Arcam Radia Series
Arcam have just launched a completely revamped Hi-Fi range for 2023 with their new Radia Series, comprising three new amplifiers and two digital sources all available in a black finish. These are the:
- A5 Amplifier £749.00
- A15 Amplifier £1,099.00
- A25 Amplifier £1,499.00
- CD5 CD Player £699.00
- ST5 Digital Streamer £799.00
Arcam has gone with a very different look for the range, taking inspiration from current trends, fashion and colour matching. The front displays on all the amplifiers and the streamer have no visible buttons, no obvious screen and simply the two rotary encoders encircled with lemon-drop yellow. This gives them a clean look when in standby with accents of contrasting vibrant yellow. The remote is also discrete having fewer, more useful functions.
Arcam still use class AB amplification in their entry-level models, moving to Class G amplification further up the range. The A5 has a 50w Class AB amplifier, the A15 an 80w class AB amplifier and the A25 a 100w Class G amplifier. Each amplifier 3 analogue inputs, an MM phono stage and 3 digital inputs which use the latest ESS DACs. Both the A5 and A15 are equipped with the entry-level ES9018 DAC and the A25 is equipped with the superior ES9280A PRO DAC. They all come with 2-way aptX Adaptive Bluetooth version 5.2, which is a surprising and welcome addition. Using these units alone you can now play music directly from a portable device or listen to your Arcam amplifier using a pair of Bluetooth headphones instead of speakers. The A25 also comes with a USB-C input giving better quality audio when connecting to newer Apple devices and Android devices.
The CD5 is a cost-effective but high-performance CD player It has the basic buttons available from the front panel. It uses the same ESS 9018 DAC as featured in their two entry-level amplifiers whilst having the ability to play high-resolution music from recorded CDs and files from a USB-A connection on the back.
With the ST5, Arcam has made this streamer compatible with most of the recommended streaming services. You can play music from your own network storage with UPnP and Internet radio is available with presets on the remote control. The streaming services available are Qobuz, our recommendation, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect and Amazon HD. The ST5 has Airplay 2, Bluetooth, Chromecast and a USB connection for USB drives. It connects to the A5, A15 and A25 using a comms cable to give control of the analogue volume and inputs from their own app.
The whole range is available on demonstration, please call to arrange a listen.