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Submitted by
hifinutdublin
a AudioPhileDate Reviewed: July 2, 2011
Bottom Line: Arcam A80, got this yesterday 2nd hand, 3years old from first owner. I hooked it to my Arcam Alpha 8se cdp, Pre out to Quad 405-2 Power amp for LF and Speaker 1 output to HF of my B&W DM 603 with QED Qunex 1 interconnects and QED Silver Anniversary speaker cable. The result? Its Sweet,warm, live and very involving sound.The detail is excellent where you can hear all the instruments being played at the right place and at the right time. The sound is natural and the blending of instruments and vocals are smooth. I dont agree with some reviewers that it lacks slam or power. This amp just deliver the sound without exaggeration, it just deliver the right sound that it should be. Its not bright, its BALANCE. Maybe with other reviewers, their other system did not match with A80. My B&W DM 603 tweeter was a bit bright with QED silver anniversary cables (which is bright as well) but I opted to use the speaker output 1 of the A80 to HF at 65 w/rms (Lower than the LF at 100 w/rms) and the Pre out to Quad power amp to drive the LF at 100 w/rms and it matches sonically. The HF/tweeter was tamed and became sweet. My advice is dont pair the Arcam with bright speakers, interconnects and speaker cables. Avoid speakers with metal dome tweeters, use instead silk or other fabric based tweeter drivers to sound smooth. With regards to bass, its just enough. Its not muddy and dominating. Its just there when its needed according to music naturally. Remember that there is no best sounding amplifier in the world, its a matter of taste of the listener and each amplifier has its own unique characteristic. Some has a strong bass and weak highs and some has tight and hard bass and some has soft but they had created that according to their philosophy and if it matches to your own taste then alas, you'll gonna enjoy it. The best thing to do before buying your system is to Audition and decide according to your taste.. Use the reviews as reference only but dont use the reviews to decide buying your gears. With me, i'm so happy with the sound of Arcam A80. It justified the money i've spent on it. I have loads of gears at home with each room has different system. Having listened to different systems, I realized that every maker has its own brand of sound. There's no such bad sounded amplifier except those some mass market products.
Used product for: Less than 1 month
Duration Product Used: AudioPhile
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Submitted by
MOSHE
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: December 26, 2009
Bottom Line: VERY DETAILED WARM BALANCED SOUND. CONNECTED TO TRIANGLE TITUS AND NAD 521 CDP
VERY RECOMENDED 2*80 WATT INTEGRATED AMP
I have been listening to this amp for 7 years with all kinds of music-monteverdi, bach, chopin, pink floyd, radiohead...
Used product for: More than 1 year
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2002
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Submitted by
Adam Davies
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: December 2, 2006
Bottom Line: I have owned the A80 for over 3 problem free years now, running with a Marantz CD6000KI, Rega P3 and AE1 series 2 speakers. I think it's unfair to say the sound is biased towards treble, I would say it's a very smooth neutral sound, with lots of detail and surprising depth considering it's modest rated output power. I agree that perhaps it is not the loudest amp in the world, but it is certainly more than adequate in an ordinary domestic environment. My personal opinion is that the amp does not impose much of it's own character to the music at all. I would would imagine any problems with treble skew could be down to partnering equipment and / or interconnects. Granted some amps go louder and perhaps give more bass, i've tried several and usually find that after half an hour I get a headache. I like the Arcam because you can listen for hours without it becoming a chore.
Used product for: More than 1 year
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2003
Price Paid:
$520.00
Purchased At: local Dealer
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Submitted by
waverney Ford
a Audio EnthusiastDate Reviewed: August 24, 2006
Bottom Line: I started with a AVR amp but grew tired of the artifical sound and all the flashing lights..orginally I had a Pioneer hooked up to B&W 601s2 I up gradedto Harmonkardon avr2550 but when I put my new B&W 705's inot this I found that it didn't have the grunt. I decided to go back to 2ch stereo simply because I rarely watch movies and to get quality thousands need to be sent. After all 5 or more amps to be any good costa lot of hard earned cash! I listened to several amps ...but I loved the sound the Arcam A80 produced when hooked up to my 705's( I run a B&W 700 sub) . It is such a musical sound.. and is able to drive my B&W's with ease.. plenty loud enough for my ears as well... all in all a great sounding amp with plenty of drive and clarity. THis amp would suite a discering listener.. who requires power and style..
Used product for: 3 Months to 1 year
Duration Product Used: Audio Enthusiast
Product model year: 2006
Price Paid:
$2000.00
Purchased At: Miranda HIFI canberr
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Submitted by
Griswold
a Casual ListenerDate Reviewed: January 17, 2006
Bottom Line: I bought the Arcam A80 to replace my 20 year old Technics SUV550 whose switches are oxidising. It is neat looking and easy to operate and has a comprehensive remote control. Good definition of instruments, particularly in classical orchestra. More than adequate volume for domestic use. Absence of tone controls would not matter were it not for the factory setting skewed towards trebble. Surprised there is no 'loudness' switch for low volume playing, no selector for MM and MC phono cartidges and no digital or optical input from a CD player.
Used product for: Less than 1 month
Duration Product Used: Casual Listener
Product model year: 2005
Price Paid:
$576.00
Purchased At: Sevenoaks Sound &Vis
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