mikeeree

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This review is for the arcam alpha 8 amp, And i must say this was prob the best money could buy with my budget of £300.oo
I had it running with a pair of Ruark Ikon speakers and an alpha 8 se cd player and what a sound i got from it, blew me away considering you could spend at least double on decent amp but still wont get as good a sound.
Its a warm sound delivers great colour and fantastic value for money.
Brilliant amplifier but what do you expect from Arcam :)

Strengths;
The longer you drive this amp the sweater it gets the sound says it all

Weakness;
Cant think of any its just so well made

gerenidsmith

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.20 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Audio Excellence

Summary:
This review is for the Arcam 8P Amazing ! What a superb combination ( with the 8R) this has turned out to be. I was not expecting this sound quality and performance for this amount of money. The Arcam 8R is a great amplifier, but the real star of the show is the power amplifier. It has to be one of the best in it's class for the price. One of the most musical amps out there. It conveys the emotion in the music in a way that most other similarly priced amplifiers just fail to do. The sound is warm and involving but not at the expense of clarity and transparency. I preferred the 8P to the 9P. Its a gem, five stars no question.

Strengths:
Musical, flexible for mono or stereo operation and reliable design

Weaknesses:
None at this price

Similar Products Used:
Quad, Cyrus and Naim

Price Paid:  $400.00 from AudioCraft

Summary:
I recently purchased the Alpha 8p and have to say I was very concerned about this amp once it was in my hand's,these amps are extremely light,in my (old) american opinion light meant cheap.Boy was I wrong,this is the most musical amp I've owned(not heard).Every amp or reciever I owned weighed at least twice the Arcam,but as my ear grew and I got more mature,I learned that the best thing's in life and especially audio,are simple.The Alpha 8p uses MOSFET devices to ensure a shorter signal path and improved amplifier effiency.My collection of music is mostly jazz and r&b.When listening to jazz the amp portray's a wide,vivid soundstage,with good instramental seperation,with a surprisingly large amount of low end warmth.What I really love about this amp is the mid-range,paying close attention to the female voice.This amp is warm,when pushed the treble stay's sweet,and the bass stay's deep and tight.Whatever your choice of music this amp will complement it,and since they are so inexspensive I bought two of them and bi-amped my speaker's.

Strengths:
great bass weight and articulation,very open,detailed mid-range,sweet, ear-friendly treble,detachable powercord,inexspensive=top value

Weaknesses:
at this price range,come on

Similar Products Used:
Denon,Yamaha,Dynaco,Marantz,Sansui,Realistic,Adcom

Price Paid:  $405.00 from Sound By Singer

Summary:
All I can say is WOW! Basically this unit blows away any expensive A/V receiver I have ever owned. The amp packs a punch and does it with a huge amount of control. After it has warmed up for about a day, it is just the most graceful amp. This amp will bring any type of music to life. Music is presented very well, the soundstage is broad and three deminsional. Music and movie soundtracks are detailed without being bright and edgy, bass is very well controlled, with alot of kick. I highly recommend this amp. I have listened to amps costing several times more and this little guy keeps up very well.

Strengths:
Excellent seperation, dynamic, very powerful for a rated 50 Watts, does not run hot even under a good deal of stress. Jazz or any type of music but Jazz especially sounds LIVE through this little amp.

Weaknesses:
Like the previous guy mentioned, this amp was not impressive out of the box until I left it on for about a day and a half. After a warm up period it did sound magical. This unit must be left on.

Similar Products Used:
Various A/V receivers, McIntosh receivers (pre-1970)

Summary:
The Arcam Alpha 8 Amp and Power Amp came to me as another seconhand bargain (£300 sterling with interconnects versus £700 new). At this price level there is nothing to compare, and in my opinion little at the original price too.

Apart from being particuarly sensitive to running cold, this pair of amplifiers add depth and separation to any recording. Give them 24 hours connected to the mains with the power on and the sound sharpens beyond recognition. When cold they are mushy and bass heavy, lacking in sound staging, mid and high range. When warmed up this is lost and gives way to a mobile and attacking quality of sound, seperating instruments and reproducing subtleties. Acoustic music sounds true to life, rock vividly jumps out of the system, dance pumps superbly with control and the beauty of well recorded classical music brings a tear to the eye.

Taking the time to bi-amp my speakers has also paid dividends to the extent that for the time being, they do not need replacing. Bass is present and forward, but controlled. I thought it was my speakers that were flabby but it was actually my old amp!

This pair also has the bonus of looking smart, the styling and colour a change from what appears to be the norm in many cases of the uglier the amp, the better the sound!

I would strongly recommend people audition these and the later Arcam 8 models. Just make sure they have been given them the chance to warm up!

Strengths:
Sound of course!

Weaknesses:
Warm Up period (just make sure they are left switched on!)