Arcam 73T

[BillyB]

I currently have Rotel Amp, Pre-amp, and CD player. I'm commited to both the amp and pre-amp. The CD player is 14 years old and it's time for an upgrade. My speakers are B&W 703 floorstanders. They're very bright in my current set-up. I've been told that almost anything new would be better than my outdated Rotel due to technology improvements. The Arcam 73T is in my price range and gets very good reviews .When I do hear negative feedback on this model it's usually because people find it too laid back. This actually appeals to me given how bright my current set-up is. I did listen to the 73T at my audio dealer. It did sound very good played in a system close in quality to my own. I listen to a lot of rock and pop CD's. My existing system is so revealing that I don't really enjoy the sound of most of my CD's. I'm hoping a CD player upgrade will tone down my 703's. Any feedback on the 73T or other players in this price range would be appreciated.

[drseid]

Well, you probably won't want to hear this, but your amp and pre-amp will have a much more likely chance of being the cause of your B&W's brightness than your CD player (and of course the speakers themselves could be even more likely the cause than those two). A change in CD player could indeed help, but I doubt the difference will be anything more than subtle. Maybe a used tube output CD player like the Jolida JD-100 or Consonance Reference 2.2 would be better choices to help tame the brightness if you are set on upgrading your Cd player.

---Dave

[BillyB]

Well, you probably won't want to hear this, but your amp and pre-amp will have a much more likely chance of being the cause of your B&W's brightness than your CD player (and of course the speakers themselves could be even more likely the cause than those two). A change in CD player could indeed help, but I doubt the difference will be anything more than subtle. Maybe a used tube output CD player like the Jolida JD-100 or Consonance Reference 2.2 would be better choices to help tame the brightness if you are set on upgrading your Cd player.

---Dave
I'm fairly certain the 703's are my biggest issue as this identical system sounded good with my original Proac stand speakers.I made a mistake with my 703's but I'm not willing to sell them for half what I paid for them.I don't expect the CDP upgrade to solve the problem but rather lessen it. The tube players with upgrades are at the next price point and I'm unsure about buying used.I would think a current $700 CDP would be a big step-up from the 14 year old Rotel even if it doesn't directly address the brightness issue. The buttons are starting to break on my Rotel so it's time for a change.

[musicman1999]

I have had my 73t for about a year and a half and enjoy it very much.My speakers are jm labs and they are a bit on the bright side,but they seem to get along quite well.It does do a couple of strange things,first it needs 10 minutes or so of play to sound its best and i leave it powered on all the time,but makes no difference,it has been like this since day one.It will also on occasion not read a disc.To fix you power down,then power up and its fine.All in all a very good player for the money and looks good to boot.
hope this helps
bill

[drseid]

I'm fairly certain the 703's are my biggest issue as this identical system sounded good with my original Proac stand speakers.I made a mistake with my 703's but I'm not willing to sell them for half what I paid for them.I don't expect the CDP upgrade to solve the problem but rather lessen it. The tube players with upgrades are at the next price point and I'm unsure about buying used.I would think a current $700 CDP would be a big step-up from the 14 year old Rotel even if it doesn't directly address the brightness issue. The buttons are starting to break on my Rotel so it's time for a change.

Ah, now we are getting somewhere... Yes, going from ProAc to B&W was a taking a big leap to the opposite of the audio spectrum indeed. I recently heard some ProAcs, and they were rather dark sounding (a good match with Rotel, IMO). B&Ws have a tendency to sound rather bright when paired with certain electronics (Rotel being one of them, IMO).

Well, certainly Arcam makes as good a player as anyone else at your price point. Another brand known to be a bit less strong on the top end, but rather good is NAD... You may want to also check them out. Something like the NAD c542 may also fit the bill.

