- Fantastic sound. Very articulate bass and great midrange. - Attractive looking. - Well built. - Very quiet operating amp (i.e. no audible speaker hum, no fan noise -> no fan, no noisy volume control -> digital volume control and not a motorized vol. potentiometer).

- Limited volume output may restrict it's use to small to medium sized room and/or relatively efficient speakers. I would of prefered it if Arcam eliminated some of the amp's numerous features (eg. balance control, tone control, tape loop, headphone jack, 12V trigger, 2nd set of speaker outputs, etc.) for a larger transformer.

I was just casually looking around for an amp. but when I heard the Arcam DiVA A85 at a local dealer, I couldn't believe the sound that was being produced. To ensure that it wasn't the rest of the system contributing mainly to the sound, I listened to the NAD C370 and the Bryston B60R connected to the same equipment. There was a significant sound difference between the A85 and the C370 (yes, the A85 sounded better but at about 2 1/2 times the cost of the C370), but what surprised me was that the A85 was better than the B60R and yet the A85 was $200 cheaper. My next sound test was when I took my Carver M-200t power amp. and the Carver C-1 pre-amp. to the dealer for a comparison with the A85. The sound of the A85 was superior to the Carver in every way. The bass of the A85 is extremely articulate. I was in the process of putting bass traps in my room but found this to be unnecessary once the A85 was hooked up in my listening room. The midrange is 2nd to none. Very spacious sounding. I found the high frequencies a bit laid back but this was never disturbing to any great extent. I do admit that I was a bit shocked at the lack of power produced by the A85. To obtain a decent amount of volume the A85 had to be cranked up to about 80% of it's max. setting. Any settings above 90% and the sound started to deteriorate. To offset this problem, one has to set the input trim to max. This seems to add about 8db of loudness to the amp. This may seem to defeat the purpose of the input trim but is a must to get adequate volume from the amp.

Similar Products Used:

- Owned Carver M-200t amp. and C-1 Pre-amp. and other unmentionables (eg Sony, etc.) - Auditioned NAD C370 and Bryston B60R.

extremely flexable great sound

not overly powerful

the best amp at this price range with all the features anyone could ask for

Details.

Ok with book shelf speakers. Floor standing speakers need more power !!

For me, this amp is not the best choice. It has details all right but does not possess the power of the Separates. I 've been used Adcom separates for a long time matched to Kef 104.2. About a month ago I've sold my Kef replaced by new B&W cdm7t. Matching Arcam to B&W does not satisfy at all. I have read all the stuffs about burnt-in period of both system. A month is not a short time for a try-out. Now I am releasing this uint without regrets...

Similar Products Used:

Adcom 555II ( pre + power )

Clarity, punch, dynamics, extension, drive

Can be a bit reserved with certain material, but never alarmingly so

THE integrated amp to own at this price level. After coming close but failing to get the 2-channel sound I wanted from HT gear, I started listening to integrated stereo amps. I started with two different Jolida tube amps, which were really lovely to listen to in the midrange, but too weak in bass and dynamics to fully satisfy me. I was about to buy a Portal Panache when the seller noticed a problem and canceled the sale. This gave me all the excuse I would need to try something else until another Panache was located. Enter the A85. Exit thoughts of the Portal for now. The Arcam is exactly what I've been looking for! From highs to lows, the sound is balanced without being boring, and paired with my Jolida JD-100 tube CD player, produces sound that has plenty of warmth yet gobs of detail and slam. It's also very flexible, with pre-outs, a subwoofer out and due to the second set of speaker posts and pre-ins, actually functions as the amp for my surrounds in home theater! How cool is that? HIGHLY reccommended!

Similar Products Used:

Jolida 202A, Jolida 302A, many HT processors and amps

BUILD,SOUND,FUNCTIONS,SUPPORT AND EVERYTHING ABOUT IT

NONE

I have tried loads of amps but the A85 coupled with the P85 makes one deadly combo the best sound by far than any amp I have come across I am Bi-wiring and Bi-amping ultimatly I would like to buy another P85 and a nice set of Tri-Wirable speakers. HIGHLY RECOMENDED A MUST FOR ALL.

