it was my turn, I recorded a few sends of the teacher's introduction and then as part of my presentation I played it back through the built in speaker.
    Then back to the the times when I already was gainfully employed, I was presented with an opportunity to buy a wire recorder. Much bigger and older than the dictation machine I had once demonstrated. It is apparently from the 1930's and with a pretty miserable sound quality. Two pieces of history that I have read somewhere: 1. Telefunken had more or less by accident found the ultrasonic frequency biasing during the recording on the wire recorders that were then used during the Berlin olympic games. They kept it secret and only after WW2 some American audio guys reverse engineered a captured unit. However, they made another invention and the Tape Recorder was born. I think the first tape units were introduced by Ampex. Somebody might know better? Yet another note -- I have seen on the CZcams somebody present the same brand or build of the big wire recorder that I (still) have.

  • @draztiqmeshaz6226
    @draztiqmeshaz6226 Před 3 lety

    My dad had the exact same headphones. They're here on the healing bench back burner. Beautiful.

  • @WilksGRendai
    @WilksGRendai Před 3 lety +1

    The Conversation is one of favourite all time films - I can watch it for background or meditation - those massive one-take zoom and pan shots are beautiful.
    The mini reel recorders are sooo cool - I'm sure fans here are all aware of audiophile and maker Fran Blanche of Franlab - she's shared a few of these great early spy recorders and they're amazing. ❤❤❤

    • @WilksGRendai
      @WilksGRendai Před 3 lety

      Ooh! And another great film for this type of hardware is "The Lives of Others" with Ulrich Mühe! A little more modern equipment as it's set in 80s but very cool 👍🏻

  • @footrotdog
    @footrotdog Před 3 lety

    I have always a Nagra reel2reel ever since I saw one in the second episode of the original Equaliser TV show back in the 80's. It was the coolest thing ever.

  • @arimadx
    @arimadx Před 3 lety

    I had no idea I loved old sound equipment but now I do! Lol that is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful adam!

  • @scttcmpbll
    @scttcmpbll Před 3 lety +1

    Drooool, love Nagra stuff!

  • @TLindahl77
    @TLindahl77 Před 3 lety

    I could stare at it for hours. It's maybe the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!

  • @OC35
    @OC35 Před 3 lety

    I worked for the UK Nagra agents in the 60s and 70s. You pull the transport lever out to release the brake when rewinding.

  • @cmb1972
    @cmb1972 Před 3 lety

    I too needed to see these as young as maybe 8 years old, when I was 11, I walked across London to a shop at Marble Arch that sold spy gadgets, just to see one.

  • @mattsully5332
    @mattsully5332 Před 2 lety

    That is an amazing kit you have there. Thank you for sharing!

  • @davemartin4923
    @davemartin4923 Před 3 lety +1

    I actually used NAGRAs while working undercover for a Federal Agency in the 90s because digital recorders at the time were not generally accepted in court.
    Imagine having to rewind and reload this thing in a public bathroom stall while the bad guy, who would kill you if he saw it, was in the same bathroom in a different stall! I actually dropped one of the reels one time in a bathroom stall and had to wind 10 feet of tape back on the reel by hand before I could load the next tape. Fortunately the bad guy was smashing drunk that day. It's funny now, but it was sure convent to be sitting on a toilet at the time!!!
    Now imagine where I had to carry that brick (that's what we called a NAGRA recorder on the job) and a couple of extra tape reels so that it would not be felt during a pat down?!? I actually invented a carrying device for the NAGRA brick that is still being used for the much smaller digital recorders today because it works so well for preventing detection. No I'm not going to tell you where, but it includes some cast foam latex and creative costume construction.
    No Oscar or other award for good acting or costuming with that job, but you got a lead trophy if it wasn't just right! No pressure...

    • @davemartin4923
      @davemartin4923 Před 3 lety

      BTW Adam, you need to complete the set with a Minox. We still used those in the 90s too.

  • @glockparaastra
    @glockparaastra Před 3 lety +1

    Another video on how it all works (with demo) would be great!

  • @stevenallen512
    @stevenallen512 Před 3 lety

    When I was in school (Technical Theatre Production) I remember you could hardly GIVE AWAY most reel-to-reel anything... the Nagra stuff obviously an exception. Crazy how that has changed again and it has (some) worth again. Really cool stuff, would HATE to splice reel-to-reel audio cues, I can do the work that once took a week in minutes.
    So So cool to see this, I am so drooling over that case and everything in it... Reminds me of the cases a lot of the equipment my grandfather had were in (he was a machinist who became head of maintenance and such at a factory that made road graders and sometimes did some aerospace stuff... Funny enough he almost moved the whole family to California when my mom was a kid to work at a factory making some then-new-gen avionics but had an issue with a typo on the visa.)

  • @EF-69
    @EF-69 Před 2 lety +1

    Nagra is a work of art. Not artful but iconic, I'd love to have a Sanyo/Craig 408, the tape machine used many times in Mission Impossible as the mission is offered to Phelps & sometimes used as part of the mission.

  • @diemman70
    @diemman70 Před 3 lety

    Beautiful little tape player. Thanks for sharing. Cool stuff.

  • @Rikergremlin
    @Rikergremlin Před 3 lety +1

    It is gorgeous

  • @AGunleashed
    @AGunleashed Před 3 lety

    That is absolutely beautiful, Fantastic work Adam!!! SO NICE!!!!

  • @Silfverr
    @Silfverr Před 2 lety

    I have a Nagra Kudelski as well. Absolutely gorgeous aparatus.
    I display it next to designs with similar 'look' for instance the Minox B spy camera.

  • @glyph2011
    @glyph2011 Před 3 lety

    Oooooohhhh. That equipment... drool. Lovely case for it all too.

  • @KapteinFruit
    @KapteinFruit Před 3 lety +4

    Plot twist: Adam Savage is actually a current spy operative which is why he loves this NAGRA stuff.

  • @charlespatt
    @charlespatt Před 3 lety

    Interesting trivia. Gene Hackman, also in Enemy of the State, that character, Brill, was like the old version of Harry Caul. They show a younger photo of him that was taken from The Conversation.

  • @DavidSanchez-bo3uv
    @DavidSanchez-bo3uv Před 3 lety +8

    Came across one of these at an antique mall in town a few years ago. Wish I had the $150.00 at the time.

    • @mr_gerber
      @mr_gerber Před 3 lety

      Phew! Talk about lost opportunity. They go for >$3500 on ebay.

  • @nicholasvernier4426
    @nicholasvernier4426 Před 3 lety

    For anyone who is a fan of The Conversation, and doesn’t yet know this incredible fun fact: Gene Hackman reprises his role of Harry Caul an incredible 24 years later alongside Will smith in the 1998 hit Enemy of The State.

  • @nathantron
    @nathantron Před 3 lety +3

    With that hat and that case. Adam has gone FULL Conspiracy theorist. "The government is listening man!" I mean, they are, but still. XD

  • @flynna
    @flynna Před 3 lety +2

    Can we just appreciate this mans upload schedule at the moment

    • @LarsJacobsenDK
      @LarsJacobsenDK Před 3 lety +1

      Yeah it’s quite a staggering amount of videos. Niice!

    • @flynna
      @flynna Před 3 lety

      @@LarsJacobsenDK it seems to be at least 1 if not 2 a day, crazy