CDt20R

"Close to the Edge - this deeply satisfying combo encapsulates what high end is all about. "
"We've chosen a CD transport that looks quite understated (compared to the rest of the system), but, in action, lives up to everything you might expect from the notoriously slick and thorough Woking-based outfit, TAG McLaren Audio. The snappily-named CDT20R-T²L combines rock solid build with immaculate engineering and bang-up-to-date circuitry...
"So it connects emotionally, as the best hi-fi should. But truth is, the sound of the system covers all bases effortlessly - at once natural, spacious and relaxed yet also fast, rhythmically tight and hard-hitting, A masterful mix of virtues."
Hi-Fi Choice - August 2002

Andrew Harrison on the sound of a CDT20R using the TAGtronic Synchronisation Link connected to the av processor AV32R

"The synchronised CDT20R was discernibly tighter and better focused, sounding more closely metered to a song's tempo. This often gave improved resolution of closely-packed instruments into the bargain... The space and air around recordings of household movements and acoustic music was good. It remained fixed within the usual limits of CD sound, but showed an advancement of art.
"In all, the benefits of the TAGtronic Link and other modifications make the CDT20R-T²L plus AV32R a formidable CD source and control combination. For owners of later 8000CDMs and original CDT20Rs, TAG McLaren Audio will undertake aftermarket modifications."

HiFi News - April 2000

"Summing up, the TAG McLaren CDT20R and the AV32R make an impressive combination... The sound-processing algorithms give every indication of having been well thought through, and are particularly impressive for the way they serve the source material honestly, without hyping or over-manipulating the sound for effects... The most impressive attribute of the test components (CDT20R, AV32R), however, is their ability to function both as a very high quality compact disc player, and as a very credible high-quality preamplifier, where they easily sustain comparison with any similarly priced components known to the author.... The AV32R in particular is very attractively priced, and with its recent improvements, the CDT20R is scarcely less so."

Gramophone - February 2000

"Conclusion: Stereo's test results have been fully confirmed during our workshop. In the end it was a clear 4-0 in favour of TAG McLaren Audio, which destroys all the rumours that they are simply 'old wine in new bottles'." (The workshop compared the CD20R, CDT20R, DAC20 & 60iRv directly with their predecessors.)
"It is well known that the overall performance of an audio system depends heavily on the source components selected. However, is it possible to minimise the compromise and not incur high debts through the purchase of an extraordinary component?... The transport is at the start of the audio chain. What is lost at this stage in timing, space and timbre is unrecoverable. But don't worry, the CDT20R delivers a vivid liveliness, precise space information and a true homogenous sound."

Stereo - March 1999

"For: Superb build quality with a crisp and weighty sound to match.

Against: Nothing of any significance.
"The upgrades here, as well as making the player look sharper and feel more solid, have given it even greater insight and detail, plus a more solid and powerful bass and greater integration.
"The TMA two-box delivers even greater levels of detail, it does so in a richer more gutsy fashion that has positive benefits when it comes to the musicality of the whole shebang.
"In a high-resolution system the CDT20R/DAC20 can get you into the heart of the orchestra, or let you hear the tiniest touch of finger on string or tap of stick on cymbal, in a way few players at any price can match."

What Hi-Fi? - February 1999

"Compared to the old Audiolab, the TAG McLaren Audio CDT20R/DAC20 is in the fast lane. Beautiful, how dynamic and full of detail, it redraws the flow of the music. Impulses are passed over with the right punch and - when required - like an explosion. Reference Class.
"The result of all this professional refinement has a right to be looked at, listened to and touched... Instead of imprecise plastic buttons, the always ergonomically, well-designed front facia now has smooth metal buttons to please the user, the lid is now really accurately fitted and is sonically dead when knocked on, the display is much more elegant and sits behind a scratch proof window, and the complete unit sits majestically on resonance-absorbing Sorbothane feet."

Audio - November 1998

"The TAG units' forte was showcasing the drive and power of music. Representing the cream of the TAG source components, this pairing is a worthy revision for the UK hi-fi scene."

Hi-Fi News & Record Review - November 1998

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