Tag McClaren F3 Series 60p Poweramp upgrade

Almost any Hi-Fi component can be upgraded to higher performance using our techniques and components. The two things go together – the know-how and the right component. Over the last 30 years, we have developed our knowledge of where the biggest problems lie and how to overcome them to unleash better performance from a given piece of equipment.


From watches to motor racing and now hifi! Was there no end to TAG's ambitions? Well yes actually, in 2004 the TAG hifi division officially became Audiolab and part of the huge IAG group. But the DNA of the TAG amps remained. The P60 officially offered 60 watts per channel but was actually capable of delivering more power delivering a clean and musical sound with lots of tight, deep natural bass.





In today's world, it would be deemed a fairly budget component (especially on the second hand market) and perhaps not worthy of modification, but that's not the point of an upgrade. When you have a good sounding component, that you already really enjoy then that is where an upgrade comes in, breathing fresh, new life into it. The upgrade builds on the strengths of the amplifier. Everything you love about the sound remains – it just gets so much better.


Below is the 'before' the upgrade shot.


24 significant component upgrades/changes are made across the power supply, analogue circuitry and output sockets. We use Russ's preferred audio grade Panasonic capacitors which give a smooth and detailed sound. One of the biggest changes we made were the four large reservoir caps. Originally pretty generic, these were upgraded to the best slitfoil DNM caps available, Russ' personal favourite!



Above is the amplifier board showing the upgraded reservoir caps.

The amplifier is completely disassembled and cleaned to gain access to key areas of upgrade. Post upgrade, the unit is then soak tested for 24 hours.


There is over 1.5m of internal wire inside. We've used Kimber Hyper-pure VariStrand™ TCX copper wire for signal and power.




Left image is upgraded, right image pre-upgrade.




We replace the stock binding posts with fresh, Nickel plated, three-way connections which offer a far better interface between amp and cable.




If you don't have the exact model, but a similar variant, then we can also offer an upgrade for those players too! a very similar unit, then it's highly likely that the same or similar upgrades will apply. But we can't guarantee that until we have the unit here for inspection. Get in touch and let us know what you have.






Equipment upgrades are proving hugely popular. During peak times there may be a wait of several weeks before we can carry out the upgrade. So before we get your equipment here, it must be booked in so we can ensure a speedy turnaround of the upgrade. Once you have placed your order, we will contact you to arrange a suitable week and getting the equipment here.

In Person
For those of you who are local enough or if you fancy a trip to the lakes, you can drop off your equipment personally and then collect it when it’s complete or we can ship it back to you.

By Courier
We can arrange a courier collection of your equipment for an additional cost. We currently use UPS.
To make things easier, we can offer several collection options.

1. We can arrange a specific day for the courier to call and collect your equipment. Someone will need to be available all day at the collection address as we’re unable to arrange a time slot for collections.

2. Dropping off at a UPS Access Point. UPS use a network of local shops to deliver and collect parcels from and to. We can either post you a collection label or email you the label (you will need to print the label at home/work). Securely box up your equipment, affix the collection label to the outside of the box and take it to your preferred Access Point where you will be issued a receipt. UPS Access Points can be found here (link opens in a new window), simply enter your postcode to find your nearest one.

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Please note this is an upgrade modification, it does not include a Rotel RB-850 Power Amplifier.