Listening to the Arcam Radia SA45
Contents
We said it in the title. The code word for this SA45 is mellow. Music comes through quiet and balanced. More laid back than tip of the seat, so to speak. Ideal for longer listening sessions. Music is projected a bit more to the back and vocals are also a bit further away in the mix. Not in-your-face and hyper-detailed like some Sabre dacs. It is a sound that is typical of Arcam and one that many appreciate.
Listen
Grandaddy’s album ‘Blu Wav’ is a perfect example. An atmospheric album that comes through very, um, atmospherically. On the song ‘On a train or a bus’, Jason Lytle’s vocals are supported by the instrumentation and every element of the song gets equal attention. This is not an analytical rendition. Everything is balanced. The song ‘Ducky, Boris and Dart’ sounds gentle, unctuous and simply beautiful. As it was probably meant to be.
The electropop of Compact Disk Dummies, our favourite West Flemish synth tinkerers, also comes through correctly. Driving, cutting and sufficiently fast. The SA45 always keeps the overview and characterises itself by always taking a balanced rendition. Not too fast, not too slow but always with sufficient dynamics and insight.
American T Bone Burnett released the album ‘The Other Side’ a while back. A gem that is excellently recorded. The soothing voice of this now 78-year-old bard comes through cleanly and with a fine tonality. High notes do not irritate and never sound intrusive. This living legend has worked with big names from the music world, but his own work is definitely worth exploring.
Compare
When we critically compare the built-in dac with a much more expensive separate converter, we notice more slam and body at our reference DAC. Logical, as this is often where the most gains can be made. We hear this clearly on Shinichi Atobes’ ‘Love off Plastic’ album. In addition, the Weiss dac is more insightful but also less forgiving of lesser recordings. The dac in the SA45 presents music in a relaxed manner, always controlled but with enough detail to keep you engaged. A sound that does not interfere anywhere.
The amplifier section of the SA45 plays with an ease rarely seen in this price range. There is so much control that you will regularly give the volume knob a hefty turn to the right. The SA45 performs above average here. Our Moon is twice as expensive but you hardly notice that. The Moon is a fraction more dynamic and delicate but for the rest, the SA45 holds up surprisingly well.