TAG McLaren Audio to Cease Production?
The international uncertainties of 2003 have not been kind to the specialist hi-fi sector, and are probably a key factor in this week's shock announcement. In a statement that sounds depressingly valedictory, the press release (reproduced in full below) baldly states: "TAG McLaren Audio ceases development of new products and commences a full strategic review of its participation in the audio market," before signing off with, "TAG McLaren Audio would like to thank everybody for their kind support over the years."
TAG McLaren Audio to continue AV component production
At the end of July, UK-based TAG McLaren Audio, which had been experiencing difficult trading conditions and was reducing its workforce, issued a rather pessimistic announcementhttp://www.stereophile.com/shownews.cgi?1701”>announcement;. The core of the announcement concerned the firm's commencement of "a full strategic review of its participation in the audio market."
TAG McLaren F1 company buys Audiolab, UK audio manufacturer
UK electronics specialty manufacturer Audiolab has been taken over by leading Grand Prix car-racing company TAG McLaren---or, more precisely, by the TAG McLaren Group. A newly formed company, TAG Electronics Holdings Ltd., will be the parent of both Cambridge Systems Technology Ltd. (which trades as Audiolab) and TAG Electronic Systems Ltd. (which supplies specialist, low-volume electronic engine-management systems to exclusive high-end automobile brands).
TAG McLaren Sold
Rumors have been circulating for some weeks now that the Chinese-owned, UK-based International Audio Group (IAG), which owns and operates the Quad and Wharfedale brands, was in talks with TAG McLaren, with the intention of taking over the latter's Audio division.
TAG-McLaren and Wilson Audio were among the stars shining on the first day at The HI-FI Show 98
The HI-FI Show 98, the sixteenth put on by UK audio magazine Hi-Fi">http://www.linkhouse.co.uk/hifi/">Hi-Fi News & Record Review, sedately opened its trade days this morning in the Renaissance and Excelsior hotels on Bath Road near London's Heathrow International Airport. No, that's not a change in venue, it's yet another name change for the hotel that first hosted the "Penta Show" and, more recently, the "Ramada Show." However, this year's show will be the last at the site, as the new owners do not seem interested in hosting large-scale events at all. Next year the show will be moving---to a destination that nobody's revealing in advance of Friday's official announcement.
Taking On the RIAA
Heads up RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America): those music dollars skittering away in all directions probably have very little to do with online file trading. That was the message last week as members of two important trade organizations challenged the conventional RIAA view that blames peer-to-peer networks for the record industry's third dismal year in a row.
TAVES Toronto Starts Friday
For some, the Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show (TAVES 2013) is the show of the future. For others, it may signal a possible decline in the supremacy of two-channel audio. Either way, just two weeks after RMAF in Denver, with hardly any space between Stereophile's comprehensive coverage of that major two-channel show, TAVES 2013 takes place November 13 in the classy King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto.
Tax Cut = More CD Sales?
Respondents to our weekly Stereophile polls often tell us they would buy more CDs if the prices weren't so high. So would their European counterparts, according to a survey released February 18 by the International">http://www.ifpi.org">International Federation of Phonograph Industries (IFPI). Prices for recorded music are even higher in Europe than they are in the US.
TDK Announces 80-Minute Extended-Capacity CD-R Discs
Last week, TDKhttp://www.tdk.com%20">TDK; announced that it is introducing extended-capacity, 80-minute/700MB multimedia and music CD-R discs this July. The new discs add 50MB, or 6 minutes of stereo music capacity, to the conventional 74-minute/650MB CD-R disc. TDK says it is the first manufacturer to offer extended-capacity CD-Rs, and points out that it has been supplying recording studios with 80-minute CD-Rs for music-mastering applications since 1996.(Stereophile's new 77+ minute Bravo! CD, featuring chamber music by Elgar and Mozart, for example, was mastered on a 700MB TDK CD-R.)
TEAC PD-507T Expands Reference 500 Series with Transport-Only CD Playback
TEAC announced the PD-507T, a next-generation CD transport for its Reference 500 Series, positioned as a digital-only companion for external DACs, including TEAC’s UD-507. The company says it employs an in-house, high-quality CD mechanism and focuses on “pristine digital output” rather than onboard D/A conversion. Availability is slated for Q4 2025. MSRP: $1699 (USA), €1299 (EU), £1299 (UK).