Arcam Alpha CD Player

Here we have a classic Alpha compact disc player from British based company Arcam. It is in good fully working condition and will be expertly packaged along with remote control, manual, mains cable plus our warranty.
Arcam Say….
Arcam has now used its accumulated expertise to produce the company's most affordable CD player - the Arcam Alpha CD. This is an excellent sonic and physical match to the Arcam Alpha 2 integrated amplifier and tuner, currently two of the UK's most successful hi-fi products.
The Alpha CD player has been designed to produce what Arcam believes to be the best sound quality presently possible for the price.
To achieve this we utilise a proprietary transport and control sub-assembly chosen for its excellent trackability and error correction performance. This interfaces with a number of printed circuit boards of Arcam's own design and manufacture. The most important of these PCB’s incorporates the complete digital to analogue (D/A) converter system, including all power supplies and the output filters and amplifiers.
The Alpha CD player is assembled and tested in Cambridge to Arcam's renowned high standards. Unlike most of our competitors at these price levels. (who use cheap plastic casework), the Alpha CD player is housed in Arcam's own aluminium chassis. for ruggedness. lower operating temperatures and potentially longer life.
Careful ergonomic design has simplified the operation of the Alpha CD to the extent that anyone can play a compact disc on it within a few seconds of first encountering the player. This is in marked contrast to many otherwise admirable CD players, whose complex control layout and over-elaborate displays frequently give rise to continued 'techno fear', even amongst the most experienced users, let alone normal music lovers.
The controls on the Alpha CD player are divided into two groups. The most useful are the load, play and stop buttons, which are therefore placed in a distinct group near the drawer. This incorporates the disc loading tray which accepts both 12cm and 8cm discs. The drawer is fully motorised. After placing a disc in the loading tray, the disc can be played automatically, simply by pushing gently on the drawer.
The secondary controls include pause, track skip and 3 speed search buttons. An easy to program memory is provided; this is capable of storing the order of play of up to 20 different tracks on a disc This may be reviewed at any time, even when the disc is playing.
The Alpha CD player may also be operated from Arcam’s optional CR 10 remote control handset. In addition to the controls listed above. this includes 0-9 direct track access keys, index skip and repeat functions.
The large 6 digit VFD display is easy to see and simple to understand. It shows track and time functions, including total disc playing time (when the disc is first loaded) and the time elapsed on the track that is actually playing. The display also indicates the size of the disc being played (either 12cm or 8cm) and includes pause. repeat, program, review, disc and error headers. which illuminate when those particular functions are being used.
The Arcam Alpha CD player's fixed audio outputs are of very high quality, with a maximum nominal level of 2 Volts RMS. They are capable of driving any audio amplifier. We have deliberately avoided the use of potentially sound-degrading volume controls and headphone outputs.
Future upgradeability is assured via the self-shorting co-axial digital output socket on the back panel. The player can therefore be used with DAC equipped amplifiers or, even better, with external D/A converters such as Arcam’s highly acclaimed Black Box designs. These all offer the potential for improved sound quality, by separating the critical D/ A converter and output stages from the mechanically and electronically noisy environment of the CD player.
Specifications:
Playback System: 16-bit Compact Disc Digital Audio, using ultra linear, dual DACs and high performance analogue filter and output stages
Laser Type: Semiconductor Al Ga As
Numeric Aperture: 0.45
Wavelength: 800 nm
Frequency Response: ± 0.1 dB 10 Hz - 10 kHz, - 0.5 dB at 20 kHz
Channel Balance: ± 0.2 dB
Channel Phase Balance: ± 0.5°
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.007% at 1 kHz, 0 dB
Signal to Noise Ratio: 98 dB CCIR/ARM weighted
Dynamic Range: 96 dB
Channel Separation: 90 dB
Wow and Flutter: Quartz precision control
Output Level: 2.2 Vrms at MSB (0 dB)
Output Impedance: 5 kOhm
Power Supply: 240 V AC 50 to 60 Hz
Maximum Power Consumption: 30 VA
Dimensions: 430 (W) x 287 (D) x 85 (H) mm
Weight: 3.7 kg

Turnaround

Orders will usually dispatched within 2 working days of receiving cleared payment.

Shipping Rates

We calculate your shipping rate based on the total weight of your items and your delivery address. Standard shipping to the UK Mainland (excludes Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands) is free, except where specifically indicated. Don't worry, you'll always see the final shipping charge displayed before you reach the payment step (on the checkout page).

Carriers

We despatch the bulk of our UK mainland items on a 24 hour service.  Non-Mainland locations – Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, the Scilly Isles, the Scottish highlands and Islands, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland may take a day or so longer. Smaller items are delivered using Royal Mail 24 or special delivery. Larger items are delivered using a courier service such as UPS and occasionally by a Pallet service.

Order Tracking

If a tracking # is provided by the carrier, we will update your order with the tracking information. Please note that some orders will not have tracking numbers.