Alpha 9 CD Player - Discontinued

Download the owners manual

Introduction

The Alpha range of compact disc players went further than ever before in accurately reproducing the information recorded on your CDs. They built on the strengths of the previous award winning generation of Arcam CD players, whilst featuring sleeker styling and clearly improved sound quality at each price level.

But the big story with these CD players was their upgradeability. Essentially you can convert a lower model to the full specification of a higher model for only a little more than the difference in cost between the respective units. This was accomplished through a simple dealer assisted procedure, in which the existing DAC is replaced with a module containing the better DAC circuitry of the more expensive model. For complete future proofing Arcam also fitted a digital co-axial output socket to every model.

All players are built with glass fibre main circuit boards, for durability and reliability. And each player uses a modern, well proven and European made Sony CD transport mechanism. Each of these CD players has the same controls, in a simple, easy to use configuration. They include track skip, high speed search, repeat and 24 track programming. And every CD player is supplied with a comprehensive infra-red remote control handset. All in all, the Alpha range of CD players offered class leading sound quality, coupled with reliability and ease of service, to guarantee your listening pleasure into the future.

The Alpha range of CD players was deigned and manufactured in the UK.

Alpha 9 CD Player

Launched in the summer of 1998, the revolutionary Arcam Alpha 9 CD uses a patented 24-bit DAC architecture developed by Arcam and dCS, a British professional audio manufacturer of international repute.

The dCS Ring DAC has very low distortion and near perfect DNL (differential non-linearity) leading to a sound that is pure, detailed, dynamic and as near to the original recording as you are ever likely to get. Coupled with painstakingly designed analogue and power supply circuitry, the Ring DAC helps the Alpha 9 outperform competitiors costing many times more. The Alpha 9 also automatically decodes HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital) recordings. HDCD is the patented Pacific Microsonics mastering and playback technology, which extends the perceived dynamic range of an encoded 16 bit CD.

In its July/August 1998 issue Hi-Fi Choice magazine described the revolutionary chip design of the Alpha 9, as delivering 'the best ever sound under £1,000' and 'the most ambitious and inspired digital product ever to emerge from Arcam'. We can only agree.
"...this Arcam represents astonishing value and must be heard." Hi Fi News, September 1998
"The Arcam Alpha 9 is an absolutely superb CD player. I wouold be hard-pressed to justify buying a more expensive CD (-only) player". Stereophile (USA) January 1999
"...the Alpha 9 sounds sophisticated, yet disarmingly undemonstrative, precise and detailed." BBC Music Magazine, October 1998
"...a very potent and impressive music making machine." Gramophone, Decmber 1998