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Post by Slinger on Oct 11, 2021 14:48:58 GMT
Unexpected, as in, I wasn't actually looking to buy an amp, especially one of these " all singing, all dancing" affairs. Short version, I was perusing eBay, as I often do, and was having a look at Arcam kit. I've always had a soft spot for it, reaching right back to my Alpha 2, bought new from Sevenoaks, in Sevenoaks, when they only had the one shop, which was the one in Sevenoaks. I've had an Alpha 8 and 8p combo, and an A75, and an Alpha 9 CD player that I wish I'd held onto for longer. In short, happy memories. Damn you Peter Tyson and your " Manufacturer Refurbished - Arcam SA10" and damn you eBay for the " £75.00 off coupon" that you offered me. They're selling everywhere at between £699 - £750ish. Richer have them for £735.00 I bought mine for £450.00 delivered. Peter Tyson's website says they still have one in stock, but afaik I grabbed the last one, which is why it was a rather sudden acquisition.    It's networked, so can be controlled (apparently) from my PC or via an app on a phone/tablet. Arcam's phono inputs have always been pretty decent too. I shall have a shoot-out between the internal DAC and my new Vincent. If the internal DAC proves to be a winner I can probably make most of the cost of the amp back by selling the Vincent DAC I bought a few weeks ago. The only serious "downside" I could find from reading loads of reviews was that the bass was a bit iffy when using the analogue inputs, but (keeping my fingers crossed for the internal DAC) hopefully I'll only be using two of the digital inputs. In true Arcam tradition there's a headphone socket on the front, which I expect to be decent, and if it pans out that the internal DAC is good enough then all I'll need is this amp and, eventually, a CD transport, so I can sell my Primare Amp and CD to hopefully cover the rest of the cost of the SA-10, plus a CD transport, probably a Cambridge Audio CXC. I shouldn't have done it, but I had to do it. £450.00 was simply too good a price to turn down, and although it's " manufacturer refurbished" it will make a change from buying kit that's 5 or 10 years old. QUICK REVIEWAnnoying bloke, but an interesting look at some of the internals. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Oct 11, 2021 16:10:17 GMT
We await your fullest, most detailed critique old chap
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Post by brian2957 on Oct 11, 2021 16:58:51 GMT
Hahaha...nice one Paul  Dam you peter Tyson indeed. I've just bought a brand new Audiolab 6000CDT transport off them on Ebay with 20% ( £75) off. Looks like I got the last one and SWMBO wasn't there to hold me back. Not allowed it until Christmas though  |
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Post by Slinger on Oct 11, 2021 17:48:50 GMT
I get to play with my new toy on Wednesday, hopefully. That Tyson bloke has got a lot to answer for though, Brian  |
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Post by brian2957 on Oct 11, 2021 18:55:04 GMT
Aye, if the wife ever gets her hands on him......  Christmas will do for me mate Enjoy your new amp |
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Post by julesd68 on Oct 11, 2021 20:28:12 GMT
I've just bought a brand new Audiolab 6000CDT transport off them on Ebay with 20% ( £75) off. Let us know how the Audiolab works out please Brian, I have a friend interested in that model ... |
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Post by brettj on Oct 11, 2021 20:59:56 GMT
Unexpected amps pop up sometimes.
For some reason I have 10 amps.
And 4 portable amps.
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Post by ChrisB on Oct 12, 2021 6:06:03 GMT
Nice.
An unexpected amp! Sounds like you will always be surprised when you see it. Will you be placing it on an occasional table?
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Post by brian2957 on Oct 12, 2021 8:26:13 GMT
I've just bought a brand new Audiolab 6000CDT transport off them on Ebay with 20% ( £75) off. Let us know how the Audiolab works out please Brian, I have a friend interested in that model ... Could be Christmas for that one Jules. Unless the family goes out for the day without me of course Two of my mates ( Scottish Mafia types ) whose ears I trust, have bought them and love them. One says it's probably one of the best pieces of equipment he has bought, and he has some tasty gear |
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Post by julesd68 on Oct 12, 2021 10:05:10 GMT
Let us know how the Audiolab works out please Brian, I have a friend interested in that model ... Could be Christmas for that one Jules. Unless the family goes out for the day without me of course Two of my mates ( Scottish Mafia types ) whose ears I trust, have bought them and love them. One says it's probably one of the best pieces of equipment he has bought, and he has some tasty gear A Mafia seal of approval!  Must be propa gear. |
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Post by Slinger on Oct 12, 2021 14:53:05 GMT
Nice. An unexpected amp! Sounds like you will always be surprised when you see it. Will you be placing it on an occasional table? Occasional table, irregular supports, and with the way things are going in this country, sporadic mains power over the winter months, Chris. |
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Post by Slinger on Oct 12, 2021 14:57:45 GMT
julesd68 savvypaul at HFS also favours the Audiolab over the Cambridge CXC. He found it to be "... a good deal better than the Cambridge for only a little extra." with the usual " YMMV" caveat, obviously.
