Fantastic imaging. Good dynamics. Coherent sound right throughout the audible range.

Quirky user front end compared to my old Technics. But thats all!!!

After first switch on a big smile appeared on my face. I had the impression that this cd player was taking the digits off the disc and punching the music right out of the speakers. I have a bi-amp setup and it never sounded this good before. Wide stereo image with a vice like grip on the bass, a super neutral midband and a sweet top end. Fantastic dynamics!! Some people might think this deck sounds overly bright compared some Japanese efforts, but I personally like to hear the air around cymbal crashes. My older Technics could sound a little scratchy in the top end compared to the Arcam. It has the ability to play all styles of music equally well.
This might sound a little corny but it puts the music energy into all the right places without smearing the performance. You'd be mad not to give it a listen.

Similar Products Used:

Technics 580, Cambridge Audio D500

Clear and involving sound.

Dubious looks and plastic finish

The sound was clear and a pleasure to listen to. Probably the best sounding cd player up to £350. Base was deep and tight. Midrange and voices were clear and well positioned while the treble was sweet without being harsh. On switching to the Cyrus DAD1.5, however, the difference was immediate with the Cyrus having more clarity and rhythm - sweeter sound and better build quality but £50 more expensive.

Similar Products Used:

Cyrus DAD1.5
Auditioned with Cyrus 7 amp and Tannoy R2 speakers

Detail, soundstage, dynamic, makes listener involve to the music it produce.

hmmm.....maybe....maybe...looks...but the looks grow on me...starting to like it, at least not those typical mass-market black cdplayer.

Before buying this player, I am using a Denon dcm-370 5 disc player. After 3-4 months of listening, I feel that i can and have the money to get a better sounding machine. Not that the Denon sounds bad, it is actually a nice player but i feel i can do better than this. So after an intensive search, I decided on the Arcam alpha 7se. I auditoned many player ranging from $250 to $400 price range. I audition the NAD c540($450) player in an audio shop. The player sound nice, but the review from this sites says that it has a sensitive laser lens and causes skip on slight scratches and dust. Then, I saw the Arcam on the shelf. I audition the cd player and was surprise by the sound iit produce....just sweet. But the price is more than i can pay....$650. So I decided to wait to see if i can find other player that sound nice. While i was searching on the web for cd player, i found a retailer that sells a demo Arcam player for just $400. I am so happy and called them immediately and purchased it. After waiting for a week, the Arcam finally arrive. It is almost like a new player....flawless. When I first listen to the player, the sound is very bad....but after 20 hours of continous play, the sound finally open up. It sounds so detail and dynamic with a huge soundstage. It sounds way better than the denon, nad and the cambridge. I am so happy with the player....especially with the price i paid. Many of the reviewers says the look is the weakness. At first I also think that the player look ugly, but after a while i started to like the look. I think they just look special, unlike the standard rectangular, black cd player. Highly recommended this player.

Similar Products Used:

denon dcm-370, NAD c540,c520 and Cambridge Audio D500

Smooth, eclectic performer with clear definition and good overall power.

Er...can't really think of any

I was very sorry, after 10 years of faithful service, to see my Pioneer go - it was my first 'proper' cd player. After a great deal of research I decided to test the Arcam with the Marantz and the Denon. The test albums I used were Troublegum by Therapy?, XTRMNTR - Primal Scream, XO - Elliott Smith, In The Wee Small Hours - Sinatra, Schoenberg Lieder. I thought that with such a mix my choice would be difficult - not a bit of it, while the Marantz came closeish on the Therapy?, the Arcam beat the other two hands down on everything else - the definition was different class, as was the range - beating both pretenders at both ends of the scale. The Arcam is also a much more involving player than the other two - this was particularly evident with the Sinatra and Schoenberg, giving me a depth of enjoyment and emotion hitherto unrealised by these pieces. The heavy track were also clearer and more exciting. To sum up I won't miss my Pioneer, and if you think that you can't quite afford the Arcam go and listen to one - you'll find the extra cash from somewhere.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz 6000OSE, Denon 835, Pioneer PD7700

somewhat musical

mediocrity

Went to the dealer's showroom with checkbook in hand, expecting to purchase the 7se. Unfortunately, I had just come from another dealer's showroom, where I had listened to a Marantz 6000ose. The Marantz, while a bit on the dry side, provided a detailed, fluid, fast presentation of music. In comparison, the Arcam 7se sounded bloated and flabby, with considerably more muffling of detail. With the Marantz at the same price point as the Arcam, I can't imagine purchasing the Arcam. (The Arcam dealer used B&K amplification and Vandersteen speakers in the Arcam 7se set-up. I can't imagine that either would work to the 7se's disadvantage.)

Similar Products Used:

marantz, NAD, rotel, denon

Very natural & rich sound, detail and controlled bass.

