Arcam hits all the right notes

Advantages: Great stylish looks, wide soundstage, powerful but crisply detailed
Disadvantages: Quite an expensive amplifier

...Arcam have built a reputation founded on quality, reliability and are synonymous with producing affordable amplifiers which target those who are looking for an extremely smooth sounding component for their hi fi. This amplifier is part of a range also known as DIVA and though this might sound like a strange name with reference to a woman, it stands for digitally integrated video audio. The main advantage of this feature or so Arcam claim, is it allows them to achieve extreme low distortion levels. The exterior has a very elegant, stylish modern look and in the silver colour, will surely suit any room and become a part of the furniture. A feature I look for in any good amplifier is a direct direct button which bypasses the tone controls and allows for the shortest signal path and thankfully this amplifier has this option. There are...

grandchamp 25.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Arcam A 85

Arcam CD82 Compa -what!? What a mouthful!

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...

benraiben 14.06.2004 (16.07.2004) · Read review
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Review of Arcam CD 82 Compact Disc Player

Celestion AVR300 DVD & AV Receiver

Advantages: Slim Format; great sound (when properly set up)
Disadvantages: Brief manual; clunky menus

...This is a great looking system, and has a great sound but only after you have worked out how to get the best out of it. The manual assumes a certain level of knowledge regarding AV and Hi-Fi set up and terminology, which is not always useful. I certain amount of trial and error may be required but the Average Man in the Street. To compound this the remote is a clone of an old panasonic tv unit that appears to have been reprogrammed to handle the Celestion controls with little thought of ergonomics. However, if this unit finds itself in the hands of an AV officinardo, and the style and sound deserves it to be, and who has a unversial remote, then the owner should be presented with a rich and rewarding movie sound and sharp clear images. The component output was top of the line when the AVR300 was released and still is the best way...

duncs52 21.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Celestion AVR300

Denon is music and movies to your ears!

Advantages: quality, amazing sound, good looks, value for money
Disadvantages: no HDMI input (but thats changed on newer models)

...Denons AVR-1907 is now discontinued. However, there are models that follow on from its greatness and improve as they go. The model numbers go up in size according to the model, funnily enough. So at this price point, this particular Denon AVR has gone from 1900 to 1910 (as the current model) thus the model before the 1907 was the 1906 and the one after was the 1908, well, you get the idea. Which each release the general product is improved. There are models both up and down, with Denon?s flagship Audio-Visual Receiver the AVR-4810 leading the way with 9.1 channels and more inputs than you can shake a stick at. Of course, the price reflects the quality. The AVR-4810 is priced around £2,600. For those of us with less money to burn the models in the lower range of the spectrum are a more reasonable price yet still offer outstanding sound...

AgeUK 05.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Denon AVR-1907

Slim, attractive - and a money grabber!?

Advantages: Allows Good Sounding Music
Disadvantages: Very expensive brand new!

...My brother's friend owns an electronics shop, and so my household often gets a variety of goods coming through it. One such product was the Arcam CD 93 Compact Disc Player. The CD 93 Compact Disc Player replaces the CD 92 player previously released, and does a better job than it I feel. The player itself is slim, quite light weight wise and quite attractive looking, and would look perfect in any modern home. To be honest, it looks like many other players in the range, and does not really look at all that distinctive. Our version of the player is a silver colour, although it is also available in black. It comes in a box, along with a helpful instruction manual, which instructs the owner how to set this up (actually an easy task), as well as informing you on the player?s features. The player, as I mentioned, is pretty much...

benraiben 16.07.2004 · Read review
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Review of Arcam CD 93

This is the plus version.

Advantages: Has the plus version
Disadvantages: Cost

...Have e-mailed ciao and they said that this is the correct entry position. Arcam A75+ I believe that good sound quality is vital to the real enjoyment of music and should not just be solely the concern of hi-fi enthusiasts. You don't have to be a gourmet to appreciate fine cooking, but many music-lovers settle for the convenience of a packaged system, hi-fi's equivalent to tasteless food, and miss out badly when it comes to realistic music reproduction. Arcam has used its design expertise gained over more than twenty-seven years to provide high performance solutions for people who demand the best from music. The DiVA (Digitally integrated Video and Audio) series, will transform the way you listen to your favourite sounds. The price and quality or the Arcam systems are class as being in the middle of the price and quality range...

mark1961 08.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Arcam A75

Better than the best Japan can offer

Advantages: Brilliant sound quality, nice styling
Disadvantages: no optical out, just coax and phono

...I changed to the Arcam after having a Sony CDP 797e for a while. Sony are very good at CD players in my experience and I find them to be very easy to use and full of features. This Sony was the best sounding CD player I had heard. Then I got the Arcam. It blew the Sony away. I have usually been sceptical about how much difference the CD can make to sound quality (it's digital after all, shouldn't they all be perfect?). It must be the laser or the Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC) but it really did make a big, noticable difference, I couldn't beleive it. I was sitting there listening to stuff I'd had for ages and virtually knew off by heart (I remember the Manics Everything Must Go for one). I heard all these noises I hadn't noticed and there was so much more detail, the sound was simply pesented much better. It does look a bit...

almillar 29.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Arcam Alpha 5

Pop on some popcorn

Advantages: Flexibility, Well priced
Disadvantages: Not ideal sonically, Remote is large and somewhat confusing

...Bringing the feel of the cinema to your own home can be a challenge. There are the easy bits - getting people to obstruct your view, rustling crisp packets and muttering from just over your shoulder. However, achieving the big cinema 'fanfare' at the start of a movie, and maintaining the audience's interest until the end is a different matter altogether. The Denon AVR-3300 is one component that starts to make this possible for the average houshold. It is a mid-priced receiver that nicely handles a full range of input sources. From an optical or co-ax source from your DVD player, feeding Dolby Digital or DTS signals, all the way through to a phono connection. Yes, that's right - this is a home cinema receiver that doesn't forget it's roots....your vinyl can snuggle up alongside your video and be given the same royal treatment. As...

CraigBruce 18.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Denon AVR-3300

Alpha equals A for quality

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

...I recently bought an Arcam Alhpa 8R to replace my Alpha One. The remote control is the first most noticeable addition - it's cute (controls just volume up, down and mute) and not having to get up to change the volume is a definite plus. Inside an uprated power supply and beefier transformer ((50W) you notice - the amp is certainly heavier) make for a very likeable sound. I didn't think it could make that much difference over the Alpha One, but the bass is heavier and faster and stereo imaging and detailed seems improved also. Generally the sound is more alive. It brings back that "Oh my God!" feeling when you first move to a separates system. Other benefits include quality durable gold-plated connections, two sets of speaker outputs (not that I use them, but useful for mutli-rooms setups or bi-wiring), a 'processor' option that sets...

iangrant 30.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of Arcam Alpha 8R

Not a bad little amp

Advantages: Smooth sounding all rounder with no problems in a powerful performance
Disadvantages: no remote control

...The Arcam Alpha One Amplifier for is price (around £200) seems to work very well with anything that you might want to put with it. Although it power rating is only 35W it seems to handle dynamic swings in music movement as well as any amp in its class I have heard. In its ambience it seems to be a half way house between something like a warm sounding Rotel and a sharp sounding Yamaha. It versatile enough, in that it has five line inputs, a tape loop and a headphone socket. In general it’s a bit of an all rounder and I feel it performs very well in all departments. Baring the fact that it does not come with a remote control, its really a very safe bet and I have been very pleased with the Alpha One's performance. I do not think there is much better for the price....

ncostall 19.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Arcam Alpha One