There is a part of choosing your system that often throws up a particular quandary.
You want a better music system but also want it to work well with movies?
This is very common, you want a music system of the Arcam/Rega specialist level, better than the Japanese equipment, and dont want the complexity of a big surround amp with more buttons and set-up modes than you would ever get around to trying.
Also you could well do without lots of boxes and cables!
Arcam have a new solution just for you
Several years ago Arcam had a range called Solo, well they have done it again, except to keep things clear it's now called.....Solo
The new Solo also has a few clever tricks so that you can't say no
There are two versions, although they look identical
Solo Music features a CD/SACD drive, 80W Class G amp (that's important, the Class G bit), an FM/DAB tuner,
Network connection to control your music library via a free Arcam App, and Bluetooth.
That's pretty much all you could ask for, especially for £ 1499
You could also ask for HDMI inputs to get the best sound from dvd/blu ray/sat box, so it has 4
You could also ask for it to sound really good, so it does that too
I have blasted the Solo Music with The XX on Kef R700s and it really rocks
I also played some Miles davis and Paolo Nutini with the new Rega RX3s and it has all the delicacy you need
As you can see from the pic there is also a Solo Movie, they look identical
The Movie version also plays dvds and blu rays and has five channels of amplification on board
Again you can stream, listen to radio, and connect your sky box, and again it sounds reall y good!
If you want to get really geeky then it isnt quite as good in stereo as the Solo Music, no big surprise, however these are both ingenious solutions.
Want really good music and occasional tv sound from 2 speakers? Simple, £ 1499 please
Want the 5 channel surround experience which also sounds great on music? Simple £ 1999 please
For many who want the quality without the boxes these tick all the boxes
Just how many speakers do you want? Simple
Of course Arcam have levels of performance above this for music and movies, but that's another story!