Tag Go Bye Bye

All this chat about how hi end Tag is, and now they have sold out to Wharfdale.

I think that says it all really.

Nice looking boxes with flashy blue lights.

 

Does these mean Tesco will be selling TAG-Wharfdale DVDs for £35.00 in two years time? Oh well another name once good now been used as a marketing name. On the other hand Proton own Lotus and Lotus still make good cars so maybe TAG will continue to be high end under its new ownership.

 

Just to get this straight, Tag as a company has not been sold, I have simply been told that they have sold their manufacturing equipment.

So the no new development line is maybe understating the case a bit, there will actually be no new products. Unless of course, they are manufactured in the far east (Tag Mcralen anyone)

Couldn't agree more The shame is that it is the new innovative companies that are feeling the pressure, due no doubt to the costs of real R&D and tooling, whilst the old school (Naim, Levinson, Krell) and cottage industry types, just keep punting out the same old gear in lower volumes.

 

Merlin.

The 500 and 552 have been built by naim from the ground up. The 500 was 14 years in development and couldn't be completed because a suitable transformer was not available, it is now.

Take a look in side the supply for the 500 and see what I mean.

They arn't chucking out the same old stuff in smaller numbers, naim increased sales last year as they have done year in year out.

Solid engineering coupled with excellent RnD and quality, mabye things Tag and dare I say it Tact have missed eh?

 

Gary,

That'll ruffle a few feathers

I have noticed that you are starting to sound more and more like Naims official forum spokesman Mick Parry. Mick has obviously been training you well

 

Robbo, I should get paid for this stuff

Although quite frankly I do have a point.

Naim have never been in this game for a quick buck, can you honestly say Tag were in the same boat?

 

you wont get any arguments from me about Tag.

Tact however are making a genuine attempt to do something different and its a shame if they go under.

 

Henry I should just point out that I don't have any financial connections with Tact, nor do I import it (Sadly )

You might also be interested to know that a few years ago, twenty one rooms at the CES made use of Tact products to show their kit in the best possible light.

I just agree with Robbo, that it is a shame if companies that are genuinely trying to further the state of the art are finding times hard.

I couldn't resist putting Naim in the pile, sorry Although I really don't see them as pushing the boundaries, their focus is on offering upgraded products to their loyal client base,which was established many years ago. It's not for me but at least they are British and selling well.

Just out of interest Gary, was that an increase in units shipped, or an increase in turnover, which could be explained by the very expensive new statement products?

 

Merlin, it would be very easy to try and draw comparisons but why bother?

Naim are a profit making company. They achieve this through a fantastic product line up which is only ever updated when something comes along to better it. The customer service is second to none and the products are hand built and supported by a life time warreny which to date has never faultered. A situation for naim which has meant they keep front panels for products 20 years out of production.

To be honest I can't tell you what their sales are, what I do know is that naim employ over 100 of my fellow Salisbury folk and the quality of production is quite frankly second to none. Am I biased? Of course but I know quality and dedication when I see it!

Although refering to your earlier comment I do stand by what I say. Naim are not churning out the same old stuff. but importantly if they were it would still be a quality hand built product.

Costs money? Of course it does, but unlike Tag it has good reason for charging what it does. R&D at naim really means something.

 

Merl, I knew all that mate. Was just having a subtle rib at the fact that not even with all this fancy digital gear which is supposed to be less fickle than analgoue t/t, that decent results still weren't obtained - and with someone in charge who was supposed to know what they were doing (not you, but then I'm not implying you're imcompotent either if you see what I mean Am I digging myself a hole here...? ).

Now, a dem that played the potential customer's own choice in music rather than the guy running the dem deciding what the audience should hear - that would have been rather a novelty at Bristol 2003....

 

Now you know you are always welcome to bring your entire CD collection up towards civilisation

The thing is, and this is what makes this hobby so amusing, that we all have different ideas of what constitutes good sound. So whilst I think I am listening to the DB's, Tony would probably think it was dire, and I would probably assert the same about his Naim kit.

What I like about my kit is that I have been able to tailor the sound to fit in with my tastes, even managed to get some presence and groove It took months mind, so I guess it's taking risks trying to play a system to the massed unwashed and letting everyone try their own favourites that sound great at their home.

