Arcam Solo Any thoughts

The Solo is the tuner, CD, amp and pre for about 1500, isn't it? Even if it's not great audio, I think it would be difficult to do better for the money as people are claiming. Unless they'd like to make suggestions.

Now, saying you can go to audiogon/used is kind of a cheat, comparing new to used. Maybe you could wait a bit and get a used Solo to even out the equation. Or maybe you could buy a used Magnelab receiver and compare that to the new Solo....

I purchased the Arcam Solo approximately 5 weeks ago on the recommendation of my audio store. Its arrival resulted in great excitement and I was absolutely impressed by the form factor and the usability aspect of it. I connected my Linn Kans and let it run for weeks on end. I now consider it a wonderful unit that performs beautifully. I use it as a bedroom stereo in a room that is approximately 10 x 11 feet. It sounds great, with good detail and imaging, and it has increased my music listening enjoyment immensely. The Linn Kans are not tops on bass, and I think future improvement could be gained by using larger speakers, or perhaps a sub such as the Quad L or perhaps something from REL.

The point of all this is simply to encourage you to take the time to audition the Solo. Depending on your needs, it could be a perfect fit.

I heard it at the Montreal show and was less than impressed. Especially for its steep price tag, I'd absolutely look elsewhere. You can do an awful lot better for the same $.

CD transports unreliable? I still have the first cd player (Technics) I purchased back in 86. It's in my grandsons bedroom and working fine. Even the remote still works.
If the solo uses the Sony transport, it's probably gonna run for the life of the Red Book format.

I would stay with seperates.For 2500 you could put together quite a system from Audiogon.

Hmmm ... what if the CD transport fails. CD transports are often less reliable than amps, and that has always put me off the all-in-one approach, like the linn classic.

If it were me I'd look for a separate CD player and integrated amp. A used Marantz CD67 or CD6000 with an arcam amp would be a good starting place.

I think the Solo is a fantastic product. Great sound and incredible looks. The money you save on interconnects just adds to the value. I've heard it with little Wharfedale Diamond 8 series, $200 speakers, great sound for the price. If you could splurge a little more for ProAc Tablettes, you'd be set for a long time. VanDenHul speaker cables are a great choice, as are Kimber 8TC's.