TAG McLaren

TAG McLaren Audio was a prestigious British high-end audio manufacturer that operated from 1998 to 2003, born from the McLaren Group's acquisition of Audiolab (founded 1983 by Philip Swift and Derek Scotland). The company emerged from the partnership between McLaren Formula One team owner Ron Dennis and Syrian businessman Mansour Ojjeh's TAG Group, operating under the corporate structure of TAG Electronics Holdings. TAG McLaren dedicated itself to producing finest quality audio and audio-visual equipment, earning numerous awards and exceptional reviews for products including the AV32R processor, DPA32R pre-amplifier, various power amplifiers (100x5R, 125M mono blocks, 60P), DVD32R DVD Player, and the acclaimed Calliope speaker series. Despite early success with seminal models like the TAG McLaren F1 audio system, the company suffered adversely from the economic slump of the early 2000s, with soft prices and heavy discounting making it 'increasingly difficult to operate on commercially acceptable margins consistent with required development investment levels.' In mid-2003, TAG McLaren Audio ceased development of new products and commenced a strategic review before officially ceasing operations, with the audio division sold to International Audio Group (IAG) in March 2004. IAG subsequently revived the original Audiolab brand in 2005, while TAG McLaren Audio became defunct, though its high-quality equipment remains sought after on second-hand markets for its outstanding build quality and exceptional sound performance.