Similar Products Used:

CYRIX,ROKSAN,SUGDEN AND LYNN

BUILD,SOUND,FUNCTIONS,SUPPORT AND EVERYTHING ABOUT IT

NONE

I have tried loads of amps but the A85 coupled with the P85 makes one deadly combo the best sound by far than any amp I have come across I am Bi-wiring and Bi-amping ultimatly I would like to buy another P85 and a nice set of Tri-Wirable speakers. HIGHLY RECOMENDED A MUST FOR ALL.

Similar Products Used:

CYRIX,ROKSAN,SUGDEN AND LYNN

refinement, detail, dynamics, midrange, features, upgrade-path

might be a bit 'under-powered' for those with larger rooms.

The first thing you notice when you take the Arcam A85 out of the box is its solid construction and weight which is usually a good indication of quality (however it still weighs less than a much cheaper Harman Kardon HK 670 which incidentally also seems to go much louder). My Arcam is in the black and silver livery and it certainly looks the business on the rack with the rest of my equipment. As well as being well built, this is a very flexible amplifier, which also provides the ability to bi-amplify, to add a phono stage, to add a five- channel input, to add a three-channel power amp (for multi-channel sound). It also has a 12-volt trigger, two sets of speaker outputs, software controlled volume with different adjustment parameters (normal, fine, reference), adjustable gain for the various inputs, separate trim, more inputs than you will ever need and remote control, and a configurable (which can be switch off) dot-matrix display…. And now to the sound: Straight out of the box, it’s clear that this amp needs some serious breaking in. Something like about 100 hours at least. At first the bass is bloated, lacks slam (or control), the treble is constrained and the midrange, whilst detailed, can be a bit over-powering… but… that midrange… After just a couple of hours of listening to the unbroken-in Arcam, it was already clear to me that this amp was very transparent and extremely dynamic, with the ability to pick up previously unheard details in my favourite recordings… Two weeks later: The Arcam can now handle everything with gusto and aplomb! The treble has now opened up and there’s now a real sense of ‘air’ to the sound, cymbals and high-hats have real presence, drums have a real transient ‘snap’, the sound-stage now has more width with instruments being projected all over my room, the bass has now tightened up, being both deep (Missy Elliot style) and extremely tuneful (plucked double bass for instance). This is a really fast amplifier actually, notes start and stop with no blurring and hang and decay in as realistic a manner as I’ve ever heard. In fact, out of all the integrated amplifiers I heard, none could match the Arcam’s ‘togetherness’ – it’s ability to not highlight any particular part of the musical performance, it’s ability to present ‘space’ and ‘separation’. Crisp treble, creamy midrange, tuneful bass. It’s all there in abundance. Now, it’s amazing to me to think that by ‘down-grading’ my Tag-Mclaren pre and Rotel power (which was a clear but ultimately dull listen) to this integrated that the sound is so much better. It may not go as loud as my pre/power combo. After all the Rotel had 2 x 200 watts whereas the Arcam has a modest rating of 2 x 85 watts (but actually has 2 x 125 watt into 8 ohms, 200 watts into 4 ohms, see test in Stereophile for these figures). Really, this integrated really does sound more ‘together’ than a pre/power (separates) combo that costs nearly twice as much. I’ve seen comments on this site that suggest that the Arcam lacks power, and, in some circumstances I think these are valid enough. This amp is better suited to small to medium sized rooms because it will run out of steam if you really crank the volume up, however, having said that, my Arcam has to drive my Dynaudio 1.3 mk2’s which aren’t exactly the easiest load… But this combination sounds very good indeed! Ultimately, when all things are considered, this is probably the best integrated amplifier out there for the money. Detail, refinement, timing and dynamics they’re all there and then some! To sum up this amp, it has the ability to make you smile, to bring a ‘tingle down the spine’, to make you listen, and to keep listening to your music until the very early hours… Used with: Marantz CD player, Dynaudio speakers, REL subwoofer, Black Rhodium and Van Den Hul cables and interconnects, Sonus support. Music: Jazz, Rock, Jazz/Rock, Hip Hop, House, Electronica

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Tag Mclaren PA10, Rotel RB 1080, Cyrus 8, Primare A20 mk2, Marantz KI Signature, Roksan Caspian, Rega Pre/Power Combo.

ultra-clean crystal-clear sound, very upgradable, smart looks, can trim inputs, will drive 2 pairs of speakers up to 8 ohms

slightly "polite" sound, but this is no problem if you match it with suitable components. If you want an alternative with real power and attack, go for the Musical Fidelity amps.

