Have your say & ask the experts

Ok, had a short listen yesterday so keep this quick. Listened back to back in the following order initially;

Arcam FMJA18 - CD17 - Rega R3                       

Reasonable soundstage but slightly unfocused, sweet treble, slow not very defined bass, lack of drive.

Arcam FMJA18 - CD37 - Rega R3                      

More focus, performers move back, more air, good treble, reasonable bass, lack of drive

Arcam FMJA28 - CD37 - Rega R3                      

Nice soundstage, focus, informative clear treble, better bass but still somewhat loose and too warm at lower frequencies. Still lacks some drive and bite but good for fatigue free listening.

Naim Nait5i and matching i player - Rega R3       

More drive than the Arcams with better 'leading edge' detail. A together sounding combination but soundstage is 'clumped' together between the speakers, treble is slightly harsh and stands out as a separate unit and bass is a tad woolly/not delineated, probably the result of a low damping factor, common to naims.

cyrus8vs2 - CD8se - Rega R3                            

More muscular sounding than previous combinations, clear integrated treble, good leading edge detail and drive, better soundstage than Naims, a tad less than the Arcam 28/37, better rythm/musicality than both the others. Bass very slightly loose but more powerful.

We changed speakers for each combination between Mission 790/794, Dynaudio 52SE, Monitor Audio RS6 and Rega R3. As I did'nt have unlimited time we've only spent a couple of hours so this is just a short, initial impression I had and the Mission were brand new and not run it yet.

Of the speakers there is only one clear outstanding performer and I'm sure you guess which one. The Dyns, as good as they are really need more powerful amplification than what we've used to bring the bass under control. Nice mids/treble though. The baby missions have a lovely midrange/reasonable highs but lack any form of bass, the larger 794's sounded good and will probably get better and both look sublime. The MA's sounded brash and unfocused compared to all the others. The Rega's took all the best bits of the ones we had at hand, made the best match with the gear we tried with an even balanced, focused sound with great clear bass (if that was available from the components) and good treble, they just sounded right though not quite as open as the dynaudios. 

Obviously this is only my opinion, hope this helps someone.             

Interesting, but nothing suprising there (imo), thanks for the write up.

I can confirm that those Dyns were not being driven with enough power in pretty much every instance there. I have some 72SE and was initially driving them with a Cyrus 8 integrated, which often cut out due to the pressures placed on it. I had to get Bryston power up their (72SEs) backsides to get the best out of them.

Yes, I must agree, nothing suprised me about the review above! Arcam amplifiers don't have the outright power of the competition (A32 and A38 excluded), but then again, I'm not a fan of Naim because of the toppy nature of their amplifiers which give me a headache after a while. As for the Arcam CD players, I have been impressed by every model - they tend to give a very natural approach to music which gives you the chance to build a system around it - if you like a warmer sound you pick speakers to match or if you prefer a more analytical approach, you pick some dryer, more upfront speakers. That is why Arcam excel, because they are the Lexus of the hi-fi world: reliable, good performance, understatedly stylish; you know what you are buying - there are no risks involved. Where as with Naim, their reliability leaves alot to be desired...

Oh, and well done to Cyrus for pulling off another great amp: It never ceases to amaze me how a little box can perform so well!

Hughes123:

On any speakers a Bryston will deliveer collossal power, regardless of model. They have superbly built oversized torrodial transformers in them that can really deliver the goods!

 Very true, but I didnt realise what power thirsty beasts the Dynaudio's were! As I said, they gave my Cyrus 8 amp a heart attack sometimes at even moderate levels depending on material. This despite the Cyrus being a very competent amp, even with other 4ohm loads.

Hughes123:

Where as with Naim, their reliability leaves alot to be desired...

What's your budget? If you're spending around the £1000 mark, I can heartily recommend the Roksan Caspian M series 1 - incredibly dynamic for the money.And of course its sibling Kandy is a meaty marvel at around £600.

 

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:

thanks DM for the reviews. interesting to see that you and lots of others say that Arcam amps lack drive - i was hoping to get one to match my Arcam source. I listen to a lot of hard rock with very fast and multi-layered percussion so drive is certainly one thing i need my amp to have plenty of. anything that springs to mind?

Its all relative. Listen to a few arcam amplifiers in your price range and you might like them. I thought the 28 was a good, evenly balanced amplifier and in some ways better than the nait. It'll partner different speakers easier and it has more power. It will not set the world alight but then it won't do the same to your ears either. Partner sympathetically with an energetic, rythmic speaker and you might find it does all you want. We did'nt listen to the bigger Arcam but in terms of price it was a fair match with the rest and imo worth the money considering the features offered.  

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:

Hughes123:

Where as with Naim, their reliability leaves alot to be desired...

while i definately agree with you about the Arcams i have to disagree with your statement about Naim. From the numerous articles ive read Naim are actually at the forefront of build quality and subsequent reliability in their price range.

Have you looked inside them? My friend built better for his £80 GCSE project - seriously, the sum of their parts is pathetic in competition to products from Marantz, Arcam & Roksan just to name a few...it's a miricle they sound good - but they do, so all we have to do is thank either the engineers at Naim or just luck.

But don't let me put you off them - they are still great electronics!

JoelSim:

Would it be worth asking what tunes were played? My own personal experience is that Arcam excel for acoustic and mellow music, but also good with dance music from Groove Armada to James Lavelle or the Chems. In addition with chillout they are great. However, classical and rock aren't so good. One of my faves, the Stone Roses aren't tiptop on my system, although the CD192 is better than my old 92 in this respect. Overall, late night listening is a joy, and daytimes my one year old has started to dance to many tunes. Just me and he all day today and although we were at the park for a fair time, we found time to dance around to Chemical Brothers, Everything but the girl (Aplified Heart and their Back to Mine), and Jack Johnson. Plenty of drive on all of those.

Hi JS, Keb Mo (Just like you) and Lyle Lovett (The Road to Ensenada). Always use the first one and often the second one too, got to keep it simple or it gets confusing.