The Pumping Heart Of A Hi-fi System

The Age

Thursday July 29, 2004

GREG BORROWMAN

Get to the core of an audiophile's sound system and you're likely to find an integrated amp.

SNEAK into the lounge room of a hi-fi enthusiast and you'll probably find a simple system comprising a CD player, a pair of two-way speakers on stands (or three-way floor speakers) and, at its heart, a simple stereo integrated amplifier rather than a high-tech receiver.

Enthusiasts prefer integrated amplifiers for many reasons, mainly sound quality. Integrated amps don't have the noisy digital signal processing (DSP) circuits of AV receivers or sensitive radio-frequency circuitry inside AM/FM receivers. They're also simple to operate. You don't need to connect a TV to see the operating menu or read the manual to switch inputs.

Arcam's new A80 is an integrated amplifier but not a simple one. Inside is a microprocessor that can be programmed to make it work the way you want and make the A80's circuitry a better match for other components in your system. By adjusting the input trim control you can make the volume remain the same when you switch from one source to another, say from CD to LP or cassette, or to any other source connected to the A80.

You can program the microprocessor to set a maximum volume. This could be useful in households with teenagers and prevent accidental blasts of sound that could destroy your speakers. All functions can be adjusted using the supplied infra-red remote.

The sensitivity of the volume control can be adjusted in three steps. There's a coarse mode, in which a small turn results in a large change in volume. The fine mode is more precise and particularly useful when setting playback levels for recording. A "reference" mode adjusts output in exact 0.5dB steps. The six inputs include a record/play loop for a CD-R recorder, and a phono input for a turntable. The phono circuit makes it a snap to transfer vinyl LPs to CD and, because the A80 supports multi-source operation, you can listen to one source while recording another.

The Arcam can drive two pairs of speakers. The headphone socket, handily mounted on the front panel, is always active. Despite its slim chassis, the A80 is quite heavy, mostly due to a large transformer needed to power speakers rated at four ohms. It has an internal heat sink so there's no noisy cooling fan.

Our review sample delivered 85 watts a channel into eight-ohm speakers and 156 watts a channel into four-ohm speakers, a handy increase on the 65-watt rating. Designed and built in Britain, Arcam's A80 is a great little amplifier.

Greg Borrowman is editor of Australian HI-FI magazine.

AT A GLANCE

PRODUCT Arcam A80 Stereo Integrated Amplifier

PRICE $1998

DISTRIBUTION Absolute Audio Vision

WEB www.arcam.co.uk