Thank you Son. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you Paul. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you David. I like to think I am well grounded. I have spent a lifetime trying to identify and illuminate my prejudiced and false assumptions. It is a lot harder than many may think 😊👍

I would like to think that Tarun is respectful because he is also pragmatic about these products. When you sample (some) expensive pieces, you become acutely aware of the difference in quality. However, it also makes you fully aware of the diminishing returns on solely cost basis, and what you may value. Many of these more cost effective pieces will get you the proverbial '90% of the way there' for significant fractions of the cost to get that last 10% It doesn't make the high cost items less relevant, but it does put some confidence in the market that can't justify very high system costs by letting them know that you CAN enter this hobby at somewhat budget levels and enjoy a fine sound reproduction experience.

I’ve been enjoying his videos for much the same reason.

Thank you Atri. So pleased you enjoyed it 👍

Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍

Thank you Damir 👍

Thank you for my friend. Much appreciated. I might be a boxing fan but I won’t be coming another analogy for quite some time 😊👍

Thank you Paul. That is a great anecdote 😊👍

Thank you Dan. Much appreciated. I would love to have tried it with some Triangle speakers. Great suggestion 😊👍

Thank you buddy. I am still enjoying my Celestion 300s to this day 😊

Thank you José 😊

Thank you Gareth 👍

Thank you Michael. I get there in the end (hopefully) 😊

Thank you buddy 😊😂

That is great. Thank you Chico 😊

I thought Arcam was class "G"?

Thank you Mark 👍

The bigger brothers to the SA10 are class G 😊

Thank you 😊

Thank you. It is nice to get out of the house sometimes. Bring an audiophile is a indoor pursuit 😎👍

Cool 😎

That is a very good combination. Regularly used by Kef in dealer and hifi show demos 😊

Thank you John 😊

Thank you Paul. I suspected those two brands would work together. Always nice to have confirmation 😊

I am very interested in the similarity or difference between the SA10 and SA20 with the class G (As Arcam name it) essentially class A up to 12 watts of power and hands over to A/B

@@bsmega-team9288 I haven’t listened to the SA10 but I assume they have a similar sound. Subjectively I found it to be very detailed but with a slightly warm sound which works well with my speakers. I also found the SA20 and Focal’s seem to work well at lower volumes eg late night listening. I don’t know if class G helps with this but it seems to.

Thanks, I got Focal Chora and was looking for a good Amp to bring it. Was leaning towards SA20 and this review/comments helped!

Great anecdote. Thank you for watching and sharing Rick 😊👍

Thank you buddy. That was a beast on an amplifier 👍

Thank you Muhammad. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you Leo. I appreciate you watching and sharing 😊

Thank you Mark. Always a pleasure to have your perspective and wisdom 😊👍

Thank you Dan. That is pretty cool. I imagine it should help to reduce crossover distortion. Maybe that is why it as smooth as a good class A design 😊

That was a great amp in it’s day. It was a big seller at the hifi store where I worked in my teens 😊

Way back in 1997 I was at a Hi-Fi show, I was walking past some booths and I heard something which literally jerked my head around, I follow the sound to a small booth demonstrating a pair of quad 57esl. I was amazed, they sounded like nothing I've ever heard before, not much bass or high treble but the smooth richness of the mid-range puts every other type of speaker in the shade.

Thank you Kobi 😊

Thank you 😊

Thank you buddy 👍

Thank you James. I remember being impressed with that amp 😊

I had the standard issue PM17 and CD17. They were very good, but a bit too warm for my taste and not crisp enough on top. Maybe I just needed to pair them with different speakers than what I had.

Thank you. Arcam have a good track record with sensibly priced DACs 😊👍

But SA10 is great as preamp

Thank you for sharing your experiences Jerald 😊

The new generation CXA61 and 81 don't have tone controls, but their AXR85 and 100 receivers do.

Thank you 👍

Thank you Charles I greatly appreciate your kind words of support 😊👍

That may work 😊

That is great 👍

Thank you Jeremy 😊

Thank you. I think the H95 will over an improvement but the H120 might be more worthwhile with those Maggies 😊

Thank you Alex 😊

Thank you Lonnie 😊

Thank you Doug. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you Kobi. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you. Great to learn about your experiences 😊

Thank you Simon 😊

@@abritishaudiophile7314 you're most welcome. You have the knack of keeping your reviews entailing and on point.

