I use the same amp at home. It also pulls double duty for me in my theater room. It's probably the only thing I have no real interest in changing. It does everything right. I will admit, I'm curious how a Classe amp would sound in my mostly Arcam system. (I've always loved them) I don't know that it would be better, just different. There are several things I would change first. I have a good friend with a Krell amp, and Classe pre. It's very good, but to be honest, I prefer mine. I would want to demo before I switched it out if I were you. I'm an Arcam dealer, but thats my honest take. I'm not trying to sell you anything. (I hate it when people say all dealers have an agenda, not true)
Upgrade from Arcam P7 amp?
I bought a demo Arcam P7 amp back in early 2004 and have been using it in a combo home theater/music setup ever since. I have a Classe SSP-800 sending it 5 channels, with the extra 2 channels of the amp being used to bi-amp my front speakers, which are Von Schweikert Unifield 3.
While I have been very pleased with the Arcam, I'm starting to get curious about an amp upgrade. Surely there are amps at a similar (or lower) price point that have come out in the last 8 years that will put this one to shame, right?
My focus leans more toward 2 channel music, but budget and space reasons don't allow me to get 2 separate systems, so I'm interested in upgrade options for a 5-7 channel amp that will sound better than the P7. It should be around the same price point or lower than the P7 was (I think retail was $4500, so a $6k retail suggestion might work, but 10k is probably out of the question). While I have been bi-amping my fronts, if you think a 5 channel amp and bi-wiring will sound better than the 7 channel Arcam setup, I'm all ears...
If anyone else has moved on from the Arcam unit to a newer one and can share your experience, even better.
Thanks!
While I have been very pleased with the Arcam, I'm starting to get curious about an amp upgrade. Surely there are amps at a similar (or lower) price point that have come out in the last 8 years that will put this one to shame, right?
My focus leans more toward 2 channel music, but budget and space reasons don't allow me to get 2 separate systems, so I'm interested in upgrade options for a 5-7 channel amp that will sound better than the P7. It should be around the same price point or lower than the P7 was (I think retail was $4500, so a $6k retail suggestion might work, but 10k is probably out of the question). While I have been bi-amping my fronts, if you think a 5 channel amp and bi-wiring will sound better than the 7 channel Arcam setup, I'm all ears...
If anyone else has moved on from the Arcam unit to a newer one and can share your experience, even better.
Thanks!
3 responses Add your response