Recently won a Tag McLaren AV32R on eBay. Admittedly there’s very little official technical support for these now, and given that mine is the single processor model, there aren’t really a whole lot of upgrade options, even should I find someone to install them for me. And the VFD display, being a VFD display, is a bit tired. But it’s all about the sound, and the sound is excellent.
I’ve been most surprised to find that I’m actually using their proprietary DSP when listening to music, as most DSP programs for spatialising stereo just turn the music to mush. The AV32’s gets the balance just about right — using the centre channel to firm up the soundstage, while adding just a whisper of depth from the surrounds. Originally I’d intended to just use the AV32 for multichannel content, and continue as before, feeding my music direct over balanced XLR from my music player to the Bryston. At the moment I’m routing through the Meridian 518 into the AV32 — the sound is just too much fun. Maybe I’ll get bored of it. Doesn’t matter. Cat Power’s The Greatest is luminous, with real space around the rhythm section. And that’s what it’s about.