simplicity of use, clear sound

cost, not cd quality, looks

I have used this product for about 18 months and am fairly
pleased with it.

Firstly I must talk about the sound quality.This product
has been marketed on the lines that it is cd quality - it
most certainly is not.I would say that it is about 70%-90%
cd quality, depending on what station you are listening to.
The BBC stations sound fantastic whilst others are close
to terrible.Whether this is to do with this unit or the signal being received - I dont know.Maybe someone can enlightened me on this.

I considered buying an outdoor aerial when I first purchased
the Arcam - but the signal quality was always at 100% when using the indoor aerial suplied.

On the plus side there is absolutely no background noise or
hiss.

Operationally this unit is a breeze to use and set up, either via remote or the unit itself.

As a radio enthusiast I had no problem forking out £800 to purchase the Arcam - I easily listen to more radio than watch TV.Since this is a first generation digital radio I can understand why they cost so much.But unless the cost of
digital radios falls to below £100 I cant see many people buying this.Currently, in the UK, the cheapest unit costs
£300 (by Videologic).
You can also listen to DAB via your PC by purchasing a suitable card - but do you want to switch your pc on every time you want to listen to radio ?

So, In summary, a good product - But currently too expensive.

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clear digital sound

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The Arcam Alpha 10 Tuner gives clear digital fidelity that is faithful to the source. Mind you, I am not an audiophile but I am a composer.

Recently Radio 3 played the currently available CD of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra with Reiner conducting. The fidelity from my Alpha 10 tuner was quite good, given the age of the original analogue recording. I then bought the same CD and played it on my Alpha 8SE CD player, and, given a bit memory distortion, found the sound to be nearly identical. In fact, I seem to remember that the broadcast had less high-end hiss.

Live broadcasts are especially enjoyable. The differences in venue acoustics are accurately portrayed, from the intimacy and warmth of the Wigmore Hall (although I wish they wouldn't mike so closely), to the rather distant Royal Albert Hall. (Still, the Alpha 10 places me in the best RAH seat I've ever had.)

In sum, I'm pleased with this Arcam tuner.

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Sound quality

Lack of presets

Had it less than a month to replace my Arcam 8 FM tuner, and partner my Alpha 10/10p amps.

Ribbon cable didn't work, but that was no surprise in my area. Ordered an adaptor from Arcam and plugged it into my existing roof-top FM aerial.

Sound quality was immediately beyond my expectations. As pointed out by others, no hiss. The while frequency range is great, and I've found myself listening to more radio than I have for years!

It is expensive, but, as a partner to the A10 amp it's perfect. On the other hand, as it shares the A10 amp case, it makes use of the same button layout on the front, which only allows for 7 presets.

I make no judgements regarding whether the sound is CD quality, but it's certainly good enough for me.

It costs a lot for a radio considering I'm really a CD listener, but I don't regret it. My eyes and ears are now open to DAB, and I'm a convert!

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Arcam 9, Pioneer F91 analogue tuners

Quality of build. Logic and ease of use. Appearance. Sound.

Small display

I had been waiting for a digital radio to be commercially available and affordable. In 1998 I was at the BBC Proms most nights ( see http://www.robert-wright.com )and entered the annual competition, winning this £800 Arcam radio as first prize. In central London it works just fine with the supplied ribbon antenna indoors and provides perfect reception. We have 39 channels currently, and the availability of medium and shortwave stations like World Service, BBC R4 LW and so on makes a big difference. It's the best acquisition I have made in many years, and all the better for being free. I unhesitatingly recommend it. My equipment is based on Quad, and it sounds fantastic through my electrostatics. Switching between analogue and digital using the by-pass function reveals how much better digital radio is.

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