We were going to get the Alpha 8 amp until we heard the Alpha 9. It is the same style and flavor of sound as the 8 but the bass response is much better, tighter and more energetic. However for a little more money you can get the NAIM nait 3 amp which has an even better sound (more pure) but less power. In summary an amp with versatile controls, inputs + outputs, a very enjoyable sound, clean, detailed, good dynamic response all at a reasonable price. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to audition amps from Muscial Fidelity.Amp fed by Alpha 8 CD connected by cable talk interconnects. Bi Wired with Cable talk spearker wire to Paradigm Studio 20 speakers

I've been living with the new Arcam Alpha 9 integrated amplifier ($1000)for over a month now, and have been happy with my purchase. I hope the comments below are useful to integrated amp (or inexpensive separates) shoppers.
The Alpha 9 is the replacement for the S'phile Class-B rated Delta 290, and it appears to be largely the same amp. The changes are partly aesthetic and partly functional. The aesthetic changes make the amp more conventional looking than the 290, but not unattractive; the black-faceplate with gold lettering is nice. The functional changes are the unfortunate dropping of a mono switch (I've already missed it several times) replaced by an external processor switch (for those who plan to add an external AC-3 decoder for movie watching, and still use the Arcam for front-channel amplification -- a tiny fraction of the Alpha 9's buying public, I'd wager).
The remote control is cheap but handy, letting you switch inputs and adjust volume (but not balance, unfortunately). It also lets you control an Arcam tuner or CD player -- or, as in my case, a Marantz. The good news is I've been able to pack away my CD-63SE remote; the bad news is that when I adjust volume while playing a CD, *both* machines respond simultaneously, making fine-grained adjustments (at least downward) impossible via the remote.
The amp has tone controls, that provide useful boosts or cuts at 100 hz and 10Khz respectively. There is a penalty for using them, though: the tone control circuit introduces A LOT of noise, compared with the ultra-quiet direct mode.

SOUND: tonally neutral from mid-bass up, with highs that are not rolled-off but significantly sweeter than my previous solid state components. Very little grain & glare, lots of detail. Soundstaging isn't pinpoint in L-R terms, but nothing I've paired with my speakers has done that yet. Compared with Adcom's 565 preamp and 5300 amp, which I tried out before the Arcam, the Arcam presents a more realistic soundstage with much more of the acoustic of the recording venue audible. Decays are longer and more natural sounding; I feel much more like I can tell what kind of hall the recording was made in. Depth is good but not great, again something my speakers haven't done better with other amps in any case.
I bought the optional phono stage for $100, unchanged from that of the Delta 290. Listening to its MM side, it is very quiet and neutral. Some resolution seems lost compared to the plain line stage, but since LPs sound better to begin with, it's only fair that CDs get this slight edge. :-)
The bad news is in the low- to mid-bass: it's on the weak side. Slam, chest-thumping notes and low bass plucks were louder and more forceful with the Adcom equipment. To be fair, though, all these sounds are cleaner and more distinct, better individuated with the Arcam than with the Adcoms. Low bass tended more to a one-note character with the Adcoms. The Alpha 9's better resolution here is not just a function of straining the speakers less, or rolling off the low bass entirely. The deepest notes are still there with the Arcam (S'phile's test CD 2 confirmed that for me), and the higher-resolution effect is independent of volume; it's just that with the Arcam, *all* bass notes are cleaner and more distinct, but a bit lower in level than what you get from the American amps.

Conclusion: for those with speakers that have plentiful bass, the Alpha 9 may be a dream come true, offering high-end sound with great control features and flexibility, at a reasonable price.

System: Marantz CD-63SE, AQ Topaz wired to amp; Mission 770 Freedom speakers on Mission stands, wired with XLO cheap speaker wire; Denon DP-45 turntable with Goldring 1042 cartridge; power thru Adcom ACE 515 line conditioner.

I generally agree that the Arcam Alpha 9 sounds quite wonderful with my new B&W 804. However, I have two minor problems with it:
1. the tone controls and balance control introduce too much hiss to be useful. Not that I want to use them, but ...

2. the volume control tends to pull the sound to the left when the setting approaches the minimum. This happened on all three Arcam Alpha 9's the dealer courteously allowed me to try at home. This problem affects my music listening at night, when I turn the volume way down.

Conclusion: Though I love the sound, I have some doubts regarding the design/marketing decisions made (very noisy tone/balance circult - might as well remove it) and parts quality (imprecise volume control).

Hopefully someone at Arcam will see this and try to do something to address these problems; because otherwise it is a very good amplifier. I am considering other amplifiers because of problem #2.

Hello,I m not a professional but i love music.
Well I want to have a opinion about the material that i ll bought soon.
With the alpha 9 the sellers says me that i put a cd marantz 63 KI and B&W 803 for loudspeakers.
Is it a good choice, good compromi, and if you have an others materials for me I ll be happy to have a reply.
Thanks you for reading it.



Sorry for my english

Arcam Alpha 9 and Acoustic Energy 109 Speakers
I would like to endorse Carl Hoefer's comments regarding the Alpha 9.

Firstly my tastes together with my family's range from pop through jazz and rock to opera and classics.

I set out to replace my ageing, and less than satisfactory, speakers and having tried several pairs went for the AE109s. These represent exceptional value and can be compared favourably with models costing twice as much. My local Hi Fi shop, Technosound, were brilliant and allowed me to borrow several pairs for comparison and trial at home, believe me there is no other way to do it.

It became clear the amp was not up to the job and needed replacing and again Tecnosound obliged with several amps on loan over a period of 6 weeks. During this period the speakers were on order and constantly delayed due to their popularity. I tried the following and my opinions are given against each:

Audiolab 8000A - detailed and analytical but too thin especially on vocals;
Technics 900 mk2 - made a hash of almost everything I threw at it;
Arcam Alpha 8 - over warm, accentuated the mid and upper bass making it sound bloated;
Rotel 970BX pre and power - good compromise, but treble a little suspect, however, my second choice;
Arcam Alpha 9 - good extended bass but not bloated, sweet treble but probably lacking in a little detail.

Having got the pair home and powered up it sounded awful with the treble sounding brittle, but after running in for a week it gradually improved and it now sounds excellent.

A word of advice. Involve your partner in the buying process, they enjoy it, reluctantly to start with in the case of my wife, and you get approval to spend a lot more on better gear as they hear the differnce for the extra cash.

Overall the Arcam Alpha 9 is an excellent partner to the AE109s across a wide range of music which is no mean feat.

Please send me information about Arcam Products, esp. about the upgrade ofthe Alpha 5 plus CD Player

Sascha Hartung
Schäferkampsallee 21
20357 Hamburg
Germany

I agree with everything Adrian from London says about the 9 biamped with the 9p. The combination is simply perfect! I use Arcam 9 CD-player and System Audio 1070 speakers. As interconnects and speaker cable I use the Nordost Black Knight and Nordost Flatline Gold. The system might lack some bass but the rest is simply stunning.I couldn't find any other combination for the same price giving me the openness and clarity as well as the details this system gives me.I also agree that Miission is a very good speaker for the 9 and 9p for the one that really want bass - but for openness and clarity System Audio turned out to be my preferable choice.

Very musical, full natural sound, phono board

Crosstalk problem at low volumes, mute only available through remote, noisy eq section

After owning this amp for a year I have no complaints. The crosstalk problem at low volumes is not that big of a deal, it is there, but who listens to their stereo at the minimum volume setting anyway. I have Alpha 9 driving two sets of speakers a fair amount of the time and it does it with no problems whatsoever. I would say that it is a very reliable amp that sounds just great. The sound is very detailed, lacks a bit of bass but you can solve that with a subwoofer if you want. Personally I see no need to listeing to classical/jazz/classic rock, and the 75w/c has always been more than enough for me.

I see some complaints about the build quality but personally I have no issues with it at all. It's solid enough and the face is really not as ugly as some people like to complain.

The remote is functional but a laid out a bit wierd and I find the Arcam remotes to have a sort of cheap feeling to them. Not a big deal really.

If the Alpha 9 is in the price range you are looking at and you like the design ethic & sound of British components, I say get one.

System:
Arcam Alpha 9 Int Amp
Arcam Alpha 8 CD
Sony WA7-ESA Tape
Yamaha TX-492 Tuner
Phillips 212 Phono
B&W 602s2 w/Audioquest Cables
SIlver Audio Interconnects