Thank you Stuart. Isn’t it great the memories evoked by certain brands and components 😊

I had an Arcam Alpha 7 paired with some 303s, and they were a great combo for a small room

That is great. Thank you for sharing Robert 😊

Thank you DM 😊

Thank you William. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you Felipe 😊

Thank you. I wish I could have got there 😊

That you Joel. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍

@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thank you Tarun. I do, however, currently run the BRO-threes in my system and there's a possibility to lend a SA-10 from my local dealer to audition... 😉 Saw some other comment about this and I believe that combination would sound quite remarkable, mainly since the Triangles are so easily driven, but still, they love a 'chunk of power' to open up even more! 👌🏼

That is great. Thank you for sharing 😊

Thank you Paul 😊

Thank you John. Much appreciated. I was not so lucky. I still regret not being able to get that MF A1000 😊👍

Cool 😎 thank you for sharing 😊

Thank you. I suppose they had to keep a tight grip on the purse strings with this one 😊

@@abritishaudiophile7314 yes a lot of value packed into that circa £700 price. USB input wouid be nice but it's pricey to implement as you say. I actually like an amp where you exit standby using the volume knob as it stops me from inadvertently deafening myself. On a much less budget friendly level, you should check out the Technics SU G700 mk2 (a mouthful! ) digital amp. It has a very high quality retro exterior design with up to the minute internals that gives you an awful lot their £7grand SU-R1000 for a lot less money. The mk2 is better in some respects.

The SA10 internal DAC is OK for TV, films, Xbox or KZfaq, but my favourite player and DAC I have connected is the Arcam CDS27 SACD Network streamer. This has a huge lush soundstage with more bottom end compared to SA10 DAC, Rega DAC (this had great timing and rythym though) and Ifi USB DAC Signature. I also owned the Arcam Alpha 9 CD player with the ring DAC but before I got the SA10. The SA10 DAC does not cut the mustard to get the most musicality from the SA10. It sounds anemic compared to other DACs I have and especially the CDS27. It's worth trying to pick one up on Ebay, it has Burr Brown DAC chip which I seem to prefer to the ESS Sabre. Plus the SA10 remote can control the CDS27 also which is nicer than the remote that was supplied with CDS27.

That is great Steve. I appreciate you sharing 😊

Thank you Yves. Looks like you’re onto a winner with the A80. Great job of describing the Arcam sound 😊

The SA10 is the better amp 😊

Thank you. I agree Fyne would be a good choice 😊

I highly recommend you listen to the Naim before you buy it. It doesn't sound anything at all like the Arcam.

@@AT-wl9yq Hi, thanks for noting this. Is it colouration, soundstage, clarity between the two? I would certainly look to test each item before laying down the cash. Just interested if you can elaborate as to your preference/experience.

@@walterandbruges I liked the idea of what Naim was trying to accomplish, but it was just too rough around the edges. When I had it on a laid back speaker that doesn't have a lot of detail, like the B&W LM1 (This is not your typical B&W. It had a soft dome tweeter, and was fairly forgiving.), it sounded very good. The problem was when you put it on a speaker that has the type of resolution you would expect from a typical high end audio product, like the Vandersteen 1's, it fell apart. It just wasn't a clean sounding amp. I got just OK results putting it on something in between the two I just mentioned, like the Monitor Audio S8's. I got the impression Naim was trying to do a bit too much at that price point. I would have rather them charge another $500 or so for the amp, and get it to sound like it should. I also had at the same time a Creek 5350SE. The 2 were very close in price. They don't make it any more, but if you can find a good used one, it just killed the Naim. It was in a completely different league. If I had to guess what the issue was, I would bet money it was the preamp. At this price point its almost impossible to find a good stand alone preamp, and not one that's part of an integrated amp. Creek understands this and opted not to use one, and go passive. It was the exact same thing with another integrated I had, the Ayre CX-7. The guy who designed it told me the exact same thing. He went passive, because he couldn't make an integrated with an active line stage to his standards at that low of a price point. Hope this helps you make a decision. Like I said, if you can find a good used Creek, I would go that route over the Naim. And if you're lucky enough to fine an Ayre, that one is good enough to be the last one you buy. The only reason I got rid of mine, is I needed more power. I sold it and bought 2 Ayre V-5's. But if you don't need that much power, they sound pretty close.

