Quart* From a Pint Pot: The New Arcam Solo Uno.

Arcam Sales Manager: "We're bringing Solo back!"

Audio-T Swansea staff: “…?”

Arcam: "No, not *that* Solo - the little all-in-one stereo we used to do? We’re doing a new one."

Swansea: "Oh I seeeee.... OK.” “Tidy mun.” “Look forward to that."

*Cue our stores closing their doors and the staff placed on furlough.*

Three months later...

...we're no longer as furloughed as we once were** and we have our expectant palms on Arcam's new design of the Solo - the Solo Uno.

Not much bigger than a modern smartphone, it's a network audio player and stereo amplifier all in one curvy, dinky, shiny box, with a couple of pretty lights on the front (they tell you when it's powered up and connected to your network.) The two-tone, two texture metallic fascia is about as minimalist as I'd like it; just a solid power button, volume +/- and mute. Reassuringly weighty in the hand (the traditional indicator of quality gear) this is a remarkably small box.

Featured here with a Samsung S10 smartphone for scale. Small isn’t it?

It has one external input - a 3.5mm analogue socket (vinyl anyone?) Connection to the internet comes via Wi-Fi (hence the aerial) or ethernet cable. Speaker terminals are solid, quality units and you can connect a subwoofer via the RCA socket should you require it (and who doesn't?) it's that simple. Roon ready, but all you really need is an app to drive it (GoogleCast, AirPlay 2, UPnP Streamer) and broadband. And a pair of speakers.

It even decodes MQA files. Look.

We tried the charming and inexpensive Acoustic Energy AE100 loudspeakers (~£220) first and thought that it sounded just fine. We added the IsoAcoustic Aperta desktop stands (£199 - more about which in another blog) under the AE100s and thought that it sounded very credible indeed - quite lovely actually, with a “big” sound to it. About a grand for that level of performance? Yeah, we'll take that.

Nic suggested "What about KEF LS50s? People have got LS50s. People like LS50s".

With meaningful glances at each other and everyone else thinking "It'll never drive these", I hooked them up.

Good grief.

Norah Jones soared, Melody Gardot introspected, Alison Goldfrapp got up, got down and boogied. How on Earth is it doing that?

The Solo is never going to fill Madison Square Garden, but it'll fill a bijou lounge or your kitchen/diner with aural loveliness. Come on over and give it a try. Just give us a call first.

*a smidge over a litre for those of you under forty.

**at the time of publication we're in 4 days a week each. Happily, normal store opening hours still apply.