i bought this secondhand for about $250. at the audition this player sound a bit dull, but the system and speaker used wasn't the best as well.
i have always though that this alpha is the entry level as compared to the delta. hence, i never really paid much attention to it, it was stored aside for spare incase one of my main cd players broke.
i used meridian 506 24 and marantz cd65 as my main cd player currently.
i like the smoothness of meridian, however i much prefer the cd65 because you could hear drums and cymbal so clear. while drums and cymbal on meridian is like being covered up with silk. it sound smooth but i feel no 'kick'.
one day, i though i would give this alpha 8 a second try on my current system (amp: belcanto evo2i speaker: dynaudio 52). HOLLEY >+&$%#@$!, i could not believed it, this alpha 8 sound way better than my marantz cd65. the sound is darker, precise and very musical. this cd player is soo good that even the song that i don't like (you know you just want to skip the track) is very listenable that i just listen to every songs on the cd.
i am no super-duper-high-end-audiophile, but i believe this cd player needs a decent amp, speaker and cabling to show its true potential. listening to this cd player on an entry-level onkyo integrated amp (no offence to onkyo fans out there) on my first audition really does not do this cd player justice.

imaging, pace, transparency, natural sound

none

Fantastic cd player. does everything right and is a joy to listen to.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C540, Sony ES

Excellent Sound Quality, HDCD capability

None

I have been an Arcam CD owner for about 3 years now, starting with an Alpha 7 and upgrading to the Alpha 8 about 1 year ago. The improvement upgrading from the 7 to 8 was significant: more information, much smoother etc. I recently upgraded from the 8 to the 8 SE for $220 CDN. and was somewhat skeptical about improvements. After burning in the new DAC with a utility disc for about 3 hours, I sat down to listen. Let me tell you, for anyone with an Alpha 8, the upgrade to the 8SE is very worthwhile if you have decent equipment ahead of it. I didn't have the money to go to the 9 and didn't really want to with SACD and DVD audio supposedly on the way.

In any event, going from the 8 (discontinued) to the 8 SE gives you: more information presented in an much more analogue and life-like manner, voices and lyrics are rendered in a clearer, easier to understand fashion, bass is fuller and more extended, and treble info is cleaner and less tizzy. Everything is fuller and more lifelike than with the plain 8. The 8 SE has a real sense of "slam" that the 8 did not and all of this applies to non-HDCD as well as HDCD encoded discs. The really amazing thing to me was how much "smoother" and less fatiguing the sound became, as well as a perceived improvement in rythym and timing (I always have had great skepticism about this, at least in terms of CD players, but this player is really the first one that has made me sit up and take notice of this!). This is a very "musical" player.

What I had thought was a problem with my amplifier (aggresive, edgy sound) was indeed a problem with my front end. Don't get me wrong-I was very happy with both the 7 & 8, both excellent products, but this move to the SE has been very worthwhile (as well as cost effective) and tells me that, in terms of my system, the CD front end continues to be where improvements should be made. Bravo to Arcam for making upgradeable, quality products. Highly recommended.

System:

Michell Gyro Turntable with FT-3 arm and Ortofon MC-20 Super
Audiolab 8000 A amplifier with Cardas Golden power cord
Elipson 1313 Speakers
Kimber Hero interconnect and Kimber 8TC speaker cable
Arcam Alpha 8SE CD player plugged into Inouye Line Conditioner

clarity and detail

possibly a tad too revealing and lacks warms with treble-intensive material

Bought my Alpha 8 online used, and it was the best electronics purchase I've made to date. It replaced a mid-fi carousel changer (still doing duty for dinner parties), and the difference is quite noticeable to me (although I can't understand how my girlfriend doesn't seem to get why anyone would pay over $400 for a CD player).

I really like the level of detail that the Arcam brings to music I've heard hundreds of times before. It's like a breath of new life to old favorites.

But after testing other Arcam players, I'm not sure if I should upgrade to the SE or even 9. I've heard the 9 is night and day to the 8. If anyone has any thoughts on the upgrade route, I'd appreciate an email.

Similar Products Used:

other arcam players and 3 year old Sony ES

GREAT DETAIL,STRONG BASS, HDCD DECODING.

ITS NOT THE ALPHA 9

I RECENTLY HAD MY ALPHA 7SE UPGRADED TO THE 8SE AND IT IS ABSOLUTLY FANTASTIC!!, SCREW THE NAYSAYERS, I HAVE HEARD CD PLAYERS LIKE THE THETA AND THE WADIA THAT DO SOUND BETTER, BUT NOT BY MUCH. AND FOR THREE TO FIVE TIMES THE PRICE, WHO WANTS THEM ANYWAY, I AM NOT A RICH AUDIOPHILE, BUT I AM AN AUDIOPHILE NONE THE LESS, AND I KNOW GOOD SOUND. SO I GIVE THE 8SE FOUR STARS OVERALL (ONLY BECAUSE ITS NOT THE 9), AND I GIVE IT FIVE STARS FOR VALUE.

Similar Products Used:

ARCAM ALPHA 7SE,SONY CDX-220,SONY DVP-550

HDCD DECODING.VERSITLE SCREEN DISLAY AND MODULAR UPGRADE PATH

FLIMSY BUILD

I FOLLOWED THE UPGRADE PATH WITH THIS PLAYER. THE ALPHA 7 WAS MATCHED WITH ALPHA 8 AMP AND VAF DC-X SPEAKERS. CHANGING TO THE ALPHA 8 MODULE BROUGHT MORE FOCUSE, BETTER BASS; A MUCH RICHER SOUND.AS THE 8SE DAC WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT THE TIME,I SOLD THE PLAYER TO A FRIEND AND BROUGHT A COMPLETE 8SE PLAYER WHICH HAD ONLY JUST ARIVED TO THE COUNTRY.WOW!!ANOTHER DIMENSION TO THE WHOLE PICTURE.I UPGRADED THE 8 AMP TO A KRELL 300i. WITH HDCD I WAS IN A HOLLOGRAM OF SOUND.I AM SURE A WADIA OR KRELL CD PLAYER WOULD EAT IT FOR LUNCH. BUT AT 10 OR 20 TIMES THE PRICE SO THEY SHOULD! I AM VERY SATISFIED WITH THE ALPHA 8SE. THE ONLY REASON I HAVE NOT UPGRADED TO THE 9 IS THE POSSIBLE SCAD OR DVD-A FORMAT ARIVING SOON.THE ALPHA 8SE IS CURRENTLY DRIVING CARVER 760x TO MARTIN LOGAN MONOLITH 111 TO GREAT EFFECT.

Similar Products Used:

ALFA 7 & 8

Richness, warmth, powerful bass

Plasticky finish

I've got a Alpha 8 system - 8R & P biamping Monitor Audio MA14's and the 8 CD player. I upgraded the CD first, from a Technics multiplayer, having listened to the Arcam and a Marantz CD63-KISIG. Didn't like the Marantz at all, I found it flat and clinical. But when they plugged in the Alpha 8, everything sounded much fuller and richer (which is how I like my music) and I knew this was the one.

I love this CD player, just wish the build was a little more solid. Give it a try - I love the sound of the guitars on Paul Weller's 'Wildwood' album, or try 'Music For The Jilted Generation' by the Prodigy for really slamming techno

Bought my Alpha a couple of fmonths ago after a lot of shopping, reading and listening. Certainly, there are better sounding amps out there but it is difficult to get in to even the beginning of "high end" sound for this price.
A little "muddy" on the bottom end perhaps but very musical and has the current to drive some pretty serious speakers without being too far out of it's element. These days, this is a good started amp for those who want to move up in speakers and not have to shell out thousands for power.

I listen to classical, my wife likes country and the kids like anything loud. $ for $, this little amp does it all pretty well. I'm impressed and would reommend it.

Warm sound, HDCD decoder on the 8se, 2 pairs of RCA outputs, decent built quality for the price, 3 levels of display and upgradable !

Cheap remote control (even if it don't affect the sound !)

