Arcam FMJ-A38

[JMac]

Whats peoples opinion on this amp?

I noticed that What Hi Fi generally give it poor reviews but that doesnt tally with other reviewers. Whats owners opinions? Is it worth buying over the FMJ-A18/A19?

 

[gowiththeflow]

Note that this amp appears to be discontinued.

 

[matthewpiano]

Absolutely different league to the A18/A19.

The A38, if you can find one, is one of the best sub £2k amps I've heard. Open, beguiling, detailed and involving. Beautifully built (like most Arcam kit), and sounds superb with Focal, KEF, and PMC speakers (IME).

 

[crusaderlord]

Totally agree with above poster - the Arcam A38 is one of the best amps i have heard in the price bracket and i then bought one. This is one of those occasions where WHF was way off with their review. Other mags gave this amp a number of awards in their yearly round ups so take the WHF review with this context. I think they admitted they had a fault on their review machine in the end. Given the price you can get an Arcam A38 second hand or maybe even as a last stock clearance it is a great opportunity. In terms of v A19 i have not tested this but i used to have an Arcam A32 and the A38 is much cleaner and clearer than this. Also i have heard the Diva A90 and my brother has an A70 and the more expensive amplifiers do add extra depth, soundstage and feel a little more relaxed in handling things.

 

[BigH]

Would not take too much notice of 1 review. There have been a few odd ones on WHF I remember an Oppo BDP which got poor review here but other reviews were excellent. Problem with WHF there only test it with a few speakers. I remember the A19 review with the PMCs it was not good, they happened to then use the Kef LS50s and it was much better. This is amp. of the year, ok say they used some other speakers that did not suit instead of the LS50s.

 

[plastic penguin]

Would not take too much notice of 1 review. There have been a few odd ones on WHF I remember an Oppo BDP which got poor review here but other reviews were excellent. Problem with WHF there only test it with a few speakers. I remember the A19 review with the PMCs it was not good, they happened to then use the Kef LS50s and it was much better. This is amp. of the year, ok say they used some other speakers that did not suit instead of the LS50s.

Sorry but the initial 'First Test' with the A19 was with ATC top of range speaker not PMC. After they tried ATCs they reverted to LS50s, with Naim CD5si, which they said gave a "thicker" presentation. Afterwards they changed to Audiolab 8200.

More recently they've ditched recommending the Audiolab and paired with the Naim/LS50 combo.

 

[BigH]

Would not take too much notice of 1 review. There have been a few odd ones on WHF I remember an Oppo BDP which got poor review here but other reviews were excellent. Problem with WHF there only test it with a few speakers. I remember the A19 review with the PMCs it was not good, they happened to then use the Kef LS50s and it was much better. This is amp. of the year, ok say they used some other speakers that did not suit instead of the LS50s.

Sorry but the initial 'First Test' with the A19 was with ATC top of range speaker not PMC. After they tried ATCs they reverted to LS50s, with Naim CD5si, which they said gave a "thicker" presentation. Afterwards they changed to Audiolab 8200.

More recently they've ditched recommending the Audiolab and paired with the Naim/LS50 combo.

OK thanks yes ATC not PMC my mistake. My point is it seems a bit hit and miss.

 

[unsleepable]

I've recently added a P38 to my setup, and I'm currently using the A19 just as preamp. I haven't done any critical listening so I can only share my first impressions.

Tonality is the same—no surprise there, as the A19 is still the preamp. But the only aspect I don't like of the A19, which is that the midrange seems to be a tad recessed, is now gone. Probably related to that, the setup also sounds clearer. Bass sounds more powerful but it might be a tad slower—although still great.

So all in all, it is an upgrade, more so than I had actually expected. And I don't think the differences are just because of the power increase.

 

[Vladimir]

If we acknowledge other reviews more than WHF ones, why are we members of their forum? A lot of people think their reviews can be off but still are regular posters here. Just inconsistent.

 

[unsleepable]

If we acknowledge other reviews more than WHF ones, why are we members of their forum? A lot of people think their reviews can be off but still are regular posters here. Just inconsistent.

Because some days this forum is a hoot! *biggrin*

 

[BigH]

If we acknowledge other reviews more than WHF ones, why are we members of their forum? A lot of people think their reviews can be off but still are regular posters here. Just inconsistent.

So you have to agree with all their reviews to be a member of the forum?

 

[Vladimir]

If we acknowledge other reviews more than WHF ones, why are we members of their forum? A lot of people think their reviews can be off but still are regular posters here. Just inconsistent.

So you have to agree with all their reviews to be a member of the forum?

At least 90%. *wink*

 

[matthewpiano]

That's absurd.

A review is just another person's opinion.

 

[plastic penguin]

Let's be a little careful here. I'm pretty sure the A38 is a fabulous amp. As a big Arcam fan I won't see it knocked without good reason.

However, agree with Matthew, the review by WHFI may go against the grain but the reviewers are just human: They hear different things like us bunch. Ketan and others are no different apart from they get paid, and live and die by their appraisals.

Even though this may not settle well with other A38-ers, that' the nature of the beast.