A&R Cambridge Ltd (ARCAM)

A&R Cambridge Ltd (ARCAM) is a British manufacturer of hi-fi equipment, which is based in Waterbeach Cambridgeshire, England, UK. It was formally established in 1976 by science and engineering students from the University of Cambridge. John Dawson, one of the Cambridge graduates, is still with ARCAM.

A&R Cambridge’s first product was the A&R Cambridge A60 integrated amplifier, released in 1976. It soon became a classic product, admired for both its sound and its restrained, sleek appearance and its high-end sound performance. These days Arcam products stretch from integrated stereo amplifiers right through to high-end upscaling DVD players (such as the DV139), ultra high performance AV processors and an audiophile iPod dock.

In the 1980s, the formal company name of A&R Cambridge Ltd was shortened on the products themselves to “ARCAM”, although the company's trading name remained A&R Cambridge Ltd.Well known Arcam brands include the Alpha (entry) and Delta (higher) sperates of the 80's and 90's, The FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) high end series and the DiVA range of stereo and AV separates (1999 onwards).

Arcam "firsts" include the first domestic add-on audio DAC (Black Box), first (and only) British built Dolby S cassette deck (Delta 100) a first domestic DAB tuner (Alpha 10).

The ARCAM Solo was introduced in 2005 that effectively places hi-fi quality separates into a one-box enclosure no larger than, say, a separate CD player. This product also has provision, by way of the rLead/rDock, to integrate with the Apple iPod. This range was extended in 2007 to include a 5.1 movie variant and later a 2.1 version. Also, to complete the line up, a sub/sat speaker system called Muso/Logo appeared which matched the Solo products.

Unlike many similar manufacturers, ARCAM still manufactures many of its products in the UK, with only a few models (most notably ARCAM FM/AM tuners) being made in the Far East. The engineering and design side of their products is still managed in-house in the UK.

ARCAM’s competitors include, amongst others, NAD, Naim, Meridian, Audiolab, Rega Research, Denon, Marantz and Cambridge Audio.

External links

* [http://www.arcam.co.uk/ Official Site]
* [http://www.savantaudio.com/ARCA60E.jpgPicture of the classic A60 amplifier of 30 years ago]