Arcam FMJ A18/CD17 Demo with B&W CM1

[sound10]

Hi everyone, just had a demo with the above equipment and I must say that to my ears, it sounded absolutely fantastic. Was playing one of my favourite cds through the Arcam and I was totally absorbed. Previously had Marantz PM6003/CD6003 with B&W 685's which sounded okay, but nothing compared to the above.

Had a chance to compare the CM1's with the B&W 685's and imho the CM1's sound so much better than the 685's and are well worth the extra £120.00. I just could not believe how much bass the CM1's were outputting, since they are smaller than the 685's.

I then had a demo of a Rotel Amplifier within the same price range as the Arcam and I didn't really like the sound.

However this is where the problem lies, because what I'm wanting ideally is to have an all in one receiver that will sound fantastic with both music and movies. The receiver will be used 80% music 20% movies.

Having listened to the Arcam, I then had a demo of the Yamaha 3900 high end receiver, with the cd player connected via the anologue inputs and the sound quality was not a patch on the Arcam's quality.

Will be having a demo of the New Marantz SR7005 / Yamaha RX-V3067 soon to see what they perform like with music, but I'm now pretty sure that they will not sound as good as the Arcam.

Any members think otherwise ?

Also, I'm looking to demo the Marantz PM7004 once my local dealer has it in stock. For Arcam & Marantz owners alike, how do they compare to each other, especially the higher end marantz models vs the higher end Arcam models.

Thanks 🙂

 

[Big Chris]

Unfortunately, you've found the Achilles heel of using A/V stuff for music. I couldn't/wouldn't compromise on my 2 channel music, so ended up with 2 completely seperate systems. You just have to decide what's more important.

Oh, and I fully agree with Arcam & B&W sounding great, as my signature will testify.

 

[jiggyjoe]

Like BC I did not want to compromise on my hi-fi system so another route you could take is to add a processor/av amp and insert it into a tape loop and fix the gain on the arcam stereo amp.

I did this using a Yamaha DSPE800 3 channel processor which you can pick up on Ebay for £50 odd. The only limitation with the Yam is it dosn't have any of the modern lossless codec's only Dolby Digital/DTS digital.

But you can always save up and get a better AV amp later and just insert as above.

 

[smuggs]

i think the cm1's are the next speakers i get around april/may next year with arcam they were very good and like found the 685's a league below

 

[sound10]

Hi, thanks for the replies so far, they are much appreciated. Just read the review on whathifi of Arcam's Flagship Amplifier, the A38. Whathifi have given it only 3 stars. Was thinking of possibly getting that model instead of the A18, or A28. Would be very interested to hear from members who own either the A38, A28, or A18 and what they think.

Cheers 🙂

 

[6th.replicant]

Big Chris:
Unfortunately, you've found the Achilles heel of using A/V stuff for music. I couldn't/wouldn't compromise on my 2 channel music, so ended up with 2 completely seperate systems. You just have to decide what's more important.

+ 1

sound10:
Hi, thanks for the replies so far, they are much appreciated. Just read the review on whathifi of Arcam's Flagship Amplifier, the A38. Whathifi have given it only 3 stars. Was thinking of possibly getting that model instead of the A18, or A28. Would be very interested to hear from members who own either the A38, A28, or A18 and what they think.

Cheers 🙂

Frankly, WHF?S&V's 3-star review for the A38 is a bit of a head-scratch because HiFi C***** gave it 5/5 and, IIRC, various other respected and long-standing hi-fi mags around the world also gave the A38 high praise.

FWIW, I've had an A38 since Aug and I'm very happy with it. IMHO, it's the best amp in the £1200-1800 bracket if you like music/instruments to sound realistic, detailed and engaging without becoming tiresome over long listening sessions.

The A38 is well worth a demo.

 

[sound10]

Hi 6th.replicant, thanks for your reply. Will definitely have a demo of both the A38, A28. As previously mentioned in my original post, I loved the sound of the Arcam A18 and I'm sure that the higher end Arcam models will have a similar or better sound.

One thing that I want to ask with regards to the A18 is, will it be powerful enough to drive Floor Standing Speakers eg B&W 683 or higher. Having checked the specs of the A18, it is rated at 50W. I'm sure that type of power will be perfect for the CM1's, however if I decide to upgrade at any point to Floorstanders, then I might be in trouble. I think for me, the Arcam A28 might be a better option.

Thanks 🙂

 

[Anonymous]

floorstanders frequently easier to drive than standmounts.

 

[sound10]

Hi, just to confirm, the Arcam A18 with 50w per channel will be fine to drive speakers such as B&W 684, 683, or Monitor Audio RX6, or better to look at the Arcam A28 or higher ?

Thanks

 

[matthewpiano]

As the owner of an A18 I would say it is an excellent amplifier but that if you can afford to go further up the range, the A38 is a huge step up and well worth the extra. It will withstand more speaker and source upgrades over time than the A18.

 

[6th.replicant]

matthewpiano:As the owner of an A18 I would say it is an excellent amplifier but that if you can afford to go further up the range, the A38 is a huge step up and well worth the extra. It will withstand more speaker and source upgrades over time than the A18.
Agree

 

[sound10]

Hi, just realised that the A28 & A38 amps have no tone control, whereas the A18 does. To Arcam owners and other forums members does that bother you ?

It would bother me a bit, however I realise that there must be a reason why the tone contols have been taken out from the higher end Arcam amps.

Also, would it be possible please for a forum member to explain what the main differences are in simple terms between the different Arcam amp models. I'm sure it's just not the rated power output that is different.

Thanks