Arcam Alpha - why so cheap?

Thinking of buying a new amp to replace the stop gap Marantz PM4000 and my faulty Cambridge Audio 640A and been looking on ebay but it all seems to be over priced. Lots of stuff set too high and nobody bidding. I was tempted by a Sony 920QS at £69 no bids but I felt the price was too high and so did the rest of ebay it ended up with no bids. They were only £200 new back in 1999.

Now one amp which does seem very good value is the Alpha 8 and 9 is there a reason for this?

I can get the Alpha 9 for just over £100 and it should be a better amp than my cambridge. I could then sell or try and repair the cambridge.

What is the catch with the Alpha series?

I list to rock/punk/ska/pop/folk but it is nearly all guitar based and mostly rock and punk (The Clash, Joy Division, Rancid, Kiss, Motorhead etc)

The only catch is the Alpha is supposed to be on the warm side but I think that helps with rock and especially punk as it takes away some of the harshness of the recordings.

 

No catch, Arcam make good kit. Probably just a fashion/fad thing on the prices.

Arcam products are neutral (most SS amps are unless very badly designed) so no warmer or cooler than your 640.

 

They are certainly a bit ugly. I am looking at either the 7, 8 or 9 series. Just missed an Alpha 7 on ebay as the auction has just ended.

I am also amazed at the stupid prices people are asking for amps on there, there is a Sony 940 at £250 you could buy it new for that. Lots of entry Marantz stuff at £100 too, it is mad. They don't actually sell for those prices. You would think people do their research before starting an auction at a high price.

 

whatch out for the faulty mother board on these a friend went through 4 retuns and three new ones before swapping to a quad 99/909 system ...with zero problem over the last 5 plus years ...

the arcams sound pretty poor to in comparison

 

I used to have an Arcam Alpha 9 CD player, the HDCD one which I always thought was a bit tinny and lightweight in construction. Ok, it sounded excellent but was a bit lacking in the 'built like a brick outhouse' stakes.

 

In defence of Arcam, the products offered a lot for the money. The Alpha 9 CD in particular had a superb dac. Dev has one and it sounds superb.

 

Do you know if Arcam still use the Ring DAC? I think Arcam switched to another DAC when they replaced the Alpha 9 due to it's higher cost/dispute with the suppliers.

 

I also had an Alpha 9 CD player. Slightly warmer in tonality than most, but very good quality. I'm not sure if that tonality extends to the amplifier range, but even if it does, it will be a very good amp for the money.

 

I also find Arcam amps a bit "warm and cuddly". I like Arcam CDP though.

 

I think I will probably just get my Cambridge repaired, as if I get a second hand amp which goes faulty I will be back to square one.

They seem to sell for around £150 on ebay so once it is repaired it would probably be a good investment. Long term I will probably aim to audition the Audiolab 8000A power amp.

 

this sounds like deja vu all over again

try and hunt down the Audiolab 8000S

and what's with all the subjective description? Must be listening to the music lol

 

E bay does seem to push all second hand prices up to top dollar unfortunately... the days when you would pick up a Quad 303 for a fiver from the local second hand shop, who's owner thinks it's a battery charger, are over
On the other hand, if you are looking for something specific, maybe quite rare and difficult to find, and are prepared to pay top money for it, then it's never been so easy to find as it is these days...

 

Well I still haven't got the guts to try and fix it myself, I can see myself electricuting myself! I am sure the guy at my local TV shop needs some business atm.

The Audiolab is certainly my medium term aim providing I like the sound of it, just a bit skint atm due to a quiet December.

 

Audiolab... gutsy but with a very finely etched treble. I had the 8000M monoblocks and loved them. Very nice stuff which was only replaced for a Croft pre/power.