contents 02 04 10 16 17 18 welcome features installation running in care and maintenance technical data 7029A F1 AvantGarde loudspeaker 03 welcome heading welcome welcome to Dr. Udo Zucker ­ Physicist, PhD in Science, designer of award-winning control electronics, dedicated audiophile and Chief Executive Officer of TAG McLaren Audio Award-winning TAG McLaren technology - the TAG2000 F1 powertrain control system has been selected as a Millennium Product by the British Design Council TAG McLaren Audio exists with one aim in mind: to produce the very best high-end audio equipment in the world. Like many people, I often have my best ideas when relaxing to a piece of music. For years, knowing the technical capabilities of TAG McLaren, I have nurtured the ambition to push sound reproduction to the absolute limit; that's why we formed TAG McLaren Audio. At the core of our development team are highly experienced electronics engineers whose heritage of awardwinning hi-fi and world-beating electronic control systems is envied by many and equalled by few. TAG McLaren Audio F1- RLA AvantGarde loudspeaker In addition to our experience in the world of hi-fi we are able to utilise our expertise in mechanical engineering, composite material technology, multi-layer printed circuit boards, fast digital signal processing, electronic noise suppression, radio frequency technology and software design to name but a few. All these skills are sharpened to compete in the toughest of all technical sports: Formula One motor racing.We directly apply them to enhance our high-end audio products; for example composite material technology is used to make resonant - free loudspeaker cabinets, suspension technology decouples electronics from the sound field and digital signal processing makes better home cinema products.The list is almost endless. I have been an audiophile for more than 30 years, and have used and upgraded many, many audio systems in that time. Our aim is sonic perfection combined with aesthetic delight and solid build quality ­ a rare combination in hi-fi but one which TAG McLaren Audio is delivering. It is our audio engineers' technical capability which provides outstanding sound quality and our stylists' ability to look into the future which makes the F1 AvantGarde loudspeaker so desirable. Employing `Composite Sandwich Technology', combined with aluminium reinforced low distortion drive units the F1 AvantGarde loudspeaker sounds so good, as if the technology comes from another world. 05 04 features features Thank you for purchasing the TAG McLaren Audio F1 AvantGarde `Composite Sandwich Technology' loudspeaker. F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers TAG McLaren `Composite Sandwich Technology' type: RLA We are convinced this loudspeaker will redefine your listening experience. The F1 AvantGarde `Composite Sandwich Technology' loudspeaker is a high performance, 31/2 way, 4th order reflexloaded loudspeaker system capable of reproducing music with outstanding clarity and transparency.The F1 AvantGarde is ideal for all room sizes, including larger rooms which require greater sound pressure level to recreate a performance with realistic volume levels.The combination of a unique enclosure with lowest distortion drive units and no-expense-spared crossovers generates sound reproduction at a level of transparency and clarity which is extremely rare to find. Music reproduction pushed to a new limit. TAG McLaren pioneered the use of composite technology in F1 motor racing almost 20 years ago, at a time when only the most advanced aerospace programmes used carbon fibre composites exploiting their extraordinary combination of strength and weight. The F1 AvantGarde's loudspeaker cabinets are constructed using an open mould system with multiple split lines to allow the lamination of shapes with complex curvatures.The enclosure walls incorporate integrally moulded damping cores with two composite epoxy skins.The enclosures are subdivided to provide three chambers. These chambers are created by two solid bulkheads dividing the cabinet in such a way optimised dispersion enclosure geometry as to provide the required chamber volumes, Marrying form and function harmoniously, brace the cabinet walls and ensure there are the smooth and irregular curvature of the no parallel reflective surfaces. enclosure has been carefully designed to 07 This construction, which we call `Composite Sandwich Technology' creates a structurally inert and inherently well damped enclosure to ensure that the only acoustic energy generated emanates from the drive units and not the enclosure. Preventing the enclosure from flexing and re-radiating energy reduces distortion and colouration offering a neutral and accurate portrayal of the performance. The resulting sound quality of this rather complex design process is extremely clear and transparent, almost like an electrostatic speaker, but still with the punch which makes electro-dynamic speakers so desirable. It is sound reproduction at the very forefront of technology! 06 features features optimise the dispersion of sound energy from the enclosure.The F1 AvantGarde generates an even and consistent energy output both on and off axis resulting in a solid and accurate image within a very wide listening area. As a result the F1 AvantGarde loudspeaker will easily integrate into your room, providing superb sound quality even from less than ideal locations. drive unit technology at its best The F1 AvantGarde's drive units have been optimised to maximise their performance within their respective bands. Both the 250 mm and 180 mm bass units employ carbon fibre-loaded pulp cones to create a stiff yet well damped diaphragm that remains pistonic through the passband.The midrange unit uses a diaphragm manufactured from several paper `petals' that are married to a visco-elastic interface. This eliminates spurious vibration and 08 suppresses unwanted energy reflection up and down the cone profile.The motor unit pole pieces contain copper rings to create a series of shorted turns in the magnetic air gap.This eliminates Eddy current distortion caused by the current flow through the voice coil in close proximity to the intense magnetic field.The tweeter possesses an extremely low free-air resonance achieved by damping and loading the rearward energy with three chambers. The result is one of the lowest distortions available today. high quality vibration isolated passive crossover The passive crossover is mechanically de-coupled