On Mon, 23 May 2005 00:17:32 +1000, Tat Chan
wrote:

Stewart Pinkerton wrote:

On Thu, 19 May 2005 21:58:17 +0100, Signal wrote:

It says the 8000 series is back. Maybe original designs by Swift and
Scotland...?

More likely just the original name, purchased from TAGMcLaren by IAG
and slapped onto some Chinese-made electronics. Probably will sound
OK, but almost certainly *not* the original engineering.

What is your definition of engineering in this context?

The circuit design, the PCB layout, the power supply design, and the
parts quality. The size and quality of the mains transformer and PSU
components is particularly critical.

Didn't IAG acquire the right to use Tag McLaren design and technology?
If they did, then they would also have access to the original Audiolab designs.

Indeed they would - but is that what they're going to manufacture?

If IAG uses Chinese-made electronics with the original Audiolab designs, then
this would imply that the new 8000 series will be the same as the original 8000
series.

Yes, but is there any reason to suppose that this is what is planned?
Remember, when TAG McLaren took over Audiolab, there was this great
fanfare about 'new design', and Ken Kessler was his usual
super-aggressive NYJ self about his 'consultancy' involvement.
However, by a strange coincidence, the 'internationally acclaimed
industrial designer' who produced the 'new' TAG Mclaren models just
happened to design the front panel so that *all* the knobs and
switches were in *exactly* the same place as the 'old' Audiolab gear.
Sound like a new design to you, or just a new faceplate and new knobs?

There certainly was a change to the components used, but interestingly
the 'audiophile component' TAG amps were mostly panned by the audio
press, and they measured *worse* than the Swift/Scotland originals.
Hey, maybe those guys actually knew what they were doing, as opposed
to the Kessler 'tweaks'...................
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering