Why is Arcam so controversial?

[Anonymous]

crusaderlord:Captain Destructo:

Maybe you're taste in music is very different and maybe you listen for different reasons.

...but I think I've heard enough of Arcam amplification at least to have a clue (the WHF A38 review was spot on and could apply to any of the amps) They are not good for rock, end of story.

to say the comments of the A38 could apply to any of their amps is absolute nonsense. in fact the A38 was awarded the gold award for best amplifier in its price in another publication. i have compared Arcam directly to most amps in the same price range and i found the A32 was the best (better than Roksan, Cambridge, Naim and NAD) that said i dont listen to much rock so maybe we look for completely different requirements which then puts a big questionmark over your previous generalised comments about them sucking the life out of all music.

You mean that it put's them into perspective. Since you don't listen to much rock, this applies to your comments/preferences also.

I think components that cost hundreds of pounds should be able to reproduce ALL genres of music reasonably well. That anyone would recommend Arcam as better all-rounders than the other mainstream brands is crazy. They are no good for rock/punk, dance etc.

 

[Anonymous]

"I thinkÿcomponents that cost hundreds of pounds should be ableÿtoÿreproduce ALLÿgenres of musicÿreasonably well.ÿÿThat anyone would recommendÿArcam asÿbetter all-roundersÿthan the other mainstreamÿbrandsÿis crazy.ÿ Theyÿare no good forÿrock/punk, dance etc."

ÿ

Now yourÿgeneralizingÿtoo much and sounding foolish! ÿ'They' are no good for rock/punk/dance!ÿ

Ever heard of system synergy, or room acoustics?ÿ

 

[Dan Turner]

I have to take issue with these suggestions that Arcam can't do rock! My system kicks *** when called for. My old Cd93 was a bit of a kill joy, but the CD37 has cured all that and then some - and having auditioned it alongside the Cyrus and Naim as previously noted, I chose it above them for it's abilities with all genres.

Proper system matching, decent accessories, decent positioning relative to the room, and personal taste are what make the difference!

OK that's it, I'm not going to bite any more. I think I proved my point, which is that Arcam stimulates a disproportionate amount of debate!

 

[Andrew Everard]

Hughes123:LOLlage - I'm getting to fly a Cesenna 172 for my birthday! (Obviously accompanied...)

You can get a jazz band in one of those things???

 

[matthewpiano]

Andrew Everard:
Hughes123:LOLlage - I'm getting to fly a Cesenna 172 for my birthday! (Obviously accompanied...)

You can get a jazz band in one of those things???

"Fly me to the moon, and let me sail among the stars..."

 

[Anonymous]

matthewpiano:"Fly me to the moon, and let me sail among the stars..."

What was that thread recently about praising the forum for how a difficult subject can end up in infinity?

 

[matthewpiano]

Octopo:
matthewpiano:"Fly me to the moon, and let me sail among the stars..."

What was that thread recently about praising the forum for how a difficult subject can end up in infinity?

Nice one Octopo. )

 

[Anonymous]

Hughes123:That Vauxhall is sexy as! I know plenty of girls that say a big saloon (that's not an "executive") is as sexy as it gets! Couple that with it being the MV6 version - which does 0-60 in under 7 seconds, and you've got yourself one sweet car!

As for reliability, we had a Vauxhall Omega 3.0 V6 24v Elite from 1995-1998 and it didn't break down once...apart from when it said there was 30miles of fuel left and there wasn't...

hughes, i dont want to start picking on you but i gotta say that for a car to go 3 years without breaking down is pretty unremarkable! 10 or 12 years yeah that might be something to brag about but 3... for example i previously owned a 1990 honda accord (until 2006 when i moved country) and it didnt break down once.
btw i like arcam and own a fair bit of their kit but i would never expect everyone to like it - hifi is so personal. i actually think its quite silly for people to get upset about what others think of a hifi brand.

 

[JoelSim]

floyd droid:matthewpiano:Hughes123:This is the ultimate Arcam car:

Understated, superb performance, maybe a teeny weeny bit boring (just a teeny) but also very sexy!Sexy????????????????? Its a VAUXHALL!!!!

Dont forget mr piano that the picture post came from a volvo owner/driver/learner,oh i dunno whatever.

I think that's a million miles away from Arcam. To me Arcam is a Maserati; not quite Ferrari or Aston, but a good choice nontheless

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

griffy:

"I think components that cost hundreds of pounds should be able to reproduce ALL genres of music reasonably well. That anyone would recommend Arcam as better all-rounders than the other mainstream brands is crazy. They are no good for rock/punk, dance etc."

Now your generalizing too much and sounding foolish! 'They' are no good for rock/punk/dance!

Ever heard of system synergy, or room acoustics?

Don't you think WHF would have taken such things as tonal balance and system matching into account when reviewing the A38? Yet it is still described as having "flat and uninspiring sound".

 

[Anonymous]

Agree.

I recently bought an Arcam Solo and generally am pleased with my purchase. However the one weak spot is the headphone out. The sound quality is poor and when you plug in headphones it automatically turns off the treble & bass controls, so you don't even have the option to use them to try and inmprove the sound. For a a piece of kit costing £1000 it seems an odd decission. On the Arcam web site they make a big statement about the quality of their dealers, but the dealer I bought it from, Billy Vee, in SE London, seemed to know very little about the machine, including the headphone deficiency!

May put me off buying Arcam kit again and if I do would choose a different dealership.

 

[gooner26]

sorry to change subject but what car would meridian be? (if it was one)

 

[Andrew Everard]

 

[Terryff]

Is it only me that thinks that thing is ugly?

 

[Big Chris]

Never mind. You can buy the AD88 version instead.

 

[chebby]

...

 

[Andrew Everard]

If Arcam was a car it would be a milk-float, apparently.

 

[chebby]

Andrew Everard:If Arcam was a car it would be a milk-float, apparently.

In other words..

Arcam delivers.

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:Andrew Everard:If Arcam was a car it would be a milk-float, apparently.
In other words..Arcam delivers.

Slow and steady wins the race.ÿ

 

[JoelSim]

Captain Destructo:crusaderlord:Captain Destructo:
Maybe you're taste in music is very different and maybe you listen for different reasons.

...butÿI think I've heard enoughÿof Arcam amplification at leastÿtoÿhave a clue (the WHF A38 review was spot onÿand could apply toÿany of the amps)ÿÿ They are not good for rock, end of story.ÿ

to say the comments of the A38 could apply to any of their amps is absolute nonsense. in fact the A38 was awarded the gold award for best amplifier in its price in another publication. i have compared Arcam directly to most amps in the same price range and i found the A32 was the best (better than Roksan, Cambridge, Naim and NAD) that said i dont listen to much rock so maybe we look for completely different requirements which then puts a big questionmark over your previous generalised comments about them sucking the life out of all music.

ÿ

ÿYou mean that it put's them into perspective.ÿ Since you don't listen to much rock, thisÿ applies to your comments/preferences also.ÿ

ÿ

I thinkÿcomponents that cost hundreds of pounds should be ableÿtoÿreproduce ALLÿgenres of musicÿreasonably well.ÿÿThat anyone would recommendÿArcam asÿbetter all-roundersÿthan the other mainstreamÿbrandsÿis crazy.ÿ Theyÿare no good forÿrock/punk, dance etc.

ÿ

I agree that they aren't much good for rock/punk as they show the warts up too much. They are however, very good for dance music

And extremely good for voice and acoustic...amongst other things. I think you'll struggle to find a system that does everything brilliantly.ÿ

 

[John Duncan]

JoelSim:I think you'll struggle to find a system that does everything brilliantly.

Agreed, but I wish we could. Then we could all bloody well go home!

 

[JoelSim]

Andrew Everard:If Arcam was a car it would be a milk-float, apparently.

I read a review recently on the A32 and it was gushing in its praise. By a Mr A Everard.

Yes it's still available on t'internet

http://www.aslgroup.com/arcam/ReviewsA32P35.htmÿ

 

[Anonymous]

JoelSim:Captain Destructo:crusaderlord:Captain Destructo:

Maybe you're taste in music is very different and maybe you listen for different reasons.

...but I think I've heard enough of Arcam amplification at least to have a clue (the WHF A38 review was spot on and could apply to any of the amps) They are not good for rock, end of story.

to say the comments of the A38 could apply to any of their amps is absolute nonsense. in fact the A38 was awarded the gold award for best amplifier in its price in another publication. i have compared Arcam directly to most amps in the same price range and i found the A32 was the best (better than Roksan, Cambridge, Naim and NAD) that said i dont listen to much rock so maybe we look for completely different requirements which then puts a big questionmark over your previous generalised comments about them sucking the life out of all music.

You mean that it put's them into perspective. Since you don't listen to much rock, this applies to your comments/preferences also.

I think components that cost hundreds of pounds should be able to reproduce ALL genres of music reasonably well. That anyone would recommend Arcam as better all-rounders than the other mainstream brands is crazy. They are no good for rock/punk, dance etc.

I agree that they aren't much good for rock/punk as they show the warts up too much. They are however, very good for dance music

And extremely good for voice and acoustic...amongst other things. I think you'll struggle to find a system that does everything brilliantly.

It isn't about showing up the warts, I think they are okay/average in the detail department.

It's the boredom that occurs when you try and play that sort of music through them. Without the energy, timing, cohesion etc it sounds lame (as someone else put it).

 

[Andrew Everard]

JoelSim:I read a review recently on the A32 and it was gushing in its praise. By a Mr A Everard.

Mind you, that is six years old.

 

[JoelSim]

Captain Destructo:JoelSim:Captain Destructo:crusaderlord:Captain Destructo:
Maybe you're taste in music is very different and maybe you listen for different reasons.

...butÿI think I've heard enoughÿof Arcam amplification at leastÿtoÿhave a clue (the WHF A38 review was spot onÿand could apply toÿany of the amps)ÿÿ They are not good for rock, end of story.ÿ

to say the comments of the A38 could apply to any of their amps is absolute nonsense. in fact the A38 was awarded the gold award for best amplifier in its price in another publication. i have compared Arcam directly to most amps in the same price range and i found the A32 was the best (better than Roksan, Cambridge, Naim and NAD) that said i dont listen to much rock so maybe we look for completely different requirements which then puts a big questionmark over your previous generalised comments about them sucking the life out of all music.

ÿ

ÿYou mean that it put's them into perspective.ÿ Since you don't listen to much rock, thisÿ applies to your comments/preferences also.ÿ

ÿ

I thinkÿcomponents that cost hundreds of pounds should be ableÿtoÿreproduce ALLÿgenres of musicÿreasonably well.ÿÿThat anyone would recommendÿArcam asÿbetter all-roundersÿthan the other mainstreamÿbrandsÿis crazy.ÿ Theyÿare no good forÿrock/punk, dance etc.

ÿ

I agree that they aren't much good for rock/punk as they show the warts up too much. They are however, very good for dance music

And extremely good for voice and acoustic...amongst other things. I think you'll struggle to find a system that does everything brilliantly.ÿ

Itÿisn't about showingÿup the warts,ÿI think they areÿokay/average in the detail department.ÿ

ÿIt's the boredom that occurs when you try and play that sort ofÿmusic through them.ÿWithout the energy, timing,ÿcohesionÿetcÿit soundsÿlame (asÿsomeoneÿelseÿput it).ÿÿÿ

ÿ

ÿ

Maybe on one or two of the models but certainly not mine, or in fact on the reviews I posted above, if you care to read. Nor in fact in HFC or HFN where Arcams have recently won Product of the Year.

ÿ