Arcam DIVA DV137

Advantages: Quality 'Arcam' sound - full, powerful. Remote control, phono stage, twin speaker outputs, gold-plated connections.
Disadvantages: Soon to be discontinued model, remote only controls volume, perhaps lacking detail compared to 'high end' amps

...the gain to a fixed level for the AV/DVD input (if you use it in a 5.1 configuration with an external processor; which I don't, so not terribly important to me) and a line/phono switchable input that uses a moving magnet phono stage. I've never used another phono stage, so I can't compare but my vinyl sounds alive through this amp! The Alpha range is slowly being phased out by Arcam (the 8s just having stopped production at time of writing (Dec 2000), being replaced by the DiVA range. However, if you can get an Alpha 8R at a good price, then it is defintely worth it - that famed warm Arcam sound with a feeling of prominent power is well worth the price, I feel.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Anologue sounding with great detail,no digital hardness like cheaper cd players
Disadvantages: Original rrp(£450) may have been to much for some people regardless of performance,slightly laid back sound

...The first time I listened to my cd72T it was clearly a step up in sound quality compared to my Nad c521 bee,which is quite rare when comparing similary priced cd players.The cd72T may cost twice as much as the nad but as other hifi enthusiasts will tell you, that doesnt always mean there will be a night and day difference between the components in terms of sound reproduction.An example of this is a freind of mine who upgraded from a cd72T to a cd92T at twice the cost and was less than impressed with the difference in sound.When upgrading a hifi component,the results can sometimes be a little dissapointing but i guarantee you if your looking to upgrade from a sub £200 cd player and choose the cd72T you will be astonished at the difference.The Arcam cd player has a great all round sound and handles all musical genre's well, even... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Slender design
Disadvantages: Kind of expensive/ Not upgradable like some Arcam products

...The silver slender looking Arcam CD82 Compact Disc Player is a mid-range CD player that has been designed and built to act as the ideal half-way point between the CD72 and CD92 in the Diva range. My brother has owned one for a fair while now and the CD82 is an extremely capable CD player. The box to the CD player informs us that state of the art audiophile design techniques are incorporated. Apparently, these are commonly found on players which would normally cost consumers thousands of pounds to purchase. The helpful instruction manual that comes with it informs us that the CD player utilizes very high quality Burr Brown op-amps in the output stage. Included is a high-stability Class 1 crystal oscillator in the DAC module. The player also utilizes two 24-bit 192 kHz Wolfson DACs, which is in a dual-mode configuration. One DAC... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful