Looks, stereo soundstaging

Not huge power reserves

OK So I am comparing it with a cheaper Sherwood R-725 home cinema amp, which is frankly ridiculous, but you'd be surprised at how well the Sherwood compares.

The main difference is that the soundstaging of the Arcam is much better and the whole sound is more lively.

For the money I paid for both (Sherwood £150, Arcam £430) The Arcam is definitely not £300 better. My Yamaha NS-200s (£300) are a fair match, butI admit, however, to using my computer + Soundblaster Live and using MP3 (mostly encoded at twice the rate of supposed 'CD' quality) as my main input. I'll come back if I buy a new CD player. For now, the Arcam goes back to the shop, which is a shame because it looked so nice...

Similar Products Used:

Sherwood R-725

Great looks, build quality, warm sound, upgradability, source direct, decent phono stage, two sets of speaker terminals

Remote can't switch unit off - but that's all

This is a cracking Arcam amp and a big improvement over the Alpha range both in terms of build quality and sound. The A75 has been designed for use with Arcam's CD72 CD player in mind, for optimal system synergy, but there is nothing stopping you from using it with any decent CD player in the £400-£500 price bracket. I use mine with a CD72 and it's a cracking combination - both in terms of looks and sound.

The remote allows for input switching and volume control but not the ability to switch the unit off (this is the same with the CD72) and it's my only niggle with what is otherwise and outstanding product for the money. The amp is built like a tank and shares the same classy design as the more expensive amps in Arcam's range. The A75 can also be upgraded to an A85 at a later date, thus futureproofing your purchase for many years to come. A bit of a no brainer really.

The amp features a source direct switch (which cancels out the tone/balance controls) which improves sound quality and more than enough inputs are provided, including a decent phono stage for vinyl replay.

The fact that a phono stage is found on a modern amp like this is no bad thing but the fact that it's a decent one means that Arcam deserve some credit here for taking the trouble to satisfy vinyl junkies like myself and taking away the hassle (and cost) of buying a separate phono stage. Another clever feature is that, if you have no turntable but need to use the phono input, you can switch it for standatd line input use. Very neat.

The sound of this amp is big, with glorious midrange and really full bass. Sounds great with anything you play but does need a couple of weeks to run in. All in in this is an excellent amp for the money and, when paired up with Arcam's CD72 and a decent pair of speakers, makes a great system.

Superb sound quality, fantastic features, looks great. I am blissfully happy!

A bit fiddly to attach the speaker leads, especially for bi-wiring. The remote control won't switch the machine off. The remote control doesn't appear to control the basic features of the DV88.

I am using the A75 as my amp in an A/V set up incorporating a Sony WEGA Trinitron TV, Atcam DV88 DVD player and Mission 773e speakers - no surround sound malarky as yet, just great stereo.

This is the first 'proper' HiFi system I have owned so in terms of comparison, I don't really have a point of reference. So all I can say is, that it sounds absolutely superb and works perfectly with the DV88 for both music and movies.

I tried quite a few amp/speaker combinations and took quite a lot of advice from various sources before hitting on this one, and have not yet had any cause to regret my choices. I would definitely recommend giving it a listen.

Sound and speed

So good I may never want to upgrade!

I am using this biamped with the old 8P and the new Diva CD72 with Ruark Sceptre speakers. The clarity, drive and soundstaging are remarkable and having spent last night playing some Happy Mondays, Orbital, the new Basement Jaxx and some old skool stuff, I think can say that the combination just gets on with any type of music.The separation of the components of the music is great - you can pick out want you want to hear but the whole never sounds disjointed or rushed.
Very impressive and hard to envisage how the sound could be improved without spending a fortune - I'm happy!

Similar Products Used:

Arcam 7