 

first lot of 45% off tag stuff at www.lintone.co.uk

tafn :club:

 

OK, I know the invitation has been open now for quite some time. Will recipricate soon... bit busy this month, but perhpas next month (assuming you're weekends aren't as unpredictable as they used to be?).

I see no problem with taking risks with audience's own choices of muisc at hi-fi shows personally, if the manufacturer/distributor truly has faith in their kit's ability to play ALL music then why not? What with the recent goings on, the industry needs to reach out and appeal to as many folk as they can, and not alienating those who are perceived as the great un-washed or who could not possibly earn enough money to finance one of "our" set-ups. It's not just the 45+ year olds who have the necessary disposable incomes, although what with this year's lack of available jobs for high earning contractors in "The City" in favour of retaining fewer and lower paid permanent staff, I'd guess that even these young and upwardly mobile types will not be spending so friviously on high-end audio items either.

I as good as bought my t/t at a hi-fi show dem. A friend and I hogged the system for at least half a dozen tracks between us, but we couldn't see any evidence of anyone getting annoyed. In fact, all seats remained taken during our time there from what I remember. The guys running the dem were very obliging and didn't hurry us along.

I overheard one or two people at Bristol mutteirng as they walked around about the choice of music in the dems and the apparent lack of open request fielding from the audience, and that's not just from people who post on this forum either.

 

Henry,

my point is that HiFi shows have throusands of visitors through the doors every day, each with different musical tastes and system preferences. Were everone of them to bring a favourite CD and ask to listen to a track in selected rooms, there simply would not be the time. In addition, those 45 year olds with major amounts of disposable income might well prefer not to sit and listen, as they are often just there to be impressed rather than to listen to music


I too have been apalled by the attitude of many retailers, and their predjudices. I simply refuse to buy from the likes of Radlett Audio and Riverside, having been treated as an intrusion when I actually visited their stores armed with real cash. Sadly there are only a few exceptions to this attitude in the hifi industry.

But HiFi shows are just that to me, a chance for he manufacturers to show their wares. I would take a trip around, then shortlist products which sound interesting to warrant further exploration by arranging a personaldemo, either at home, or a an authorised dealer.

 

I think that's a bit harsh Gary. OK, the rebranding exercise of old Audiolab gear was a bit cynical but in the AV arena their processors have really pushed the technological boat out and they have certainly done a serious amount of very expensive R&D there.

As has already been mentioned, Tag's problem was that they didn't know what they were trying to do. If they had concentrated on their core of AV processors and amps and not bothered too much with the old 2ch. Audiolab gear and certainly not had a silly excursion into megabucks speakers I believe they would have been OK.

Michael.

 

Seems a fair point, a case of will the price tag (bad pun ) and fit'n'finish impress my mates.

In that case, they are just digging their own graves and deserving everything they get! :JOEL: :bub:

Totally agreed, but only add it to my shortlist if it "sounds interesting" of course.

 

Says the man you returned from his last show outing armed with a couple of big bad subwoofers

 

Ah yes, but I'd already auditioned those in another forum member's system a couple of months beforehand.

 

I think the difference is that Tag were trying to establish a market, whilst Naim are simply attending to theirs.

The latter, as any business person will know, is a whole lot easier.

 

but surely that was the whole point of them buying audiolab. the audiolab name was respected but they didn't capitalise on it. preferring to go with tag mclaren audio instead of tag audiolab or mclaren audiolab which would have established consistancy and not been so blatantly 'lifestyle'.
i see a lot of similar things in the computer games industry. which is the more recognisable name? infogrammes, hasbro or atari? one company has owned all 3 for at least 3 years but has only recently started trading under atari - perhaps the most recognisable game brand barring the big 3 of sony, sega and nintendo. this kind if dipsh*t thinking usually happens when a company is run by a bunch of propeller spinning techies who give no thought to comercial considerations and do stuff just because they can, laudable but not very long term. i'd say THIS is where naim and tag differ. naim recognise that the primary order of business is shifting boxes not r&d. even though they do have an r&d department, it's nowhere near as prolific at tags was hence you get new products only when forced to i.e. when components run out or when a significant 'breakthrough' is made.
cheers


julian