“These three classic recorders epitomize the European approach to high quality portable recording, and all have been used extensively as professional tools, each finding its level of quality and individual expertise. The Nagra has been the acknowledged giant of the film business where high audio quality is concerned, and its ruggedness and reliability are legend, no matter what the temperature or other weather conditions. All this came at a considerable cost in its heyday, a fully tricked out IV-S running to 6 or 7 thousand dollars. And that time period lasted longer than that of any other portable professional recorder except the Uher, and rivaled that of the great studio Studer and Ampex machines.”

“I realized at the time, mid-89, that buying this tape recorder and selling my Nakamichi CR7 would be viewed by readers and other audiophiles as sheer insanity. Now, more than 15 years later, I still have my 430, and yet another one to last me through my dotage. Don’t see many CR7s coming up on eBay any more, if any are still in use…”