Arcam Alpha 10

[admin_exported]

Hi

I'm thinking of investing in a new stereo. I was going to look at some of the cheaper stuff from the Awards but my brother has an Alpha 10 amp he said I could have. The problem is there is a fault with it and it needs sending back to Arcam. I believe that when it's turned on the first light comes on but then nothing else - there is no audible click and the second light doesn't come on. Does this sound familiar to anyone? A shop has indicated that it's probably an internal fuse.

What I could do with knowing is how good the Arcam is compared to today's equipment so I can decide whether it's worth the bother and cost of trying to get it repaired.

Any advice would be much appreciated

Cheers

 

[drummerman]

It could be a number of things, a fuse being (obviousely) the most obvious cause. You can check that for yourself. Wack the lid off and have a peek (perhaps unplug the thing first!) but I assume you are intelligent enough to have worked that one out.

Amp repairs RARELY cost more than a hundred quid (usually a lot less) and are more often than not straight forward unless they want to rip you off so it pays to strike a good relationship with a friendly local dealer. Failing that contact ARCAM but you know that already. They will be able to service your 10.

Arcam 10's still fetch decent cash on ebay. So you could repair and flog it. Personally I dont like Arcams, boring and lifeless to my ears but you may disagree.

 

[Andrew Everard]

[quote user="drummerman"]It could be a number of things, a fuse being (obviousely) the most obvious cause. You can check that for yourself. Wack the lid off and have a peek (perhaps unplug the thing first!) but I assume you are intelligent enough to have worked that one out.[/quote]

No, definitely unplug the thing first - and I mean plug out of the wall, not just the socket switched off - and to be extra safe leave it for a little while before looking around inside.

A blown fuse will be fairly obvious - the fuses will be little glass tubes with metal caps, and you may find one is slightly smoked inside, or you may have to remove them and look for a broken wire within.

Replace the fuse with exactly the same type, which you can get from an electronics spares shop, paying attention to voltage, amperage and any marking such as 'slow blow' or 'fast blow', put the lid back on, plug the thing back in and switch on.

If you're lucky, it'll work, and it was just a weak fuse or some momentary abuse behind the failure. If it doesn't, then it's a service job.

BTW I'm a firm believer in fuses blowing for a reason - random blows are pretty rare. So if the fuse blows again, there's a good reason for it - it's what the fuse is there to protect the rest of the amp, and you, against.

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
No, definitely unplug the thing first - and I mean plug out of the wall, not just the socket switched off - and to be extra safe leave it for a little while before looking around inside.

[/quote]

Absolutely. Apologies for any confusion caused, bad advise given.

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="drummerman"]
[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
No, definitely unplug the thing first - and I mean plug out of the wall, not just the socket switched off - and to be extra safe leave it for a little while before looking around inside.

[/quote]

Absolutely. Apologies for any confusion caused, bad advise given.
[/quote]

And after you;ve done that bit, switch it on and off a couple of times (still unplugged, obviously) - that usually helps to clear down any capacitors which may be storing a voltage.

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]And after you;ve done that bit, switch it on and off a couple of times (still unplugged, obviously) - that usually helps to clear down any capacitors which may be storing a voltage.[/quote]

Then open the window, throw it out and watch the impact. The fresh air and safe scattering of parts will ensure there IS NO CURRENT left in the device.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Gosh, you really don't like Arcams, do you?

 

[drummerman]

love'em to BITS

 

[Anonymous]

Guys, thanks for the advice. I'll have a cursory look round and if there's nothing I can see I'll send it to Arcam. It's been in a box for years so don't think there'll still be any charge left in it! Btw does anyone know of a decent dealer near Stoke on Trent who I might be able to take it to?

And on the other question I asked, in terms of performance, what price of current product would it be comparable to ie should I be looking at mating it to a £200 cd player or a £500 one. I mainly listen to rock from metal to classic, is this amp as bad as Drummerman says? Any recommendations on a cd player and speakers (standmount)? Would kill for some B&W 805s's but you're probably going to tell me the 685s are more appropriate.

Cheers

Al

 

[drummerman]

[quote user="AlBundy#33"]is this amp as bad as Drummerman says?[/quote]

Albundy, dont worry, its not a 'bad' amp, I just dont like the sound of certain Arcams. If you like it, once its repaired, thats all that counts.

 

[Anonymous]

I suspect that drummerman is referring to the more recent DIVA amps, and the cheaper ones at that.

The Alpha 10 would have been top of the range, ISTR, so I think the £500 mark for a CD player is where you should be starting.

 

[drummerman]

Mmmh, would love one of those oranges ...