Arcam aren’t exactly the biggest name in the home entertainment world, especially in Australia, but they do have a good name for themselves when it comes to high-end quality. So good, in fact, that I expected to see a price tag for their new A38 integrated amplifier to run at twice what they’re charging.
Their latest range comes in three different flavours – The A18, A28 and A38, which replace the A70, A90 and A32 models. To give you an idea on build quality, all three new models have a five year warranty.
There’s a full rundown on the A38′s features after the jump, but as I alluded to in the opening paragraph, the best thing about these new models is the price – the A18 is $1498, the A28 is $1998 and the A38 is $3498.While that’s still pricey for most people, it’s fairly cheap when compared to other high quality audio kit.
We know that gadgets are better when they’re smaller. And obviously the miniaturisation trend is making its way through to high-end audio manufacturers as well, with Arcam releasing this mini version of their Solo CD player.
Retailing for the bargain price of $1598 (without speakers) the Arcam Solo Mini packs in a CD player (which plays back MP3 discs as well), AM/FM or FM/DAB tuners, integrated iPod control through their optional extra rLead/rDock peripheral, six additional RCA inputs, a front USB port and a remote control. It also boasts 2 x 25 Watts per Channel linear amplifiers inside, making it plenty loud for pissing off neighbours.
Being Arcam, it probably has really impressive sound quality, but for a device that spends so much time playing back compressed music (from its list of features above), it does seem a tad expensive. Of course, the full size version costs $2498, so I guess we really shouldn’t complain. Or maybe we should complain twice as much… whichever suits you best.
