Arcam
CD36 Upsampling CD Player -
Hi-Fi Choice
Arcam
CD36 Upsampling CD Player -
Hi-Fi Choice
From the September 2005 issue:
...the best measured performances we've ever seen from a CD player.
Truly excellent neutrality, effortless extension and above all a high degree of refinement make this a very revealing and musically involving player. ...ingeniously layered sonic productions reveal more of the art and craft that went into their making when heard through as detailed a player as this one.
...don't trust universal players to do full justice to a fine CD collection... this player absolutely deserves to be heard by anyone seriously considering spending a grand or more (possibly even quite a lot more) on CD-only replay.
The CD36 is too new to have accumulated a catalog of reviews; but, since the 36 represents a significant improvement over the CD33, the CD33 reviews listed below will provide some small indication of the minimum levels of performance you should expect from the new CD36.
Arcam
CD33T Upsampling CD Player -
Playboy
In the March 2005 issue Playboy featured the Arcam CD33 in their ultimate audio system.
"Any stereo has to play today's most popular format, the CD, and decent playback makes a huge difference. There are stupefying values in today's market—$300 units that'll play CDs, DVDs, and MP3s and then run to the store to buy smokes for you. But be strong. It's a digital format, but what comes out of the back of the player is all analog. The conversion between the two is what separates the harsh reproduction of mass-market players from the natural sound of the premium set. The smart money's on Arcam's Full Metal Jacket CD33 upsampling CD player ($2,500), with damped chassis (to absorb vibrations), dual nonswitching power supplies and excellent filtering in the digital-analog conversion. Trust us, you'll hear the difference by the end of the first note."
Arcam CD33T Upsampling CD Player - Stereophile
John
Atkinson reviews the Arcam CD33 in
the July 2004 issue of Stereophile:
...I was struck by the lushness of the orchestral sound and the smoothness of the high frequencies, coupled with the detailed view into the soundstage...
Error corrections, assessed using the Pierre Vernay Test CD, which has laser-cut gaps in the data spiral up to 2mm in length, was the best I have ever encountered, there were no audible glitches in the sound AT ALL.
With SACD and DVD-A currently stalled in the marketplace and commoditized DVD players proving inadequate for two-channel music reproduction, audiophiles still need a high-quality means of playing back their CD collections... With measured performance that is beyond reproach and sound quality that lacks for little — and what it does lack can be obtained only by spending a lot more money — I heartily recommend Arcam's FMJ CD33.
Arcam CD33T Upsampling CD Player - Enjoy the Music.com
From a review by Alvin Gold in the October 2003 issue:
The player has an unusual liveliness and transparency, and in this it goes beyond the capabilities of its predecessor, the CD23, The latter had broadly similar qualities, but there was a mild but detectable something -- call it opacity, an identifiable patterning that was present at a very low level with all program material. In the end, the CD23T could sound a little bland. This is where the new model shows the clearest evidence of improvement over the old. Refinement is of a broadly similar order, and there appears to be even more detail than before, but the more important significant point is that the CD33T has almost no aural signature or opacity. It is more transparent, and there is less of a sense that the music has a mechanical origin.
Arcam CD33T Upsampling CD Player - Hi-Fi News
From the August 2003 issue:
...the CD33T stands as possibly the finest CD player to have come from the stable of Arcam. The mild, shiny glaze that once sat over the Alpha 9 sound is now all but gone, without sacrificing the commendable three-dimensionality of that player. At the other extreme, bass is as tight and low as once found in players costing over twice the CD33T's price.
Arcam CD33T Upsampling CD Player - Gramophone
From the August 2003 issue:
The Arcam sounds magnificent...
Arcam
CD33T Upsampling CD Player -
Hi-Fi Choice
From the July 2003 issue:
Arcam's CD23T is dead... Long live Arcam's new CD king, the ultra-polished FMJ CD33T.
Using as a quality yardstick Mark Levinson's superb (and costly) 390S player, the Arcam immediately impressed with its lively and outgoing character...
This is an excellent player whose resolving ability is up there with the true high end, and which certainly outclasses most of the similarly-priced competition. But, it is not just finely, sometimes exquisitely detailed, it's also capable of getting down and dirty... It is a muscular and bold-sounding player, which is also capable of tackling low-level acoustic material with kid gloves.