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Post by mansie on Oct 12, 2021 15:08:48 GMT
When I entered the hifi hobby again 3 years ago, I had a home demo of the following two systems:
Arcam SA10 amplifier + Arcam CDS50 CD/SACD Network Player + Revel Concerta2 M16 speakers
Audiolab 6000A Amplifier + Audiolab 6000CDT CD transport + Revel Concerta2 M16 speakers
Both systems would retail for ~£2000.
My preconceived idea was that the Arcam system would sound better but unfortunately I found it sounding a bit flat. The Audiolab system sounded more lively, dynamic and fun. Its difficult to judge new components after just a few hours listening and I really liked the design and features of the Arcam. In the end the Audiolab won on sound quality for me. I didn't know at the time whether this was down to DAC, CD or Amplifier, or whether the components just needed more run-in time before they sound better. The kind gentleman from Analogueseduction, who organised the demo, thought that the difference was down to differences in electronic "house sound" between the two brands. From the number of reviews that the Audiolab system got on Richersounds, as compared to Arcam, I get the impression I was not alone in my preference for Audiolab.
After reading some reviews I have come to the understanding that the main difference is in the Audiolab 6000CDT, it is so good that it could figure in a much more high-end system. Indeed I upgraded many of the components since: amplifier (Norma Revo IPA-70), cables (Ricable), DAC (Schiit Bifrost 2) Speakers (Triangle Comete 40th) and I still don't think the Audiolab 6000CDT is a bottleneck.
Anyway, I wish you all the best with your Arcam SA10. Paired with a different speaker and in a different environment (mains filter, cables) it might sound better than it did for me.
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Post by julesd68 on Oct 12, 2021 15:10:47 GMT
Nice. An unexpected amp! Sounds like you will always be surprised when you see it. Will you be placing it on an occasional table? No, it's unusually good. |
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Post by julesd68 on Oct 12, 2021 15:11:35 GMT
julesd68 savvypaul at HFS also favours the Audiolab over the Cambridge CXC. He found it to be "... a good deal better than the Cambridge for only a little extra." with the usual " YMMV" caveat, obviously. Thanks Paul, looks like the Audioflab is the one then. |
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Post by Slinger on Oct 13, 2021 13:11:27 GMT
It's arrived. Thanks to DPD for the wonderful photo-proof. I thought he captured my walking stick quite well.   I am now going to have a (very) light lunch, and head back to bed as I'm feeling - as my mother would say - like " death warmed up". My digestive problems chose last nigh to have one of their periodic relapses. Probably not the cause, but I can't see me having the rest of the Moroccan meatballs I cooked yesterday for dinner this evening. " Something" on toast seems favourite. The " something" possibly just being possibly another slice of toast. There will be no playing with the new toy today.  |
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Post by brian2957 on Oct 13, 2021 13:55:52 GMT
Well I managed to convince the wife that the Audiolab 6000cdt would have to be 'tested' before being put away for Christmas. So I unboxed it and was immediately surprised by the weight of the transport. Certainly, I had difficulty lifting it with just one hand. I placed it on my hifi rack and wired it up. I then put batteries in the well made remote. First impressions are that this thing (CDT and remote) feels very well made. The CDT sucks the disc in quietly and the readout swiftly lights up. First CD to be played was James Tayloy JT. Very detailed , smooth , and musical was the verdict. Second CD was Paul Simon's Greatest Hits. Again, it sounded powerful, smooth and very detailed. TBH I'm very pleased with my choice here. I only played a couple of very familiar tracks from each CD but the playback was excellent. I was only using a cheap DAC here (£70) however, SQ was excellent and I'm sure a better DAC would pay dividends. First impressions, if I was to describe the SQ in a couple of words I would say it was on the 'warm, analogue' side, however I'm sure that this will change with use or possibly changing the DAC or cables. Hope this helps. PS Sorry for hijacking your thread Paul. Hope you're feeling better. Enjoy the amp |
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Post by MikeMusic on Oct 13, 2021 15:22:55 GMT
Get better soon SlingerI'm not up to much today but glad to say only washed out. Probably post ear infection |
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Post by John on Oct 13, 2021 17:24:50 GMT
Take it easy Paul
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Post by Mr Whippy on Oct 13, 2021 17:34:15 GMT
Hope you wake up tomorrow Paul feeling somewhat better.
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Dam you peter Tyson indeed. I've just bought a brand new Audiolab 6000CDT transport off them on Ebay with 20% ( £75) off. Looks like I got the last one and SWMBO wasn't there to hold me back. Not allowed it until Christmas though 
