User manual TAG MCLAREN AUDIO F1 AVANTGARDE LOUDSPEAKER

[. . . ] 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. [. . . ] 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. 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. 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. [. . . ] If your F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers are still under guarantee, please refer to the guarantee card which gives you details on how to claim against the guarantee. Please package your F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers carefully when transporting or shipping. If you do not have the correct packaging at this time, please contact TAG McLaren Audio for assistance. 18 19 technical data technical data This section is for those of you who really want to know the `insides' of your F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers. You will not miss out on any of the functions or performance of your F1 AvantGarde loudspeakers if you choose not to read any further. technical data operating temperature range 18 - 35 °C frequency response 25 Hz - 20 kHz (±3 dB) 45 Hz - 20 kHz (±1 dB) dimensions 350 mm wide 1150 mm high 450 mm deep Approx. [. . . ]