At the end of the day unfortunately, you know what really needs to be done... B&Ws tend to have pretty good resale values, so you might not take quite as much of a hit as you think (although you are in the ball park, unfortunately). The good news is that you can find some even better used speaker deals on audiogon where *others* are taking 50%+ hits and your risk level is rather low if you do not like the speakers (as you can most likely sell them for about the same price as you bought them). Speakers are great components to buy used BTW, especially to those who are risk-averse... very few things that can break.

Good luck,

---Dave

[BillyB]

Ah, now we are getting somewhere... Yes, going from ProAc to B&W was a taking a big leap to the opposite of the audio spectrum indeed. I recently heard some ProAcs, and they were rather dark sounding (a good match with Rotel, IMO). B&Ws have a tendency to sound rather bright when paired with certain electronics (Rotel being one of them, IMO).

Well, certainly Arcam makes as good a player as anyone else at your price point. Another brand known to be a bit less strong on the top end, but rather good is NAD... You may want to also check them out. Something like the NAD c542 may also fit the bill.

At the end of the day unfortunately, you know what really needs to be done... B&Ws tend to have pretty good resale values, so you might not take quite as much of a hit as you think (although you are in the ball park, unfortunately). The good news is that you can find some even better used speaker deals on audiogon where *others* are taking 50%+ hits and your risk level is rather low if you do not like the speakers (as you can most likely sell them for about the same price as you bought them). Speakers are great components to buy used BTW, especially to those who are risk-averse... very few things that can break.

Good luck,

---Dave

Thanks for the input guys. I was way too impulsive with my purchase of the 703's. With a great source they can actually sound stunning.Unfortunately that represents 5 to %10 of my CD collection. I learned an expensive lesson that throwing big money at your system will not always reward you with a sweeter sound..I got caught up with the B&W name and these large speakers with multiple drivers. I should have spent much more time listening to them using the CD's that I would commonly play. As pathetic as it may sound, I keep the grills off all the time now. Their build quality is georgous and they look sweet. It's just my way of feeling a little better about them.I'll definitely post after I purchase the 73T with results. Keep your fingers crossed for me.Thanks

[Logan]

One advantage of the Arcam CD73T is that it can be dealer upgraded to the CD192 model - an upsampling player that indeed sounds good through treble-excessive speakers in the B&W 700 range. I found that I needed to take this extra step after my 73 proved to be ultimately unsatisfying in the long term. As others have pointed out, getting rid of the B&Ws was the final and the best move. Nothing wrong with the quality of the treble, just the quantity.

[BillyB]

I have had my 73t for about a year and a half and enjoy it very much.My speakers are jm labs and they are a bit on the bright side,but they seem to get along quite well.It does do a couple of strange things,first it needs 10 minutes or so of play to sound its best and i leave it powered on all the time,but makes no difference,it has been like this since day one.It will also on occasion not read a disc.To fix you power down,then power up and its fine.All in all a very good player for the money and looks good to boot.
hope this helps
bill

I'm glad to hear your experience with the Arcam has been good. They're not sold online and I'm sure that's why we don't hear as much about Arcam as we should.The professional reviews I found were very positive. The fact that you can upgrade this unit in the future with hardware from Arcam is a fairly unique feature. It really makes the 73T appealing at $700. If it's good but not great I can upgrade later without taking the financial hit all at once. If I'm happy with it in its stock form all the better. Enjoy

[BillyB]

One advantage of the Arcam CD73T is that it can be dealer upgraded to the CD192 model - an upsampling player that indeed sounds good through treble-excessive speakers in the B&W 700 range. I found that I needed to take this extra step after my 73 proved to be ultimately unsatisfying in the long term. As others have pointed out, getting rid of the B&Ws was the final and the best move. Nothing wrong with the quality of the treble, just the quantity.

The ability to upgrade the 73T in the future is a fairly unique feature. Of course I'm hoping to be pleased with the 73T in it's stock form. I'f I'm not at least there is a practical solution in the future. I thought I read that it's literally just a plug and unplug to change to the upsampling player with no dealer help required. I ordered the 73T today at my audio dealer. He discounted it to $620 which I thought was fair. Thanks for the reply.