Thank you buddy. Much appreciated 😊👍

Thank you. I would like to review that amp 😊

The 20 is definitely worth the extra cash. I've had both and while the 10 sounds great the 20 has more muscle and drive. I've never heard my RA labs reference 2a speakers come alive like they do with the sa20.

Life long 😊

Thank you for sharing, my friend 😊

Cool 😎

Thank you 😊

Thank you for sharing Dave 👍

lipsync you can adjust in the settings of your tv (probably)

@@thepuma2012 it’s doesn’t need delay it’s the opposite. It just makes it worse with delay. The sa30 has delay option built in as well.

Thank you for sharing Russell 😊

Thank you Greg 😊

Thank you. It was a shame, Frank had a moment to get to Mike in that fight 😊

I had a Sugden crush too. Never really got over it 😊

Thank you buddy 😊👍

Thank you buddy. Sugden was another brand I lusted after in my youth but couldn’t afford 😊

Same my first amp I got was an old Sansui that belonged to my dad I had a touch sensitive technics equalizer 🔥🔥 😂 oh how I marvelled at that thing ahahah

Great anecdote. Thank you Michael 👍

It is a joy to get feedback like that TP. I still believe that Arcam AVR are unsurpassed for the money for those who want multi-channel movies and two channel listening 👍😊👍

@@abritishaudiophile7314 especially now, with the arcam avr20 having 30% off (£1000) probably because the AVR 21 has just been released and it's got the new HDMI 2.1 8k (Thankfully I'm not a gamer 😁)

Thank you Jan. They are unknown to me 😊👍

Thank you for sharing Mark 😊

Thank you for sharing 😊

I had a FMJ 38. Pitch black background and very good speaker control, but lacking in tonality and timbre. Also had the Alpha 9. Prefer my Denon pma-2000r or any vintage Sony or Luxman amps. Have no experience with the modern Arcam line.

I have an old arcam alpha 8, and am wondering if it makes sense to upgrade to a newer unit? Has amplifier technology progressed much for it make a difference?

Thank you Koos. I will be reviewing floorstanders but they will have to wait until my home renovations are completed 👍

Thank you Stephen 👍

I've had the SA10 for over 2 1/2 years, I too own the Denton 80s along with Arcam CDS27 SACD Network Streamer. I'd love to hear the Arcam setup with much more expensive speakers to hear what it can do.

@@nocturnal1970 I'm sure it would drive more expensive speakers quite well, as long as they were relatively efficient. I had thoughts at one time of purchasing some Focals to complement the Dentons with a different sound signature, but have been so satisfied with the current setup that I abandoned the idea. I purchased the Audiolab 6000cdt a year before I acquired the Arcam. It is an excellent cd transport. For streaming, I run a USB out of my desktop computer through a Topping D10s, which converts the signal and exports via a Toslink optical cable into the Arcam's dac. Works perfectly fine.

@@stephenbailey9969 You are aware that the final DAC is the SA10 internal? Which as I considered substandard in relation to external DACs feeding the line level inputs. BTW the What Hi-Fi review said the line level inputs were crap compared to the internal DAC. Let me assure you that this was nonsense, feed the SA10 with a good DAC or player like the CDS27 and you'll instantly know the difference. I did a A/B comparison with my CDS27 DAC via line level inputs and a co-axial cable from the CDS27 output feeding the SA10 DAC and trust me there is no way you would choose the SA10 internal DAC... It is akin to upgrading your entire hi-fi by a few grand 😎 The difference is immense regarding width and depth of sound stage and much more glorious bottom end through the Denton 80s. I did a lot of testing of this with a quick switch on the remote, honestly you can hear a massive difference, the CDS27 is a much unknown gem. I haven't heard the CDS 50 or ST60 streamer but it is nirvana in soundstage and luciousness. Edit: Just to verify my testing memories I am testing again with classical music and the difference is huge... Solo piano lower octaves, more 3D, more detail. The difference reminds me of going back to my first Cambridge Audio student buy in the mid 1990s. I guess it is up to you 😎 Further edit: Listening to Adagio by Strings via Tidal from this phone oh my it is beautiful, no need for CD transport or hard drives, I have extensively tested those also and no difference.

