It's just such a systems approach that Arcam used in their attempt to satisfy…
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Although audiophiles may muster little enthusiasm for the home-theater-driven audio marketplace of the 21st century, its prerequisites have inspired manufacturers to cram as wide a range of flexible programming features into as highly resolved a set of performance packages as possible. Thus we're now witnessing a new generation of exceptionally musical electronics with high-end performance targeted at two-channel enthusiasts, but all primped and prepped for integration into an expanded audio-video rig.
Quiet as it's Kept
I could readily appreciate the appeal of the Arcam A85's programming features, though they were largely irrelevant to this two-channel devotee's enjoyment of the sound. Still, I messed around a bit with the basic control functions, accessed by pushing the remote's Select button. The A85's tone controls were subtle and transparent: Bass added a touch of impact to the sound without exciting any ultra-low-bass colorations or upper-bass murk, while Treble contributed extra presence; only in its most cranked position did I perceive an increase in brightness.
I could readily appreciate the appeal of the Arcam A85's programming features, though they were largely irrelevant to this two-channel devotee's enjoyment of the sound. Still, I messed around a bit with the basic control functions, accessed by pushing the remote's Select button. The A85's tone controls were subtle and transparent: Bass added a touch of impact to the sound without exciting any ultra-low-bass colorations or upper-bass murk, while Treble contributed extra presence; only in its most cranked position did I perceive an increase in brightness.
The more…
However, the A85's ease and smoothness were intoxicating in their own way. Politeness shouldn't be mistaken for reticence; for all its prissiness with small gestures, this DiVA never demurred in the face of large-scale crescendos and demands for sudden bursts of power. It was telling how well the A85 sorted out all the little textural and percussive nuances of Jascha Heifetz's bowing while maintaining the distinction between his dynamic foreground presence and that of the supporting orchestra on the superb new JVC XRCD remastering of the famous 1950s RCA Red Seal recording of Tchaikovsky's…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Remote-controlled integrated amplifier. Inputs: 7 line-level: 2 Tape In/Rec Out (one can double as a VCR or second audio tape source), Power In/Pre Out, optional MM/MC cartridge module. Voltage selector and trigger out. Two sets of speaker terminals configured to British Federation of Audio standards. Power output: 85Wpc continuous average power into 8 ohms (19.3dBW), both channels driven. Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz, ±0.25dB. Distortion (80% power at 1kHz): 0.005%. Nominal preamp output level and output impedance: 700mV; ±3 ohms. Line and tape…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: Rega Planar P25 turntable, RB600 tonearm, Grado Statement Master cartridge.
Digital source: Sony SCD-777ES SACD player, California Audio Labs CL-20 DVD/CD player, Musical Fidelity A3 and Arcam DiVA CD92 CD players.
Preamplification: Blue Circle BC23 phono preamplifier; Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista, Blue Circle B3 Galatea, VTL 5.5.
Power amplifiers: Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 300, Mesa Baron, VTL MB-450.
Integrated amplifiers: Mesa Tigris, Musical Fidelity A3, Linn Classik, Simaudio I-5.
Loudspeakers: Meadowlark Shearwater Hot Rod…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Having measured a number of idiosyncratic tube amplifiers in the last few issues, I was pleased to get a straightforward solid-state design on the test bench. With its volume control set to its maximum, the Arcam DiVA A85's voltage gain into 8 ohms was a sensible 32.5dB. (So many integrated amplifiers offer far too much gain for any practical combination of source and loudspeaker.) At this volume-control setting, the A85 clips with a 600mV input level, which is well within the reach of any modern source component I can think of. Its input impedance at 1kHz was a…
The innocuous nature of low-order harmonics present in an amplifier's output depends on there not being high levels of intermodulation distortion. This was true of the Arcam; fig.6 shows that, even close to the clipping point with the punishing 1:1 mix of 19kHz and 20kHz tones, the 1kHz difference product remained below -80dB (0.01%). However, the higher-order products at 18kHz and 21kHz did rise in level as the load impedance dropped, which suggests that those admittedly rare speakers that drop to 2 ohms and below at high frequencies are perhaps best avoided.
Fig.6 Arcam DiVA…
Because I'm suspicious of just twiddling knobs to make the sound "nice," I didn't rely solely on my ears when I used the Z-Systems rdp-1 that I review elsewhere in this issue for speaker and room contouring. Instead, I used the ETF speaker/room-analysis software from Acoustisoft to help me manipulate the equalizer properly. This program can measure the first-arrival, on-axis speaker response, as well as the room response with its early and late reflections and its resonances.
Without the visual and objective feedback that ETF provides, each adjustment would have required extended…
Back in 1992, Robert Harley's Stereophile review of the McCormack DNA-1 and Parasound HCA-2200 amplifiers (April 1992, Vol.15 No.4) and the accompanying technical measurements piqued my interest. So, with great curiosity, I arranged to borrow a DNA-1 to audition, along with competitive amps from Aragon, Bryston, and PS Audio. They were all a leap ahead of my Adcom GFA-555, but it took an act of great courage to accept that, despite its less-than-stellar measured performance, the DNA-1 was my favorite. The bottom line was that the DNA-1 excelled at driving my Apogee Duettas to make lively and…
The DNA-225 is a bear. Not since the pricier Simaudio W-5 had I used a single-chassis amp of such seemingly unlimited power. I used the DNA-225 with the Revel Studios, and the combination was capable of clean sound at unconscionable, painful, downright unneighborly levels way beyond what I could tolerate with the original DNA-1. Large dynamic shifts could be enormous, as was apparent with Mahler's Symphony 6 (Glen Cortese/Manhattan School of Music Orchestra, Titanic Ti-257). If I listened to the piquant details in quiet sections at reasonable levels, the louder portions demanded—and achieved…