The Arcam mid-range amplifier has been the number one choice at it's price for the past 30 years, so what happened the past 2 years? Not that the A18 wasn't good, was there more competition? Had we all seen the styling before and were just used to it? Who knows, but the new A19 is a really big leap.
For the original Arcam owner and designer John Dawson the new A19 is his personal baby. He has designed all the new circuitry, honed and refined it, and overseen the process through to the finished production version. So how does it sound? In one word, brilliant.
Detailed, dynamic, punchy, subtle, an out-of -the-box sound without any harshness, this is the blueprint for the next generation of Arcam amplifiers and the future looks rosy indeed.
Ok so the price is up a little at £ 649, but who cares when it is this good. Also includes a tap off it's big power supply to connect to Arcam's r series DACs so they sound better through it as well. Clever !
