Arcam Comparison

OK, booked into my local 2nd hand emporium tomorrow morning for an Arcam audition. They have an Alpha 9CD, an A85 amp, a CD72T and a CD82T - watch this space....

 

Well, a very enlightening morning. Here's what I think:

Alpha 9 CD - Great, great sound (the best of the day).

CD72T - OK but not a patch on the alpha 9

A85 amp - huge disappointment. Why has this received such good reviews?

Some old Adcom kit - CD not as good as the alpha 9 but really showed up the weaknesses of the A85.

Most importantly, everything I heard made me realise just how great my Tag system is and reminded me why I bought it in the first place. So.....Tag system is staying and if it represents a lot of money tied up in black boxes then so be it. The thrill it gives me every time I sit down to listen to music makes it worth every penny and surely that's what it is all about in the end!

Thanks to everyone who offered advice and provided information in this thread - your input was appreciated even if the end result turned out slightly different to what I had planned.

On a final note, I must say a big THANK YOU to Simon at Hi-Fi Sound in Darlington for letting me hear all the gear and for keeping me away from the Roksan Caspian M Series stuff! If any of you up here in the NE think that Lintone Audio is the only place worth visiting, a visit to Darlington may well change your mind.

 

A very wise move dude, very difficult things to part with, those lovely black boxes!

Every time I have an inkling of a thought about selling them, I sit down and spin something - and very quickly come to my senses!

DT