Entry level, mid-fi and suggestions to my friends.

It's often happened, and still happens to me, that some younger colleague or some friend of mine who is just beginning to look into the hi-fi world, require my advice on how to enter the exciting and somehow chaotic domain of correct audio reproduction.
During the years when stereo reproduction was predominant, HT was far beyond horizon, my answer was quite simple (if we consider it "simple" to suggest anything related to your own personal emotion); I just had to mention a few names at a certain price level and suggest them to have a listening session.
Now the things have changed: HT is among us, and with that the low-cost dedicated integrated amp/tuner (with exceptional power, DSP effects, an FM radio tuner), so I am also forced to explain why, for the same money, it is more advisable to buy a two-channel amplifier.
Today the range of 2 CH stereo amp is increasing its average quality level on one hand, while on the other hand is also shrinking in products number (fortunately the range is still wide enough) thus making the choice harder.
It seems to me that a large part of the Japanese manufacturers (except for a few names like Marantz) is leaving this specific market.
Actually the choice in this field is mostly made between UK, Italian (the number of Italian products is increasing, as is the sound quality) and, in a not too distant future, even Chinese products.
I have to admit that lately the British-made amplifiers, except for some classic names like NAD and Rotel, which are only designed in GB, don't have a good share in the Italian market because of the unfavorable EUR/GBP rate, of a somewhat shy marketing strategy and also because of the increasing success of the Italian production.
The product I am going to test is the ARCAM A65 Plus, an entry-level amplifier of the British company that completely fits in the description above.

ARCAM

The name ARCAM is part of the British hi-fi history. The company started in 1972 and its first important amplifier, named A60, has been issued in 1976. Arcam, or what their name was then, had thought only 50 A60 were to be made, but the amp became a bestseller item with more than 30,000 pieces sold.
A great part of the success of the name ARCAM in Italy is due to the Alpha range CD players (that range is the foundation of these newer designs). The company has restructured its catalogue, also in consideration of their entrance in the A/V arena. The amplifier we will test is in fact part of the new DIVA range (Digital Integrated Video & Audio) which is organized as follows:
3 integrated amplifiers (A85, A75, A65); 4 CDPs (CD62, CD72, CD82 and CD92); 2 power amplifiers (P85 and P75); 3 tuners (T51, T61 and DT81 with DAB). The HT products are 2 DVD players (DV88 plus and DV89 which incorporates DVD-audio technology); and 2 A/V amplifiers (AVR100 and AVR200). A wide catalogue offer that tries to fill all the new audio/video reproduction needs.

DIVA with a new dress…

I must confess: I have never found the look of the Alpha range that exciting. That was not because of its design but only because of that plastic-ish feeling given by the front panels. Now ARCAM uses a more conventional design (see picture) with the opportunity to choose between black and grey colour (which is the one I like most): the latter makes the A65 look like the new Rotel RA01 and RA02.
The use of an aluminium front panel which all the various control knobs come out from, through black-contoured holes, is especially effective: it is not a revolutionary design concept but it is extremely nice.
All the controls are horizontally aligned; the knobs have three different diameters depending on their function: large for volume, medium for balance and input selector, small for switches. Even if there are a lot of controls, the front panel still looks clean and nice. From left to right we find: the IR receiver for the included remote control unit; the input selector with 5 small LEDs to indicate the selected source (4 line in and 1 phono MM); the motorized volume potentiometer; the "direct" switch to by-pass the tone and balance circuitry; the SP2 switch to commute the output to a second pair of loudspeakers; the headphone jack socket, the ON/OFF button with a bicoloured LED (orange at start, green when ready).
The feeling you get using these controls is very good even if they don't seem so solid and precise. Slight problem: from a certain distance you cannot make out any more the tag of the volume knob that gives its exact position.
No surprises even on the rear panel. We are pleased to find an IEC mains socket, that allows using other power cords than the one included in the A65 package. In the center are placed the speakers connectors (4 + 4 for the two pair) while at the right end there are the four "line" and the single "phono" input sets. Just at the right of the phono input there is a small hole to gain access to a switch that turns the "phono" input into a standard "line" one, in case no turntable is connected. Then we find the rec IN/OUT and the pre output. Finally a "Made in Great Britain" tag guarantees the origin of this amplifier.

The supplied remote control is just a middle class unit, perhaps not even good enough for an entry-level gear. From the operating instruction manual we learn that the other amplifiers come with a better-designed device.

The heart of the A65, TORX screwdriver at hand

Let's undress this amplifier and have a look at the inside: the first thing I see is how the factory managed to allow the choice between black and grey . The alu case is the same for both versions. It also keeps a direct mechanical connection with the front commands, so that it's enough to mount the front panel of the chosen colour with its matching alu cover to get the customisation done: these are the sole two differences.
Four rubber pads support the whole cabinet.

The inside of the cabinet is completely filled by a large printed circuit board: at a first glance we notice the absence of any SMD (surface mount) component and the large number of discrete ones. The power supply section, installed at the right side of the same PCB, shows a toroidal transformer that, consistently to the British tradition, is quite beefy. We also remark the presence of two 10.000µF filter capacitors by Rubycon.

On the far left, close to the phono input, lays the RIAA stage. This circuit is based upon an operational amplifier and, apart from the excellent capacitors, does not seem to be so complex (later on we will discover how it sounds). The overall assembly of the amp reveals that the design was conceived with build quality and audio performance in mind. This is quite evident if we give a look to the Omron power relay whose function is to protect the loudspeaker outputs: two small pieces of damping matter have been added most likely to reduce undesired vibrations.

The volume potentiometer is an motorized ALPS

while all the other potentiometers and selectors seem to be of a slightly lower quality. Anyway, generally speaking we may say that onboard components quality is very good. The only thing that causes some initial perplexity is the scarce radiating surface of the cooling fins, which the two power stages are secured to

A deeper look at the assembly shows that those small, black, extruded fins are part of the whole alu cabinet that will ease heath dispersion thanks to its wider surface

Let's turn it on

The A65 plus I've tested here was a brand new piece, that had just left its production line. All its components were sealed for protection therefore some run-in was necessary.
The operating manual is a good one.
The software I used during the test is the following:
CDs
Annie Sofie von Otter & Elvis Costello "For the stars" DG
Jacques Loussier Trio "Play Bach" PAPAGENO
Minnesota Orchestra, Mussorgsky/Ravel "Pictures at an Exhibition" RR
A. Forcione "Ghetto Paradise" Naim
LPs
A.Forcione - S. Sciubba "Meet me in London" Naim
Roxy Music "Avalon" Polygram
Tracy Chapman "Tracy Chapman" Elektra

The system was:
Analogue sources: Pro-ject 6.1/Grado red; Thorens TD160/Adcom high output level MC
Digital source: Marantz CD 63 KIS
Amp set: Cyrus 3 + PSX power supply unit
Speakers: Monitor Audio studio 3 (a 90dB tower speaker)
Signal cables: VDH Hybrid MK2, YBA Crystal
Power cables: YBA Glass

As you can see the Arcam A65 will take the place of another British component that, when fed by its power supply booster unit, delivers a 50W output. The A65 goes only up to 40W. Therefore, if 50 Watts are required, the correct choice is its larger brother A75.
Like for any other test, I had my usual set of vinyl and CD records ready. When the test was nearly over I realized that a record-by-record listening report would miss the point. For this reason, since my impressions were consistent along the whole test, I decided to write down a general evaluation only.
Let's start talking about the phono input. I have previously described its circuitry as very simple but its sound reveals that this is an excellent phono stage, at the same level of the one installed in my Cyrus.
The other thing I learnt is that this amplifier plays very well from the earliest switch-on. Only a more accurate listening session will reveal some minor sound improvements after many days of testing.

Sound

The impact I had from the little ARCAM was nearly astonishing: the sound coming out the Monitor Audio was incredible in micro-dynamics; instruments are airy and well outlined. Even in the most difficult parts, it was easy to follow each score; the upper midrange truly excels, even if this means that the stage is, sometimes, a bit forward.
Voices are big, beautiful and present; the lower range is well extended and with high-efficiency speakers you can get a good dynamic impact too. I believe that the only thing you should care about, when buying this amplifier, is to choose loudspeakers with a 90-dB efficiency at least (in this sense the match with the Studio 3A was outstanding).
Evaluating the transient response, I think that the designers tried to optimise the pulse response rather than continuous one; this gives advantage to the guitar arpeggios, the piano and the drums.
Of course any choice has two faces: I've already discussed the pros, while the con is that the power at hand cannot guarantee long-term performances with high output signals. In this specific situation the Cyrus 3 is an unstoppable bulldozer. To be noticed that the ARCAM shows a relevant cabinet heating just after half an hour of normal listening. As I've already pointed out, this is part of the design but, in my opinion, it might be a little bit too much.
If this amp is coupled with efficient speakers and there is no need for long-term high power output, the sound you can get is surely satisfactory.
Conclusions: the Cyrus' greatest advantage is a powerful and controlled bass, while the main feature of the ARCAM is an excellent micro-dynamic. On upper midrange the field is level.
This ARCAM A65 plus is a great amplifier and, if you pay attention to connect to it speakers with an approx 90dB efficiency, it is an absolute good choice.