I recently bought the Alpha 8SE and so far I'm really happy with it. Worth every penny. The build quality is not that bad and I like the sleek styling. The mechanism is pretty good and smooth. I'm still in the breaking period but I can say that it is a nice improvement over my old Technics CD player. The sound is warm, nicely detailed and alive. It is also upgradable !

Five stars for the 8se.

My equipment:

Sim Audio Moon I-5 integrated amp
Arcam Alpha 8se CD player
Totem Acoustic Model One Signature speakers
Nordost Solar Wind interconnect
Nordost Solar Wind speaker cables (bi-wire)

Similar Products Used:

similar: None (this is an upgrade from my Technics CD player)

Lively, dynamic, detailed without being harsh, excellent bass, good instrumental timbres, resolves large scale music well, can easily & affordably upgrade to Alpha 9 and beyond

No variable output for direct to amplifier balanced connection.

Although the Alpha 8 is now discontinued (replaced by 8SE with HDCD decoding) it is still a fine player. If you can find one used, you should snap it up and get ready for many hours of musical pleasure.

My listening is about 60% classical (large/small scale orchestral, chamber, baroque, vocal, opera), 25% rock/pop (everything from Beatles to Clash to Lyle Lovett to Oasis - no metal, rap or techno) and 15% "other" (jazz, celtic, folk, world). Components in my system must be able to handle it all. Violins must sound like violins, vocals must be natural, rock 'n roll should boogie.

On my dream list were players like the Resolution Audio, Wadia 860 etc. etc. Not in my budget. A player that was also out of my range that I really liked was a friend's Meridian 508. Reading reviews in audio mags and on the net I felt that the Arcam Alpha 9 might be what I was looking for. I auditioned one and was very impressed - not much difference between the 9 and players costing 2-3 times as much. However, still a budget stretch for me at the time.

Voila! Arcam players can be easily upgraded, so I took a chance and bought the Alpha 8 for half price on the web a few months back. And I've been happy with that decision ever since. This is an excellent player, somewhat overlooked in the shadow of the wonderful Alpha 9. The Alpha 8 simply brings the music to life; it's suave enough to handle complex orchestral passages, delicate vocals, acoustic music, et al and yet it's also capable of getting down with rock and reggae. Talk about pace and rhythm - this player has it in spades. It's smooth but not dull.

Unlike some other posters here, I do not think the SE version (auditioned after I had purchased the Alpha 8)to be the better player, finding it not as dynamic or engaging as the Alpha 8. (Your ears may tell you something different.) Since I don't own many HDCDs, I can live quite happily without this feature until I upgrade to the 9 or whatever other new module the magicians at Arcam come up with. (Check review of Alpha 7, 8, 8SE and 9, in Stereopile-oops, I mean Stereophile- January '99 for an excellent summary of each player's strengths/weaknesses. I can't believe I'm agreeing with Stereowhatever but I am in this case.)

Other players I listened to while each good in its way - various Rotels, Marantz, Rega Planet - just didn't provide the same bang for the buck for me as the Arcams. I considered the Ah!Tjoeb machine, but decided I was more comfortable with a player that had a local dealer.

Yes, the Alpha 9 has more "air" plus a more refined treble, but for the bucks, you can't go wrong with the Alpha 8. Although it can be just the ticket in budget systems (and that's how I classify mine), it will really shine with quality interconnects and associated equipment.

If you're looking for an affordable MUSICAL player, give the Arcams an audition. (Note that the rating for the Alpha 8 includes several low scores for the Alpha 8 AMPLIFIER, NOT THIS PLAYER, which makes the rating inaccurate as applied to the 8 CD player. I give it a top rating for sound and value in its class.) Several reviews take Arcam to task for their "plain, black plastic box" styling. I don't mind. In this case, it's what's on the inside that really counts.

Associated Equipment:
Alpha 8 CD Player
Rogue 66 Preamp
B&K ST1400
Spica TC 60s on 24" spiked stands
Nordost Red Dawn Interconnect
Straightwire Maestro II Speaker Cable
Panamax 1000+ Line Conditioner
Radio Shack RF Blockers

Similar Products Used:

Meridian 508, Rega Planet, Theta Miles, various Rotels