Listen to Arcam's top of the line integrated amplifier and you would be forgiven for thinking you're listening to electronics costing 10 times the price of the A38. This is because Arcam set about with the goal of creating the best performing stereo amplifier that Arcam have ever produced. For a company with over 30 years worth of history creating audiophile grade amplifiers this was no mean feat.
Arcam's experienced British engineering team got right down to the basics of amplifier design to see what they could improve upon. Research into thermal conditions and the effect they have on amplifier performance was particularly key, leading to the development of new technologies to practically eliminate thermal modulation of audio signals.
Careful design coupled with quality parts such as the huge torroid based power supply, hermetically sealed “reed” relays, Sanken transistors and Burr Brown volume control have produced an amplifier which to us sounds incredibly responsive and neutral. Throw on some jazz and basslines a cymbals alike come through as clean as ever, busy rock and pop tracks are reproduced faithfully with detail and well recorded classical pieces just put you right in the concert hall. This is exactly what we want from a high-end amplifier, a precise recreation of the line level in to the output feeding the speakers, with no ugly colouration.
It's not just good design which enables Arcam to provide this wonderfully transparent sound. Every unit is methodically assembled by hand in Cambridge where it then goes on to rigorous quality control and testing before being okayed for sale. Each amplifier is tested to ensure it meets the exacting standards for super low noise and distortion required by Arcam and then pushed to limit and back again with hours of soak testing to make certain every unit performs just as it should, straight from the box.
The clean and simple design with clear easily readable display really does make the A38 a joy to use. It doesn't stand in the way of your music, but rather becomes an elegant pathway to enjoying your favourite compositions. We invite you to judge for yourself and come and listen to the FMJ A38 in our demonstration suite, we're certain you'll be just as impressed as we are. Call us on 01706 878 444 to arrange a demonstration.
FMJ - Faithful Music Joy
Their ability to reproduce an utterly convincing three-dimensional sound stage will really draw you into the heart of the drama. All Arcam FMJ products are available in either silver or black finish to seamlessly blend with any style of décor. The design of the FMJ range draws upon all Arcam's years of experience as one of the UK's most respected audio companies to produce Arcam's best performing range of stereo separates yet - designed and built to give you years of listening enjoyment.
Features
Pre-amplifier section
- All new audiophile pre-amplifier design with very low noise and distortion
- Very short audio signal path for cleanest possible sound
- No tone controls for lowest distortion and noise
- DC coupled using servo to remove any DC from input signals
- New improved Burr Brown volume control
- High quality Burr Brown op-amps in signal path
- Hermetically sealed reed relay input switching with immeasurable distortion and noise*
- Four-layer printed circuit boards allow control of power supply reduction of electrical noise
- Processor mode option for seamless integration with AV surround decoders
- Audiophile grade Stargate and Rubicon capacitors for signal transparency
- Optional single stage MM/MC phono preamp
Power amplifier features
- 105wpc continuous power output (8ohms, both channels driven)
- 200wpc continuous power output (4ohms, 1kHz, one channel driven)
- Fully discrete transistor power amp stages with temperature compensation
- Current feedback design ensuring wide bandwidth for high resolution audio
- Two pairs of individually selectable gold plated speaker outputs
- All DC coupled signal path for enhanced bass control
- All new thermal management for exceptional sonic stability
Power supply features
- Massive toroid mains transformer
- User switchable between 115v and 230v mains supplies
- Dual rectified power amp supplies for reduced ground noise
- Separate smoothing per channel to reduce crosstalk
- Independently rectified and regulated pre-amp power supplies
General Features
- Supplied with CR90 system remote control
- All gold plated input / output connectors
- Large, clear VFD dot matrix display
- Size – 430mm (17") wide, 370mm (14") deep, 110mm (4.2") high
- Weight 9.5kg (20.9lbs) nett, 12.5kg (27.5lbs) packed
Spec Sheet
Download the full spec sheet below for the Arcam FMJ A38 Integrated Stereo Amplifier:
