Arcam CD33 CD-player
Five years back, the Alpha 9 CD player was released by Arcam of England, and that I needed one. This things that was great finally found its way to the successor. Eventually, would not you know, and I Have got my hands on a fresh FMJ CD33, they have done away with the Ring DAC! Did they throw out the first-class sound quality? Read on.
The FMJ range dispensed using the flimsy gray curves of the Alpha parts and set up store in durable aluminium-fronted casings. As it is possible to observe in the associated graphic the appearance is pleasant, but it does not give away the $5000 price tag. Some buyers would be kept by the green fluorescent screen away, were it not entirely defeatable. Never mind the aesthetics anyhow; the dollars lurk beneath the bonnet.
The CD33 is damped with a unique laminated building, and heavy, stiff. The four-layer through-plated circuit board characteristics hot gubbins like multiple regulated power supplies, high precision clocks, WIMA, Elna Starget, and Sima capacitors, and op amps by Burr Brown and Analog Devices. Upsampling Multidac!
If it does not upsample CDs, it is a paperweight now. It is no coincidence that those would be the vital statistics of DVDA, which CD upsampling seeks to emulate when it comes to naturalness, or even upper-frequency expansion.
Arcam in partnership developed the Upsampling Multidac with Scottish IC specialists, Wolfson Microelectronics. It includes four DACs per station, which ought to make for less air in the digital-to-analogue conversion procedure, and corresponding increases in distortion and sound. But it is not my job to sell you it.
The CD33 had cooked after warming up on repeat play for approximately six days and may be auditioned. No matter genre, music instantly impressed as it jumped from my loudspeakers with first class tangibility and new vigor.
Unlike the Rega Jupiter, which I also quite elaborate, the Arcam wasn't around 'bigging-up' the sound it presented performances in precise proportion and using a supreme awareness of command.
Bass was tight and strong without being lean, as well as my loudspeakers were taken much beyond by the picture width.
Five grand does not quite place a CD player but specific characteristics that are usually the exclusive realm of the select few are exhibited by the Arcam. Pedigree equipment will be choosey about things like positioning, interconnects, isolation, warmup etc. This may be likened to an aristocrat's preference for the finer things in life.
In the first few weeks with me of it's, it had been made to feed from an overcrowded multiboard. Once the player could be accommodated by me on a more quiet factory outlet passing assault the development to drive and bass expansion, and picture-width was marked. Buyers will likely be rewarded for just about any additional effort put into adapting the CD33 in the design of its own picking.
Criticisms? Only one, after a fashion, also it connects to the aforementioned discrimination of the Arcam and preference. It is insightfulness could warn owners playing a few of their CDs that are more difficult while the CD33 is innocent of harshness or shrillness. It is the nicely recorded records that put a grin in your face and actually come to life, so music that is badly engineered can get relegated to background noodling.
That is a great CD player integrating some really sophisticated electronic equipment - it deserves powerful recommendation.
