I'm about decided on buying this amp. Would like to hear any opinions - for or against - before I "pull the trigger" and get poor quick! It seems to have both excellent build quality and fine sound. Will have this amp for a long time (have owned my Dynakit ST-70 and preamp since 1967!). The Arcam seems a little "polite" with lower frequencies-but not at all boomy or unrealistically bass heavy. Very tight and controlled bass. The highs are smooth and open sounding without killing your ears. Plenty of detail provided. Also, it pretty much seems to play back what you feed it. In the demo, I tried a couple of my CD's that I know to be lousy and, yes, they still sounded lousy!
Any opinions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I use Acoustic Energy AE1 MkIII Reference speakers. They are small 2-way monitors 87dB sensitivity, 8 ohm impedance. I listen at moderate to low listening levels. Listen mostly to acoustic jazz and classical.
You sound like you know what you want - I would go with what your ear tells you. You know Arcam makes good stuff - especially their upper models like this one.
This is from their sight: http://www.arcam.co.uk/fmj/products/a32amp.html
Buy with confidence. The FMJ is indeed a good amplifier with good reserves. The AE speakers are a little harder to drive than the specs so the extra grunt of this amplifier helps. As your system dates from the dark ages, do not discount the importance of appropriate cabling. Here in the UK, Arcam is most often used with Chord Co. cables, and the better the cable, the better the result, so in the case of FMJ you're looking at Chord Chorus interconnects and Chord Odyssey speaker cable. That said, I am also quite partial to the Tom Evans EIKOS interconnect with FMJ kit - it seems to reduce the warmth slightly without making the system sound clinical.
I finally placed the order for the FMJ A32. Also-took the plunge and ordered the ARCAM CD82T cdp as well. As for speaker cables, I use Nordost Flatline Gold. My ARCAM dealer is trying to sell me the Nordost Blue Heaven interconnect. Not sure if the Chord cables are available here. Will look into it. I will pick up my new gear this coming Saturday, so am anxious to hear in my home. I bought it from the same dealer that earlier this year sold me the Acoustic Energy AE1's. So, I got a chance to hear the A32 using speakers just like mine. Sounded really good.
Thanks Frank for your advice on the Chord cables and interconnects. Will investigate.
Try your Nordost - it's a highly regarded cable. I find it a touch bright but a lot of people love it, and since the Arcam is a touch warm the balance might be right. Also, don't evaluate any cables etc. in the first 72 hours. Both bits take at least that long to start running in. Keep the CD player on repeat - even low volumes (so it doesn't keep you awake) will help run in the cd and amp. Have fun!
Thanks for your advice on running in the new Arcam gear. I will-as you suggest-leave it on repeat for a 3 or 4 days to get things settled in. I also think you're onto something when you say that the Nordost cables may ameliorate the slight warmth of the FMJ A32. My speakers tend to be quite neutral-so hoping that all this will jell as imagined. If not, it was an expensive miscalculation on my part! My listening room is unusually good as far as acoustics are concerned. That will help as well.
Regards,
Walt
AlanHK
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I have just bought this amp last week and using the Arcam CD73 to drive it.
Sound just like you guys say - polite lower frequencies but tight and controlled bass. The highs are smooth and open sounding.
Spec. is 100W/ch on 8 OHM and 140W/ch on 4 OHM but seems no hiccup to drive my spendor S3/5se
I'm not surprised. It's a powerful amp. What interconnect and speaker cables are you using to connect it all together? I find that many cables make the Arcams sound warmer and fuzzier than they should. My preference is the Acoustic Precision EIKOS interconnect at £89, although Chord Chameleon Silver Plus is also a good alternative (£120). As to speaker cable, the best I've found is Chord Odyssey at £18/m (ouch).
It's all good stuff. If I had to point out a weakness that would be your CD player, but I'm being picky now since it's a fine CD player and bettering it would mean doubling the cost on the CD player!
Regards, Frank.
AlanHK
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Frank Abela,
Thank for your comment. My Interconnect = QED QUNEX 4S My Speaker Cable = Audioquest CV6 with DBS
I also feel my CD player would be the weakest part in my system, so that now is saving money to buy a better one (may be Arcam CD33 or CD192), any sugguestion?
The Arcams are good CD players. I particularly like the CD192. If you're in the hunt for the CD33T I wonder if you could stretch to the DV29A? The latter runs the CD33T close (maybe better) for music, *and* it has one of the best DVD pictures and sound on the planet!
do not discount the importance of appropriate cabling. Here in the UK, Arcam is most often used with Chord Co. cables, and the better the cable, the better the result, so in the case of FMJ you're looking at Chord Chorus interconnects and Chord Odyssey speaker cable. That said, I am also quite partial to the Tom Evans EIKOS interconnect with FMJ kit - it seems to reduce the warmth slightly without making the system sound clinical.