Tag McLaren Speaker
Discussion
maserati3200gt said:
Does anyone know anything about the range of TagMcLaren "Calliope" speaker range ?
Are they as good as the salespeople make out or is there a better speaker for less money out there ?
thanks for any advice on this product.
With high end hi-fi, the best test is to demo them, preferably at home. At that level it's as much down to personal tastes rather than quality.
rico said:
I'm 90% sure they're the ones my brother has. Afaik he loves them and I think they sound superb. As good as the top of the range Linn system they've got at Harrods as a comparison.
He does log in here every now and again but i'll email him now to make sure he checks this thread out.
Thanks Rico
Any advice on this subject would be great.
Its my first ventue into this level of audio and im a little lost.
The origins of the TAG-McLaren Audio brand are Audiolab who produced the 8000A Intregrated amp and also Pre-power s and DACS. I believe the TAG-McLaren range is now reverting back to Audiolab as TAG lost interest. This was probably due to the low margins and high costs in speciality Hi-Fi. I have just noticed who bought the company, International Audio Group and would say that they usually manufacture in the far east. TAG's stuff was built in Europe and will be of much better quality, unless of course they build it in the european factory.
www.audiolab.co.uk
>> Edited by telecat on Saturday 23 April 21:26
www.audiolab.co.uk
>> Edited by telecat on Saturday 23 April 21:26
As mentioned above, TAG Maclaren have pulled out of audio equipment, so spares / repairs may be an issue.
What about going to a real Hi-Fi dealer and listening to speakers Linn, Naim, B&W, Dynaudo, Proac, Wilson Bensch etc.
You will need a serious power amp to drive these types of speakers, what do you have in mind?
Koenig
What about going to a real Hi-Fi dealer and listening to speakers Linn, Naim, B&W, Dynaudo, Proac, Wilson Bensch etc.
You will need a serious power amp to drive these types of speakers, what do you have in mind?
Koenig
koenig999 said:
As mentioned above, TAG Maclaren have pulled out of audio equipment, so spares / repairs may be an issue.
What about going to a real Hi-Fi dealer and listening to speakers Linn, Naim, B&W, Dynaudo, Proac, Wilson Bensch etc.
You will need a serious power amp to drive these types of speakers, what do you have in mind?
Koenig
Thanks for your reply Koenig.
Spoke to Sevenoaks Sound and Vision :
got a deal on offer for the speakers.
using a Tagmclaren amp and processor to power the system linked to a 50" Plasma Pioneer screen.
What do you think ?
downside is that sky is offering this "HDI" service next year which the tag system will not cope with.
not sure how important this service is though ?
Pete
I have the tag mclaren calliopes (left, right, front). Alsom have the av processor and power amp, all linked into a panasonic plasma via a lumagen scalar. I spent an awful long time looking into this equipemnt and can honestly say it sounds fantastic. I have had ,ost of it for over 3 years and I still think it sounds as good as newer equipment, the deals available at the moment are a steal and I suggest you seriously consider buying it.
BUT - bear in mind that tag mclaren audio have been bought out, but I can say that in the 3 years I have owned the equipment it has never gone wrong, the build quality is outstanding.
BUT - bear in mind that tag mclaren audio have been bought out, but I can say that in the 3 years I have owned the equipment it has never gone wrong, the build quality is outstanding.
You should be ok. Remember that Drivers are usually OEM items bought in. I have some Impulse Lali Horn's that haven't been made for some while now and they are going like a train. I recently sold some Snell type K's over 12 years old which I had looked after and were still going stong. (those are the ones Audionote now sell as their K's).
Tag is great stuff, but (especialy at this level) Go listen yourself.
I'm constantly amazed at the difference similar level/quality kit can sound, especialy speakers, and what looks good may not sound good to you. Oh and your listening room has a massive effect on the sound too - home trial at this level is a must.
I'm constantly amazed at the difference similar level/quality kit can sound, especialy speakers, and what looks good may not sound good to you. Oh and your listening room has a massive effect on the sound too - home trial at this level is a must.
Tag are a very decent company. Although they are along the lines of naim, in that they are both very heavily marketing lead. This means they have a strong following from the hifi magazine readership, as they are full of their adverts and tests. However they are not the best for the money, or the best in the upper high end. Buy them if you think they look good, or you like the badge, as most aspirational buyers do. I personally hold them in the same regard as a Porsche Cayenne, if you catch my drift. However there are the equivilents of McLaren F1's out there, if you know where to look. It's not in any WHSmith magazines for a start!
If you want the best available, money and space regardless, you need to look further afield. The equipment used in the best recording and mastering studios can be, and is, used in some high end systems. The difference is these really do offer the best sound possible to the recording engineers. They obviously ignore glossy hifi ads and hype. In fact many of these recording masters openly laugh at the high ends pretentions and marketing. People with unlimited budgets, space and decent hearing, like Jools Holland or George Lucas, choose studio equipment from either ATC or PMC. Funnily enough these are both British and are used in 60% of the worlds best studio's.
Much further down the line for not much budget you'll be looking at Dynaudio, or at a push B&W. Below this level they're all the same, give or take.
(I have been through many systems and in fact are currently selling my £9k one to upgrade to the ultimate level soon. So if you want some carbon fibre speakers or ultimate studio Bryston amp, sub etc drop me an email)
If you want the best available, money and space regardless, you need to look further afield. The equipment used in the best recording and mastering studios can be, and is, used in some high end systems. The difference is these really do offer the best sound possible to the recording engineers. They obviously ignore glossy hifi ads and hype. In fact many of these recording masters openly laugh at the high ends pretentions and marketing. People with unlimited budgets, space and decent hearing, like Jools Holland or George Lucas, choose studio equipment from either ATC or PMC. Funnily enough these are both British and are used in 60% of the worlds best studio's.
Much further down the line for not much budget you'll be looking at Dynaudio, or at a push B&W. Below this level they're all the same, give or take.
(I have been through many systems and in fact are currently selling my £9k one to upgrade to the ultimate level soon. So if you want some carbon fibre speakers or ultimate studio Bryston amp, sub etc drop me an email)
4wd said:
studio equipment from either ATC or PMC. Funnily enough these are both British and are used in 60% of the worlds best studio's.
I have a PMC setup. I can vouch that they sound absolutely outstanding, and were far better than anything else I listened to at the price. More forgiving in acoustically challenged listening rooms, too, than much of the competition. Recommended. Not very cool to look at, though, being simple matt black boxes - so avoid if you like your hi-fi to be part of your interior design scheme...
4wd said:
In fact many of these recording masters openly laugh at the high ends pretentions and marketing. People with unlimited budgets, space and decent hearing, like Jools Holland or George Lucas, choose studio equipment from either ATC or PMC.
A recording studio environment is a bit different from a domestic one, and I don't tend to listen to music for enjoyment in the same way I did when recording/mixing stuff (not at a 'professional' level I might add, and in a former life).
As with enjoying the thrill of driving or fine wines or whatever, the only way to go is to get involved, experience as much different flavours as possible, and find your own personal optimum (within a given budget, although even that will be subject to change, tending to grow along with your level of interest/involvement). As soon as you find out what makes you happy, whatever others say will be less and less important to you.
>> Edited by 900T-R on Monday 25th April 12:12
That mantra is now considered a little out dated in some circles to be honest. Especially from a financial viewpoint.
That all started with linn and naim marketing their record decks back in the day. They always wanted you to upgrade to their top cartrige, tone arm and deck, before buying any other manufacturers products. Obviously the saying, "junk in, junk out" is true in a sense, but things have moved on recently. This rule no longer implies a financial heirachy focused upon the source.
New generation (jitter free buffered) studio dacs can be linked to any cheap dvd/cd player to achieve the same level of sonic realism. The transport mechanism becomes irrelevant. I personally know a few people who used to sing from the same old naim/linn mantra. Now they are selling £6k naim cd players for this combo: Literally ANY £200 DVD player, using toslink optical output cable (so the DVD effectively becomes only a transport) linked into a £900 buffered pro studio dac. This £1100 combo is the sonic equal of any source up to £10k. Even the legendary LP12 sondek!
If you speak to any up to date audiophile, or recording engineer, they will correctly tell you this; 90% of the sound quality is attributed to the loudspeaker & room interaction. The rest of it is down to the input signal quality.
The result of many hard core audiophile quests has ended up with systems which are the opposite hierachy to the old days. You won't learn any of this in glossy magazines though. Best advice comes from up to date audio engineers, pro studio manufacturers / installers etc.
Another thing, hif cables are total bolx. I'm selling my expensive Nordort to some newbie laber lover on ebay soon. My new stuff will be shielded pro cable at 5% the cost of hifi shops! Pro is the way to go.
That all started with linn and naim marketing their record decks back in the day. They always wanted you to upgrade to their top cartrige, tone arm and deck, before buying any other manufacturers products. Obviously the saying, "junk in, junk out" is true in a sense, but things have moved on recently. This rule no longer implies a financial heirachy focused upon the source.
New generation (jitter free buffered) studio dacs can be linked to any cheap dvd/cd player to achieve the same level of sonic realism. The transport mechanism becomes irrelevant. I personally know a few people who used to sing from the same old naim/linn mantra. Now they are selling £6k naim cd players for this combo: Literally ANY £200 DVD player, using toslink optical output cable (so the DVD effectively becomes only a transport) linked into a £900 buffered pro studio dac. This £1100 combo is the sonic equal of any source up to £10k. Even the legendary LP12 sondek!
If you speak to any up to date audiophile, or recording engineer, they will correctly tell you this; 90% of the sound quality is attributed to the loudspeaker & room interaction. The rest of it is down to the input signal quality.
The result of many hard core audiophile quests has ended up with systems which are the opposite hierachy to the old days. You won't learn any of this in glossy magazines though. Best advice comes from up to date audio engineers, pro studio manufacturers / installers etc.
Another thing, hif cables are total bolx. I'm selling my expensive Nordort to some newbie laber lover on ebay soon. My new stuff will be shielded pro cable at 5% the cost of hifi shops! Pro is the way to go.
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