ARCAM SOLO MINI

Posted in: Audio-Sounds | May 12th, 2008

Arcam Solo Mini

Manufacturer’s Description Integrated CD, radio, biaural amplifier
Colour Silver
Dimensions 230mm x 350mm x 90mm

Features DAB receiver/FM receiver/AM receiver/CD playback/USB connection
Weight (kg) 6.70
Audio D/A Converter 24 Bit
Converters Wolfson 24-bit multilevel Delta-Sigma DAC
Impedance (Ohm) 8.00
Max Frequency Response 20.00
Min Frequency Response 20.00
No. of USB Ports 1
Remote Control Yes

Flushed, no doubt, by the success of the example ‘Solo’, Arcam has today progressed to a three-band, half-width, earpiece with built-in CD contestant - and that’s commonly the region of Aiwa, Matsui and added anonymous brands that no digit has ever heard of.

All the same, Arcam is stabbing to saucer discover that the Mini has plentitude of Arcam cred, with features such as digital-to-analogue transmutation and a 25-watt production (that’s actual hi-fi watts, not PMP0, or whatever such flamboyant concoction).

Combined DAB and CD player

There’s sure plentitude of grouping in combine a DAB receiver and CD contestant in the aforementioned unit, since they both requirement digital-to-analogue conversion. And, erst you’ve finished that, you strength as substantially add a USB input, so that files on USB takeout frequence devices crapper also be played.

The noesis cater - which is a linelike identify supported on a toroidal transformer - is ordinary to every the stages. However, modify with every the expanse action efficiency that comes with surface-mount components, it was understandably a taste of a tweet to intend everything in the case.

The body of a slot-loading CD execution could easily be seen as added cooperation but, meet because most slot-loading players are a taste ho-hum, we shouldn’t be in a rushing to objurgate this one.

The DAB noesis is the customary minute, self-contained intimacy and the FM/AM digit likewise. Source modify and intensity curb are electronic and the effort tweet is in the noesis amplifier section.

It strength hit been meet most doable to beatific in a separate production stage, but Arcam has opted for a noesis desegrated journeying secured to a heatsink that, patch on the diminutive side, is more than competent for whatever penalization obligation we tried.

Simple operation

In housing radio, CD and USB don’t sway your boat, Arcam has thoughtfully provided quaternary distinction inputs on the customary phono sockets at the rear, nonnegative an contestant digit on the face in the modify of a biaural mini-jack.

There’s a fixed-level output, quaintly labelled ‘tape’, and a preamp production so that farther amps crapper be unvoluntary (the aforementioned production allowing the Mini to be upgraded by the constituent of an outside noesis amp). If you poverty after more, or more civilised power, then also nestling at the side are curb connections for multi-room automation.

Operation is pretty friendly, with a clean honor of info shapely in. For instance, when you append a CD, the maker switch automatically switches to CD on the commonsensible hypothesis that you actually poverty to endeavor the disc.

The controls direct above the face commission impact substantially enough, though the contestant buttons on the farther attain chronicle easier. Volume steps are reasonably ordered at 1dB, with base talk and equilibrise controls included.

We rattling can’t conceive of anything Arcam’s mitt soured - you crapper modify ingest the Mini as an signal clock!

Exceptional performance

To our enthusiastic delight, the Solo Mini evidenced to be everything we’d hoped for. Arcam dispatched it in for analyse with an concomitant unify of ‘Muso’ loudspeakers (£130 each).

These haw be a favourite choice, though we couldn’t rattling impact up such life for them. Instead, we spent whatever bright hours enjoying the Mini’s prowess in the consort of a unify of the rattling dustlike Living Voice Auditorium speakers.

Purloined initially for our regulator amplifier assemble test, their broad sense of around 92dB was no less-suited to the relatively overmodest production of the Mini.

Now that haw seem an mismatched pairing - a £2,100 utterer with a £650 mini-system? On the contrary, we institute ourselves worn inevitably to the closing that, with a budget of digit to threesome cardinal pounds, a Mini, nonnegative the prizewinning loudspeakers digit crapper find, it’s ease an eminently conscious choice.

After all, the Mini isn’t meet competent; it is, in context, stunning.

Superb CD frequence quality

One does, of course, makes allowances for systems same this and we had a broad belief of whatever matter racket or hum. But, bonded on - there isn’t any.

With fine-quality separates, you hit to advise your fruit to the tweeter to center anything of that nature and, ease modify though the Auditorium is a huffy speaker, we were not alive of whatever scenery noise. So farther so good!

The CD player, however, is extremity to be a taste uncouth and absent in discourse compared with whatever half-decent separates. Except that it’s not! We compared it with the exceptionally dustlike Chord DAC64 fed by a decorous transport.

While we could blot it as an raise on the Mini’s built-in player, it was the variety of figuring we’d wait from a £500-class CD contestant (and whatever of them are quite alarmingly good).

But isn’t the Mini’s amplifier a taste of a small starveling? Well no, it isn’t. It does separate discover of noesis eventually, but up to that saucer it has astonishingly high-levels of detail, curb and grip.

It’s not a Krell or Musical Fidelity, but it has actual insight, melodious bass, course and daylong manifold and commendable lowercase case of its possess - it gets on with whatever call of penalization with equanimity.

Why pain with separates?

The DAB receiver is dead decent, patch the FM digit haw be the weakest conception of the grouping but that’s every qualifying and it’s ease meliorate than the FM country of whatever digital/analogue tuners we’ve become across, with a pleasant ‘bite’ to the beatific and beatific integrity.

It’s worth mentioning that a hurried meet to the lab, resulted in a ordered of measurements not different those from beatific recent separates, and the real-world noesis production is comfortably above the rated 25 watts.

This is a grouping that plays penalization with gusto, sentence and a honor of finesse that could persuade the most expressed devotees of separates to modify their ways.

It’s doable that whatever painstakingly collective systems of CD, amp and receiver for low £1,000 could wager it off, but they ease wouldn’t substance as whatever features and would belike verify up most fivesome nowadays the space.

Endless possibilities

So what are the applications for the Mini? From ultra-upmarket signal measure to the hunch of a sacred biaural system, they are nearly endless.

Add a unify of Musos or added picture utterer and place it in a bedroom, think or kitchen. Use it to displace the action of a (non-multichannel) TV falsehood and add games, ambulatory penalization contestant and helper inputs to the equation.

Or, as already suggested, add the prizewinning speakers you crapper buy, bonded in the noesis that the arrange of inputs and outputs makes it painlessly upgradeable both upstream and down. You could modify provide digit as a inform and distribute a lowercase actual penalization repetition quality.

After all, we hit no indecision in declaring the Arcam Solo Mini as digit of the nicest and most elating hi-fi products we’ve become crossways in a rattling daylong time. We can’t propose it more highly.

Jump to Submit Review

Submit your review
You requirement to Log in or run to place reviews

Rate this product
For

Against

Your review

By submitting this modify you concord to our Terms of Use and so are wrongfully answerable for anything you submit. DO NOT accede anything which haw break the Terms of Use or added person’s rights including copyrighted or opprobrious materials.

Submit

The Arcam Solo Mini is digit of the nicest and most elating hi-fi products we’ve become crossways in a rattling daylong time

Zoom

<1 2 >
Manufacturer’s Description Integrated CD, radio, biaural amplifier
Colour Silver
Dimensions 230mm x 350mm x 90mm
Features DAB receiver/FM receiver/AM receiver/CD playback/USB connection
Weight (kg) 6.70
Audio D/A Converter 24 Bit
Converters Wolfson 24-bit multilevel Delta-Sigma DAC
Impedance (Ohm) 8.00
Max Frequency Response 20.00
Min Frequency Response 20.00
No. of USB Ports 1
Remote Control Yes

Similar models
Compare Compare up to quaternary products
Last reviewed: Feb 8th 2007
Quad 99CD-S
Our score