Arcam is to unify its hi-fi separates ranges under the FMJ sub-brand, with two new amplifiers and two new CD/SACD players – priced from £450 – due by June. The newcomers promise to include “the company’s highest-performing music player to date”.
Arcam’s DiVA sub-brand, meanwhile, lives on for its AV products, with the Solo range continuing to cover music and movie systems duties.
First in the new player line-up will be the Arcam FMJ CD37 (pictured above), about which those ‘best ever’ claims are being made.
This £1000 CD/SACD player features the latest Wolfson 8741 DACs, using native DSD coversion for SACD discs.
Other features include a power supply with dual toroidal transformers (one each for audio and digital circuits) and some anti-vibration/interference aspects with names that seem straight from a comic book.
For example, Arcam’s proprietary “Mask of Silence” technology is designed to dramatically reduce electromagnetic interference, which is further foiled by the use of “Stealth Mat”, unique metal-fibre matting. These audio-loving superheroes are also on the case of the arch-villain vibration, deploying “Sound Dead Steel” – damped chassis construction – to “virtually eliminate mechanical influences on the electronics”.
The FMJ CD37 will be swiftly followed by the FMJ CD17, a £500 CD player for which we have few details – other than it will also incorporate a new Wolfson DAC.
Moving onto stereo amplifiers, Arcam has announced the FMJ A28 and FMJ A18, both of which – to reflect the vinyl revival – include moving-magnet phono stages.
The A28 (pictured above) is a new midrange model, costing £750. The 75 watts per channel integrated amp includes six line-level inputs in addition to the aforementioned MM phono stage. It can be used in “processor mode” for integration with AV amps, and features pre-amp outputs that enable bi-amping with Arcam power amplifiers.
The amp – which comes with Arcam’s CR90 learning remote – also features all-electronic control for volume and input selection; two pairs of individually selectable speaker outputs, and a new power-supply design. It additionally boasts Arcam’s Mask of Slience and Stealth Mat technology.
More details will follow on the A18, which will cost £450. As with all Arcam FMJ designs, it will be available in black or silver finish.
Source: Acram