I auditioned this amp along with the Roksan Kandy & Musical Fidelity A300 amp, with NAD 330 cd and quad 11 speakers. Both are far superior to the NAD370 I had before, particularly in detail and clarity. The Roksan, although highly recommended in What Hifi, was the dryest and least dynamic. The MF amp was the most powerful of the three, with a sweeter mid and stronger bass, but the arcam wins on pure cleanness of sound. I was unsure which to go for, but ended up finding a special bargain on the arcam I brought the arcam's price to £250 less than the MF! Also what I liked about the arcam is that you can always upgrade, with the P85 to true audiophile heaven, and with an additional add-in you can convert the A85/P85 combo into a 5 channel AV system. I must agree with other reviewers who have said that this amp can sound a bit overpolite. So when I chose a CD player to go with the arcam a85 & quad 11 speakers I went for the superb £600 Exposure CD2010 which has enormous energy, smoothness and soundstage and was better for this amp than the arcam cd82t, rotel 1070 or marantz 6000 alternatives.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C370, Cambridge Audio A500

The best amp in it's price class by far. It's presentation can be said to be soft, but you can listen to this amp for hours and never get tired, just drawn into it, that's the beauty of it. With all types of music, dance ,trance, rap, pop, classical, rock, you name it.

The p85 can only be upgraded to dd not dts.

An audio phile that doesn't recognize neutrality, unbelievable. Of course his wisdom is bassed on an audition with 2 inferior cd players as well. Well done you. The Arcam a85 combines power, refinement, punch, neutrality, flexibility, and clearness unrivaled at the price, period. These very characteristics allow you to achieve the sound you want by changing the conditions around you want. This amp is at home with all types of music and compliments any upgrade you throw at it and reveals it's benefit immediatly. The flexibility of this amp is what pushes it over the edge to greatness. Rare do you find tonal options at the quality. The flexibility doesn't stop there, with all the inclusions you could want in an amp there. Coupled with the p85 makes this one formidal amp that will stand the test of time. Buy without hesitation if you really want to hear music your way.

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More like tried for 3 years. All and this one came out on top hands down.

Styling, clean sound

Overly polite

As part of my quest for a $4k system, I spent 2 hours auditioning the A85 along with the CD72 and CD92. Speakers were the Revel M20's - Stereophile Class A (RF). I had high hopes for this amp based on the many reviews I read prior to listening. Unfortunately, to my ears, the hype did not live up to the reality I heard. Admittedly, I didn't have time to swap speakers, and this may color my appraisal somewhat inaccurately. However, the one response I looked for was emotion. I received no emotion with this setup. The sound was clean and refined - Stereophile characterizes it as polite. I have to concur with this adjective as that's what I heard. Nice staid sound - little emotion. Is this a characteristic of the British Isles? The following week I spent a fair amount of time listening to the Unison Research Unico driving a pair of Totem Hawks, with a Music Hall CD25. This combo provided the spine tingling I was looking for. Nice dynamic bass, and crystal clear mids and highs. There was more of a sound stage. The sound was overall warmer. Listening to Jacques Loussier Plays Debussy provided a vivid contrast between the two systems. The cymbals and Bass were evenly weighted, while the mids sang. Overall a much warmer sound. My subsequent sojourn took me too the Triangle Celius driven by the same CD player with an ASL AQ1001DT amp. An amazing contrast again. The bass was bloomy and ill-defined. I will return to listen to the Celius driven by the recommended Cairn 4808. In sum, this amp has lots to recommend, but lacks emotion.

Similar Products Used:

Creek 5305SE, Unison Research Unico, ASL DT1001 AQ