Arcam, a renowned manufacturer of H-Fi and AV equipment, based in Cambridge, have mad a very successful career of creating Hi-Fi components for more than 40 years and home cinema electronics for more than 20 years. Here at Audio-T Swindon, we like them so much that we thought that it would be a good idea to show you a selection of the Arcam Hi-Fi we have in store.

Amps, CDs and Streamers… Oh My!

In store, you will find a whole host of Arcam goodies. On the top and middle shelf of our lovely Hi-Fi Racks Podium XL, we have three integrated amplifiers, the SA10, SA20 and the SA30. On the bottom shelf you see the network music streamer ST60 and the CDS50, a CD/Network streaming player.

SA10 Class A/B Amplifier

The tour starts with the SA10. This is Arcam’s most affordable of the three amplifiers. It offers a healthy 50w per channel, 5 analogue inputs including a built-in moving magnet phono stage for a turntable, and three digital inputs (to connect the TV or set-top box to the amplifier). The Pre-Out sockets on the back allow you to connect the SA10 to a power amplifier for any possible upgrade you may want in the future.

The SA10 can be integrated into a home cinema system via processor mode. This option is also available on the SA20 & SA30.

The USB socket is used for software updates and the network socket for IP control in multi-room/ custom installations.

SA20 Class G Amplifier - What does “G” mean?

The SA20 looks very similar to the SA10 but the amplifier offers a powerful 90w per channel rather than the 50w per channel of the SA10. It is a Class G hybrid power amp which operates in Class A up to 12 Watts then switches in an additional power supply that produces Class B for situations that require greater power. The difference between this and a classic Class A/B design is that there is a transition area where both power supplies are operating which is claimed to eliminate crossover distortion.

The SA20 with upgraded speaker terminals and built-in MM phono stage

SA30 Class G - A Full Streaming System

The SA30 is the flagship of the three amplifiers and this time Arcam have added a lot of extra features - First of all it is a full UPNP streaming system, supporting Google Cast and AirPlay2 and all you have to add is a pair of speakers. The Class G amplifier is powerful at 120w per channel and it will drive most speakers without any problem. It is Roon Ready and supports MQA (Master Quality Authenticated - available from Tidal Hi-Fi streaming service).

An ARC socket for the tv and a built-in phonostage for MM and MC cartridges

The TV can be connected via an optical cable or via an HDMI cable into the ARC socket (Audio Return Channel). The aerials for a wireless connection to the home network are supplied and you can connect it directly to the network router.

What music to stream? Stream music from a NAS drive, or a music streaming services like Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Napster, Hi-Res audio or internet radio. Spotify is not mentioned in the free Arcam control app, MusicLife, but it works. Simply open the Spotify app, play a song , select the Arcam SA30 - done. Enjoy your music.

What about turntables ? No problem, on board is a turntable phono stage that supports both cartridge types, moving magnet and moving coil.

Dirac Live Room Correction

The built-in Dirac Live room correction technology is there to help reduce unwanted resonant frequencies caused by the room. Download Dirac Live to your laptop (Windows or Mac), measure 13 positions around your room and the software calculates and corrects the colourations.

Two source components - ST60 Music Streamer & CDS50 CD Player/Network Streamer

The ST60 music streamer is the latest edition to the range of Arcam two channel products. This UPNP streamer plays music from services like Tidal (including MQA support ), Qobuz , Deezer, Napster , Spotify and internet radio. It supports Google ChromeCast and Airplay2 and it is Roon Ready.

On the back are four digital inputs (2 optical and 2 coaxial) and a USB socket if you wish to connect a USB hard drive to play all your ripped music files . The default for the output level is set to fixed when connected to a pre-amplifier or integrated amplifier but it can be changed to variable output if you decide to use the ST60 as a pre-amplifier, connected to a power amplifier.

The CDS50 is CD player and a network streamer in one box. and it can be set-up wirelessly or connected to your router via a network cable. The CD player plays CD’s and SACD’s (Super Audio CD), the network streamer streams music from Tidal, Qobuz, Napster, Deezer, CDs ripped to a NAS (Network hard drive) and even from a USB stick.

Arcam CDS50 cd player and network streamer in one box

We hope that you have enjoyed the tour. All mentioned products are available to listen to at Audio T Swindon and if you are interested in an Arcam product that isn’t mentioned in this blog, please give us a call on 01793 538222 or send us an email to swindon@audio-t.co.uk.

Thanks for reading - Stefan & Andy - Audio T Swindon

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Arcam products can be found at the following Audio T Stores