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

3 жыл бұрын

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

@carolann811

3 жыл бұрын

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

3 жыл бұрын

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

3 жыл бұрын

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

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

@LarsJacobsenDK

3 жыл бұрын

Nice piece of trivia :-)

I feel like Techmoan would like this video...

@SDsailor7

3 жыл бұрын

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

@Klau5

3 жыл бұрын

A man of coulter i see

@tangyorange6509

3 жыл бұрын

Love my Nagra kit

@DennisTrovato

3 жыл бұрын

Hell yea, my thoughts exactly

@JAGrossman1

3 жыл бұрын

this is right up Techmoan's alley!

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

3 жыл бұрын

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

@lautimartinez6341

3 жыл бұрын

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

@tjthrash0143

3 жыл бұрын

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

@righteousred723

3 жыл бұрын

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

3 жыл бұрын

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.

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

3 жыл бұрын

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

@talon262

3 жыл бұрын

Jamie's codename: "Walrus"

@TheQuyman

3 жыл бұрын

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

@terpsmcgerps

3 жыл бұрын

Jamie would be the most conspicuous spy ever

@TheGreatAtario

3 жыл бұрын

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

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

@thamomentum

3 жыл бұрын

Holy crap. A relic of the good ol' days

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

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

@tested

3 жыл бұрын

Ha!

@padraicbrady

3 жыл бұрын

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

@joepiper6064

3 жыл бұрын

I noticed that also!

@MaxPower_Designs

3 жыл бұрын

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

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.

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.

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!

Watch in VR on Oculus TV: ocul.us/3xo6z4t Adam's new EDC shirt (as seen in the thumbnail) is available here: cottonbureau.com/stores/savage-merchandising#/shop Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks: kzread.info/dron/iDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA.htmljoin

@achuck4321

3 жыл бұрын

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

@bookon999

3 жыл бұрын

@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

3 жыл бұрын

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

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.

@openreeltoreel

Жыл бұрын

Yes, you are!!! ;)

@openreeltoreel

Жыл бұрын

Dream for me to get SNST-R

@shredmaster2000

Жыл бұрын

If you ever decide to make more videos it would be sweet to see some of your nagra collection!

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

@LarsJacobsenDK

3 жыл бұрын

I second that motion!

@user-tb5ns7hc5i

3 жыл бұрын

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

Жыл бұрын

@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?

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

Darmok and Jalad used a Nagra when the walls fell.

@Battusai1984

3 жыл бұрын

My dear man, they used TEN nagras.

@anonymousaccordionist3326

3 жыл бұрын

Sokath, his eyes opened!

@microbuilder

3 жыл бұрын

For some reason, I knew I'd see this quote in the comments...

@scottmantooth8785

3 жыл бұрын

@@microbuilder *geek cred confirmed*

@aserta

3 жыл бұрын

@@Battusai1984 There are ... FOUR NAGRAS!

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!

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.

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!!!

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.

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!

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

@SDsailor7

3 жыл бұрын

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.

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

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!

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

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

@f.d.6667

3 жыл бұрын

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

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.

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

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!

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

Thanks so much for sharing. What a great piece of kit Adam!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

@raygunsforronnie847

3 жыл бұрын

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

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

@WoLpH

3 жыл бұрын

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

3 жыл бұрын

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

@FENomadtrooper

3 жыл бұрын

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

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!😁

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

3 жыл бұрын

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?

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

Beautiful kit! And always loved The Conversation.

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

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

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

@user-tb5ns7hc5i

3 жыл бұрын

They go upwards of $20k. One on eBay right now.

I like all these as well. The case is fantastic! Congratulations!

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.

Amazing piece of history/equipment!

Well that's more history than i thought learned in one afternoon in a long time! Thanks Adam!.

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.

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

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

3 жыл бұрын

What headphones are those?

@BobHannent

3 жыл бұрын

@@longwing SEL-40 about 8m30s

I love episodes like this

Beautiful

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.

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

3 жыл бұрын

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

3 жыл бұрын

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

@user-tb5ns7hc5i

3 жыл бұрын

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

@user-tb5ns7hc5i

3 жыл бұрын

There’s actually a really cool video on KZread 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.

It is gorgeous

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.

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...

Beautiful.

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".

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.

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

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

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

Building it is a gift to yourself without having to record it, they are stunning machines

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.

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.

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

That's really fascinating stuff. Very cool

Those looks straight out of a bond film and I love it!

Beautiful work, Adam.

That is a beautiful collection

No sweat if you can't film a project Adam, this was an amazing show & tell!

You, good Sir, are a plethora of knowledge!! I still wish I had half you build skills, and half of the stuff in your "cave"! I like to tinker, mod (esp mod) stuff, etc etc ;) Just finished building my new PC rig a week ago, and over the weekend spent re-doing the cable management for the new sys - always seems to get tangled over time, esp a stereo sys as well o.0 I touched up the wire mgmt in the case, as my OCD kicked in with lone fan wires and such... Thanks for sharing, Adam!

Be well! Thanks for the video

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.

Omg I love stuff like this!

Watching Adam go full geek is the best thing I’ll see this morning.

That is a cool reel to reel! Salivating now. I want one!

Each time you brought something out of that case I couldn't help the, "Oh, Adam," that fell out. I adore spy stuff. I'm reading Jonna Mendez's 'Spy Dust' right now and her work with her husband (now husband) Tony was so interesting and super fascinating. Her work is definitely worth looking into. Thanks so much for sharing this, it really is a treasure.

So coooool!!!! wow!!!! Love it!!!!

Old school analog technology is so friggin' cool. Great stuff

Very nice case! Would love to get one for my Nagra's

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