Arcam unveils Radia Series
“When we set out to create the Radia Series, there were a number of technical innovations that we wanted to put into the product, and we ultimately settled on a design that we think is one of the best-sounding amplifiers we have ever created,” said Jim Garrett, Senior Director, Product Strategy and Planning at Harman Luxury Audio. “In addition to a sleek new design that will define Arcam’s image for years to come, with the Radia family we’ve renewed our focus on intimate performance and embraced the very latest audio technologies. For today’s audio enthusiasts, especially younger ones looking to get into a luxury audio system at a reasonable cost, the resulting solutions surpass not only our past offerings but any product that’s come before.”
Radia products come in aluminium shells with front fascias, redesigned knobs and “gentle” lighting effects and a smooth, matte black surface cut through with new signature yellow highlights. On the top, ventilation cut-outs are hidden within a pattern of dynamic lines, which the company says ensure a flawless aesthetic. The rear sports a connector cowl, reminiscent of ornate rear diffusers found in performance cars, designed to hide connector housings from view. The redesigned knobs are curved, finished in satin black and textured to mask fingerprints.
The Radia amps come equipped with Bluetooth aptX Adaptive receivers, internal antennas and an MM phono stage. The 2x 50W A5 and 2x 100W A15 Class AB amplifiers include new digital circuitry based on the ESS ES9018 DAC. The 2x 100W A25 steps up to a Class G amplifier and the ESS ES9280AQ DAC. In addition to USB-C inputs, there are LED illuminated highlights and an OLED display on the front panel.
Sporting an internal wi-fi antenna, the ST5 music streamer supports Amazon Music Unlimited, Qobuz, Internet radio, podcasts, Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect and more. In addition, the streamer offers support for MQA, Google Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2 and Roon. The CD5 CD player boasts CD, CD-R and CD-RW playback; playback from USB mass storage; and support for FLAC, WAV and MP3 formats. Both the ST5 and CD5 feature an ESS ES9018 DAC and boast 24-bit/192kHz resolution.
Pricing is as follows: £750 for the A5, £1,100 for the A15 and £1,500 for the A25 amps. The CD5 is £700 and the ST5 £800.
Available to buy now, you can find out more about the new Radia Series here.
Inside this month's issue: Arcam Radia A25 integrated amp, iFi Audio iDSD Diablo 2 DAC/headphone amp, Eversolo DMP-A8 streamer/DAC/preamp, Line Magnetic LM-845IA valve amp, Record Store Day Spring Drop, standmount loudspeaker Group Test and much, much more
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