Plastic casing and high price (in Australia)

I have been upgrading my system in the past 3 months. First it was the amp and I purchased the highly regarded NAD C350. Next I upgraded my speakers to the B&W DM602 S2. These two components partnered my Yamaha multiplayer (CDC775) with QED interconnects (Qunex 2)and QED Silver Anniversary speaker cables (biwire). The music was sounding quite good compared to my old system. A couple of audiophile friends tested my system and found it quite good but thought that the sound could be smoother and richer. They pointed out that a new single CD player would do the trick.

Being in the mood to satisfy my own curiousity and the desire to get the right sound (within my budget), I researched around in magazines (Hi Fi Choice & What Hi Fi) and on this site) - hi fi is surely a disease! I came to the conclusion that the Arcam Alpha 7SE was the player for me having read alot of good reviews and finding out that the NAD C540 was very temperamental with scratched discs. I went out and listened to the 7SE and it was quite amazing in the show room. So impressed I bought it!

Took it home and connected it up (no burn-in was required as I purchased the demo unit) and hey presto, the sound was much more refined, clearer, warmer and bass was alot more controlled and present. Incidentally, Arcam does not distributre the 7SE in Australia, so hence I had to purchase the demo unit. Now my jazz sounds warmer and perhaps more analogue and rock CDs really sound incredibly good - you can really feel the life in the music. No longer was the music coming out dull and without life. The 7SE certainly partners well with NAD and B&W.

I am very impressed by its performance. The only bad thing about the 7SE is the price in Australia - it is pricey as its supposed to be 300 pounds and on the conversion to $AUD it should be about $900, instead it retails for $1150!

Otherwise, it is a very fine CD player for the price and highly recommended. I hope this spells the end of my upgrades for a while.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha CDC775

Detail while not tizzy, great bass, value for the money.

None at the price I paid. If I was picky: looks, remote.

I was originally looking at NAD, Rotel, and AMC products in the same price range as what I paid for this unit. Once I heard the Alpha 7SE, there was no comparison. The Rotel was so in-your-face it wasn't bearable, and the construction of the NAD was terrible. I found the Rega to be too reserved for my tastes. If I had a fatter wallet, I would've sprung for the NAIM, but the Arcam is incredible at the price. The bass is unbelievable, the detail is luscious while avoiding being in-your-face, and the overall balance is very easy to live with- I never fatigue listening to this unit. And I play it at least 2 hours each day! Of course, the rest of my system shares similar values. Overall, I paid $1,600 for my system and I'm very, very pleased. Amazing value.

My musical tastes vary widely: Samba, Folk, Alt-Country, Cuban, Trip-Hop, Rock, Jazz, Classical.

Arcam Alpha 7SE
Creek 4330 Mk2
Acoustic Energy Aegis One
Lovan stands filled with sand
Wireworld interconnects
Audioquest speaker cables with spades
Audioquest sorbothane feet

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Rega, NAIM, AMC, NAD all tested.

smooth, deep bass; very detailed, natural sounding

cheap remote and digital out is not gold-plated....that's it!!!

After reading WHAT HI-FI's review of the Arcam Alpha 7se I was determined to get one for myself and I wasn't disappointed when I did. After taking it out of the box and hooking it up for the first time, it sounded a bit laid back but the incredibly smooth and deep bass was definitely noticeable complimented by my budget Mission 701 speakers.

After listening for a while, the sound was incredible. Detailed and natural sounding with no hints of brightness or coloration whatsoever even using my Temporalis pure-silver interconnects which often make solid-state equipment sound bright. The only complaint I have is that the amp I'm using is a cheap Philips integrated which is probably holding back the true potential of this player.

My recommended recordings to test this player would be Eric Clapton's "Pilgrim", Bruce Hornsby's "Harbor Lights", Tom Wilson's "Planet Love" and any acoustic recordings.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C540, CAL DX-1 with Cambridge DACMagic 2

Following the updating of the 8 to the 8SE, July 99 saw the Cambridge-based Arcam release the 7SE. The 7SE now boasts a 24-bit DAC (not the 20-bit as stated in the header) and an improved power supply.
As with the majority of the Alpha CD range the display can be turned off (which some people believe improves the sound quality due - unable to tell the difference myself!). One of Arcam's big selling points is that their CDs can be upgraded - the 7SE is no exception.

Despite being criticised for their "ugliness" - I actually like the design of Arcam's - standing out from the crowd of clone-like black boxes.

The most important feature, of course, is the sound. In this area the 7SE well surpasses the older model. It sounds bloody marvellous! Can handle classical, acoustic, synth, live and rock superbly. The sound is well-defined, bass is neither overpowering nor weak, sound is involving and not tiring.