@@nocturnal1970 Thanks for the information. I've used external dacs in the past, both multibit and those based on various sigma-delta chips, including Burr Brown chips as used in the CDS27. But to get that 'Arcam tuning' I would in the future consider the CDS50 or whatever is the latest production model. No doubt that synergy is very important in selecting components.

Thank you kindly. I would like to get one home to be able to answer that with any authority 😊👍

Thank you Gökhan 😊

@@abritishaudiophile7314 I think Rotel a11 sits between Arcam and audiolab performace wise. Your viewers would benefit from your opinion of how those 3 affordable class A/B amps compare.

Thank you for sharing 😊

Interesting... Yet another SA10 Denton 80th owner 😎 I got mine for £426 from Richer near the start of covid, it had a buzzing transformer but I got a replacement.

Thank you. Hopefully, I will get to review those amps in time. My current benchmark around this price is the Cambridge Audio AXA35. Link attached 😊 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o8-cg7t4zNbTemg.html

Great James. Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊

Thank you. I owned an A75+ and had a similar experience. It was an impulse buy. Arcam seemed to have lost their way back then. Nice to see them back on form with this one 😊

I tried pma800 w emotiva bookshelf and marantz cd6006. Couldn't get any detail out of it whatsoever! Zero detail. It was open box. Returned it. Meanwhile cambridge axr 35. Very nice!

@@seekstruth5968 glad you found a combo that works for you, I currently have a Cambridge audio axa35 plumbed in, that I picked up used, haven't decided if it stays on goes yet lol, it has a nice, clean, crisp sound for sure but the bizarre tone controls let it down, also sounds like it could use bigger power caps to give the sound some more body, might just keep it as a backup amp, still prefer the Denon with my Dali Oberon 5's, so far....

@@bigambientdeath Perhaps my speakers or cd player don't have much treble leading to poor sound on denon 800 and marantz 8006 amps?? Couldn't get any detail on either. Denon 800 was v nice looking. Seemed solid. The 8006 was a tank. Oh well--Hope I didn't make mistake returning those. On your setup the voices sound real apparently! Now I am jealous! At any rate, I do get very good/excellent sound with my c setup.

Thank you for sharing 😊

I did that in a recent video 😊 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eKxpd6mQucjHiKc.html

Thank you for sharing 😊

That is great. Thank you for sharing 😊

I bet those amps still hold up very well today. Perhaps a pair of speakers and a second system somewhere 😊

Thank you Mike. That is very kind. It is tricky to describe what you hear. It is also hard to keep things fresh without getting into flowery audiophile nonsense 😊👍

streaming opened up a HIgh-res world for me. I choose Qobuz because of the many 24 bit/up to 192 khz music and that made a big difference, with a good renderer, in how I hear music now. It sounds clearly much better than CD quality. Good luck on choosing your equipment for that. I bought a second hand Moon MiND 180 for that, which was a cheap but terrific upgrade for streaming. I have the old audiolab 8000a but the first thing to upgrade are my speakers, I guess.

​@@thepuma2012 Thanks for pointing out the Moon MiND 180. Was considering it and the Lumin D2 on the used market. Looking at DAC's as well.

@@smuconn Hi, well the MiND´s are so top quality, get a good DAC as well then. The MiND 180 was the first, the newer types after that are a bit more extended when upgraded, and can make use of Roon. Anyway I am happy with the quality of the 180. Tried some apps, like mconnect free version but in the end i am using the app from MiND itself. I googled the Lumin, seems a bit hard to choose between the two..... According the reviews the lumin sounds really good with its in built dac. The MiNDs are excellent renderers on its own, giving a perfect signal to the connected DAC.

@@thepuma2012 Thanks for the help!

Thank you DM 😊

Thank you. It me some time to get used to it too 😊👍

Thank you. I appreciate the suggestion 🙂

I was thinking the same thing through filming this review. The IN80 Signature is more resolving and has better control. It would be interesting to compare it to the SA20 😊