from the sub-structure of the loudspeaker to prevent microphony in the components.The crossover network is mounted inside the plinth in order to electro-magnetically isolate it from the drive units in the system.The components used throughout the crossover are of the highest quality to ensure signal integrity and clarity.The inductors use high purity copper wound on either toroidal or bobbin cores to improve saturation current limits, reduce d.c resistance and minimise stray magnetic field leakage.The capacitors are manufactured with an over-size polypropylene dielectric and are rated at 630 V DC to guarantee uncompressed power output.The resistors are of flat, thick metal film construction as opposed o the common wire-wound variety.These non-inductive resistors are manufactured from cermet mounted upon an alumina base offering extremely high peak voltage operation without compression.This nocompromise crossover guarantees that sound energy is split between the drive units without affecting the purity of the sound. OFHC loudspeaker connection terminals By fitting proprietary OFHC, gold plated binding posts, manufactured by TAG McLaren, a clear sonic improvement has been achieved compared to the typically used alternatives employing high copper content alloys. Furthermore no nickel plating has been used between the OFHC foundation and the gold finish as it added `grain' to the sound.Whilst this will lead in the long term to some discolouration of the binding post due to copper atoms partially diffusing into the anti-corrosion gold layer, the customary, nickel plate interlayer is well known (as a ferro-magnetic and hard oxidised metal) to affect sound quality and was eliminated. single input connection After extensive research into the sound quality of the F1 AvantGarde loudspeaker, 09 features features it was discovered that at this very high quality level the potential benefits of multiwired terminals for loudspeaker cable connection were outweighed by the losses incurred in their implementation, e.g. additional contact interfaces and electrical connection straps. In addition, it has been found that even with the finest top grade power amplifiers, star grounding improved perceived dynamics and musical expression. We therefore designed a true star connection feed from high power OFHC, copper alloy binding posts.The signal path is as perfect as it is possible to achieve, the sound is clearer and more transparent, with a more precise sound stage. Peripheral Slot Technology (PST) reflex port (PST).The low frequency sound pressure from the port is distributed into the room evenly through a slot (which is kept slightly non-parallel to reduce standing waves) between the bottom of the enclosure and the top of the plinth.This prevents audible `chuffing' and high frequency harmonics from the port interfering with and degrading the sound energy from the drive units. Again adding another dimension of purity to the sound. Tunable Low Frequency Output The lower bass unit is reflex tuned in its enclosure by a downward firing port employing Peripheral Slot Technology 10 The lower bass unit can be variably mass loaded to adjust the level and extension of low frequency output from your F1 AvantGarde loudspeaker system.This is beneficial for rooms which would otherwise enhance or reduce bass energy too much. 11 installation installation packaging Your F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers have been carefully packaged for safe transportation. If you have the storage space, please retain all the original packaging. This will allow you to transport your loudspeakers safely in the future, for example when relocating. loudspeaker connection Use high-quality loudspeaker cable. Connect the red (positive) terminal of your right loudspeaker to the right positive output terminal on the back of your amplifier. Then connect the black (negative) terminal of your right loudspeaker to the right negative output terminal on the back of your amplifier. Repeat this procedure to connect your left loudspeaker using the left positive and negative terminals on the back of your amplifier. installation before you start Make sure that all the components of your audio system are disconnected from the AC supply whenever you change any connections. connection For best sound quality we only recommend that you use loudspeaker cables terminated in spade terminals. Unscrew the terminal enough to push the spade into the slot in the side of the terminal and then tighten the terminal. If you are unable to fully tighten the terminal try pushing the spade connector in a clockwise (tightening) direction. Do not over-tighten the terminal as it is made from soft gold plated oxygen-free high purity cooper. 12 13 installation installation room placement You are no doubt eager to begin enjoying your F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers but we would ask you to read the following installation guide to help you decide on the optimum position for your loudspeakers. The geometric form of your F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers has been specifically designed to project a wide and even dispersion of sound power into the room in order to eliminate the common problem of `hot seat'1 imaging. For the best performance we recommend that you site your F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers within your listening room, following these guidelines: The listening position should ideally be no more than 1.5 times the distance between the loudspeakers. Avoid choosing a listening position that places your head closer than 40 cm to any room boundary. This seriously affects the perceived tonal balance due to reflections from the walls. room placement (continued) Try to avoid placing the loudspeakers too close to the walls of the listening room in order to prevent strong interaction with the walls. Always orientate the channels of your F1 AvantGarde loudspeaker system such that the curvature of the front baffles of the loudspeakers positions the tweeters closer together than the rest of the drive units. This arrangement is shown in the diagram below. 0.5 m 2-3m Adjust angle of toe-in to aim axis of loudspeaker just outside listening zone. 3 - 4.5 m Listening Zone 1. The full benefits of the sound will only be enjoyed by a few listeners. Typical example of room placement. Other installations may also work perfectly. 14 15 installation installation finding the best location You will get the best sound from your F1 AvantGarde ...