It certainly switched me from my original purchase plan for the Rotel 951 to this gem of a cd player.

Well worth checking out at your local hi-fi dealer's demo room.

Recommended listening: Dire Straits - Private Investigation (from Sultans Of Swing compilation), Guns N Roses - Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 (Mobile Fidelity)

Tip: The CD does sound the best after a week of playing - I also recommend that for the first couple of days to leave the cd player on constantly playing to run it in (you don't have to actually listen to at during this time though!)

System (currently): Technics SU-A900 Mk II Amplifier, TDL RTL 3 Speakers, Cable Talk 3 speaker cable (biwired), XLO Interconnect.

As I write this I am currently listening to the third 7SE unit I've used in the space of only two months. I originally bought a 7SE from John Lewis, a large department store, on account of its very high sound quality, Arcam's good reputation and fair price (£300). On taking it home, however, I found that it had a loud and unacceptable amount of transformer hum, which could quite easily be heard from across a quiet room. This hum was much louder than the hum from our old Arcam One CD player, which is to all intents and purposes silent. I really needed the player to operate silently in standby as I use it in my bedroom and I had to unplug it to stop it disturbing me (the 7SE keeps its mains transformer powered up at all times). So, I called Arcam and arranged for another unit to be sent to John Lewis.

The second unit hummed almost as badly as the first, and the CD transport was very noisy. It seems these 7SE units have been assembled very quickly due to high demand, as the serial number had jumped up 4000 units between my two players, which is a lot for a small company like Arcam. To confirm this the case of the second 7SE had not been screwed down properly; it had a cross threaded screw. After lengthy correspondence with Arcam, they apologised for our inconvenience and agreed to 'hand-pick' a 7SE from stock that they could guarantee was quiet. They were unable to find one! They tested several units in a dedicated silent room and noted, "At a distance of 6 inches in a quiet room you will be able to hear the noise generated by the transformer of the 7SE without straining." They also confirmed with the technical team at Arcam who said the noise is quite normal. Disgruntled, I returned the 7SE and sought another make/model of CD player.

I headed off to my local HI-FI shop, Audio T, where I demo'd the NAD C540, Marantz CD6000 OSE, and Rotel RCD-951. I kicked off with the NAD, listening to "High and Dry" by Radiohead. The NAD sounded very sharp and focused, although it tended to be a little edgy at times. Anyway, I liked what I heard, and we switched to the Marantz. This player was very smooth sounding, but it sounded muffled and the bass was a little boomy and heavy, whereas the NAD has a weighty, articulate bass presentation. With one of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, the Marantz gave a very musical presentation, and while the NAD was not as smooth and refined, it projected a much more convincing soundstage and had more detail and presence. The Rotel sounded nice in its own way, and whilst smoother was not as open as the others, also it was £70 more expensive than the other models.

In the end I chose to buy the NAD. It had a few shortcomings I was aware of, such as the lack of a programming function. However, it was very well built and I liked the way it sounded. Lastly, I checked the NAD transport with a CD-R, just to make sure it would play them. The NAD played it fine, and as Audio T had a unit in stock I walked out with one at a reduced price of £250.

When I got the NAD home, I had only listened to it for a while before I noticed that it has a very sensitive transport, skipping continuously on most of my CDRs (blue AND gold recording surface), which my Arcams had been fine with. The (different brand, blue) CDR disk I had taken to the shop still worked fine in my C540 unit. Then I noticed it was skipping on pressed discs as well as CDRs. This is an annoying problem as it occurs say, once or twice per disk, even if they are brand new! This was unacceptable and I returned the unit to Audio T, having read in these forums that it is a known fault.

Finally, I found another local dealer (Sound Gallery) who was willing to let me inspect a 7SE they had in stock before purchase. I did so, and whilst it was not silent it was much quieter than my other 7SEs. The dealer mentioned that variations in hum from different units are probably due to transformers from different batches being used. Arcam apparently employ conventional EI laminate type transformers in the 7SE which are inferior to the torodial types used in some other players. Anyway, I purchased this player and whilst it is not silent I can put up with the moderate amount of hum generated.

I was glad I returned to the Arcam as soon as I heard the 7SE again - it blows the NAD, Marantz, and possibly even the Rotel away. Sonically the Arcam is definitely the best player I have heard in its price range, it has a detailed yet not at all harsh sound, with smooth, articulate bass and a natural, open, mid range. The payer would be at home with most systems it is partnered with, having as it does an easy to listen to yet involving sound. The Arcam also sports electrical and optical digital outputs, along with easy upgradeability to higher Arcam models within the range. If you are looking for a decent player in the £300 price range, then the 7SE is by far the best sounding. However, after my experiences I would advise you check the model you are buying for hum in the shop, however.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C540, Marantz CD6000 OSE, Rotel RCD-951