Iconic British Audio Brand Invites Listeners to “Be the Centre of the Music” With a New Look and Feel to Lead its Product Development and Industrial Design Into the Future While Advancing Innovation and Expanding to New Customer Opportunities.
HARMAN Luxury Audio Group introduces new branding for ARCAM that is created to lead its product development and industrial design into the future with three key tenets: amazing sound, British heritage and luxury within reach. The branding was revealed to customers and the media at an event October 3rd at The Vinyl Factory in London for the launch of the ARCAM Radia Series, a new family of luxury audio products including the ARCAM A5/A15/A25 Integrated Amplifiers, the ARCAM CD5 CD Player, and the ARCAM ST5 High-Resolution Streamer.
As a storied British audio brand founded in Cambridge, U.K., in 1976, ARCAM will continue developing for high-end audio aficionados and music creators with a discerning sense of quality. However, the industrial design aesthetic was created to also appeal to a new and younger segment of customers with a more affordable, sleek, and attractive design without compromising on advances in audio innovation for future products.
“There is a third core customer where we see an opportunity, and that’s younger audio enthusiasts who are ready to elevate their sound systems by making investments in high-end systems but are more budget conscience, or as we say, luxury within reach,” said Tim Giblin, Director of Global Marketing, HARMAN Portfolio Brands. “With an aspirational call to ‘Be the Centre of the Music’ we are having our customers identify with a brand that is forward thinking not only in styling, but in the sound innovation that has made ARCAM a top brand in luxury audio for nearly fifty years.”
The main design feature for the ARCAM rebranding is the introduction of Radia Yellow chosen for its contemporary look, its differentiation in the audio industry and its universal appeal. Radia Yellow is incorporated throughout the five new Radia Series products.
With an initial offering comprising Class AB and G integrated amplifiers and a matching streamer and CD player, the new product family — meticulously crafted with a unique combination of bold aesthetics and state-of-the-art audio technology — sets new standards for design and sound quality. The Radia Series is the first family of ARCAM products designed under the brand’s new industrial design and marketing refresh that will inform how ARCAM products come to market in the future.
“When we set out to create the Radia Series, there were a number of technical innovations that we wanted to put into the product and we ultimately settled on a design that we think is one of the best sounding amplifiers we have ever created,” said Jim Garrett, Senior Director, Product Strategy and Planning, HARMAN Luxury Audio. “In addition to a sleek new design that will define ARCAM’s image for years to come, with the Radia family, we’ve renewed our focus on intimate performance and embraced the very latest audio technologies. For today’s audio enthusiasts, especially younger ones looking to get into a luxury audio system at a reasonable cost, the resulting solutions surpass not only our past offerings, but any product that’s come before.”
Radia family products offer a subtle symmetrical design that compliments their aluminum shells. They are adorned with seamless front fasciae, redesigned knobs, and gentle lighting effects, creating a sense of power and finesse. The products showcase a smooth, matte black surface cut through with the new signature Radia yellow highlights. On the top, ventilation cutouts are masterfully hidden within a pattern of dynamic lines, ensuring a flawless aesthetic. The rear sports a connector cowl, reminiscent of ornate rear diffusers found in performance cars, that effectively hides unsightly connector housings from view. And, to ensure optimal user interaction, the redesigned knobs are elegantly curved, finished in satin black, and textured to mask fingerprints.
ARCAM equips the new Radia amplifiers with Bluetooth aptX® Adaptive receivers, internal antennas, digital inputs, and ARCAM’s signature MM phono stage. The 2x50W A5 and 2x100W A15 Class AB amplifiers include new digital circuitry based on the ESS ES9018 DAC. The 2x100W A25 steps up to a Class G amplifier and the ESS ES9280AQ DAC, in addition to USB-C inputs, LED illuminated highlights, and a seamless OLED display on the front panel.
Sporting an internal Wi-Fi antenna, the ST5 music streamer supports an impressive list of music services, including Amazon Music Unlimited, Qobuz, Internet radio, podcasts, Tidal Connect, and Spotify Connect. In addition, the streamer offers support for MQA, Google Chromecast, Apple Airplay2, and Roon. The CD5 CD player offers CD, CD-R, and CD-RW playback; playback from USB mass storage; and support for FLAC, WAV, and MP3 formats. Both the ST5 and CD5 feature an ESS ES9018 DAC and boast 24-bit/192-kHz resolution.
For more information, visit www.arcam.co.uk.
