Arcam's Stream Of Common Sense...

Wed 09 May 2012 | News

Arcam's Stream Of Common Sense...

In the last year or two there has been an explosion of interest in streaming music. The number of manufacturers entering the field now means there are a lot of competing solutions for customers  - and a lot of conflicting advice…

The way we see it, making the most of streaming shouldn’t be complicated. Arcam’s mantra remains “better sound for more people”, so we’re excited by the chance to connect with music lovers who want amazing performance without re-mortgaging their house.

Ease of use is key, as is access to market leading services like Spotify and Last.fm. While there are many manufacturers that have streaming solutions, many fall down where value for money, ease of use and depth of service is concerned.

With the rLink, Arcam’s £150 one-shot upgrade DAC, we’ve come up with a quick, affordable route to better listening.  It distils Arcam’s 30-plus years of engineering heritage and values into a simple and ultra-compact product that will transform the performance of your system in one, simple step.

Here’s how:

Upgrade Your Sonos

In the UK more than 80% of the market for streaming devices belongs to Sonos. Thousands of people have already upgraded their Sonos system with a £325 Arcam rDAC and enjoy an enhanced music experience as a result. Now at £150 / $249 USD, the new Arcam rLink offers an even better value path to better sound.

Just plug an rLink into the digital output of the Sonos “Connect” and the rLink’s audio out into your Hi-Fi. The result? A massive boost in the musicality and overall sound quality of your system.  And it’s not just Sonos; you can achieve the same leap in performance with almost any streaming device on the market.

You Don't Need An Expensive Streamer

There’s no need to spend hundreds or even thousands on a dedicated streamer from one of the top end Hi-Fi brands. Combine an rLink with a good affordable device such as the Logitech Squeezebox Touch and your system will easily hold its own sonically against far more expensive alternatives and have access to a much wider range of music sources.

Revive Your Old CD Player, Set-Top Box or Smart TV

Want better sound from another digital source? The rLink will give a new lease of life to any device with an optical or coax SPDIF output. It’s the perfect choice to upgrade the sound from set-top boxes, Apple TVs, Boxees and the latest crop of Smart TVs, not forgetting older CD and DVD Players!

Get Better Sound From Spotify, iTunes And Other Online Music Services

We’ve been demoing the best ways to get great performance from computer-based music to Hi-Fi dealers for months now. Everyone expects high-resolution 24 bit 96kHz files to sound great, but the big surprise is just how good lower-resolution files can sound.

Music from iTunes and streaming services such as 320kbps Spotify Premium can be outstanding with the right system. Properly designed and engineered low-jitter DACs can transform the sound quality of a standard, low-res file into something truly special.

To demonstrate network systems, we use PC laptops running JRiver software and NAS drives controlled by Arcam's free SongBook iPhone App, to get amazing results from Sonos Zone Players feeding into a Hi-Fi system via an rLink or rDAC.

Our exhibition and dealer demos of these systems have resulted in extremely complimentary comments from all concerned, backing up our belief that the DAC is the key component for quality replay in any computer music system!

The new “rSeries” DACs will help us with our mission to "Save the world from bad sound, at a reasonable price"

Get better Sound From Any Digital Source

What to find out how well your computer or online music can sound? Check out the rLink for best value and the rDAC for greater flexibility, both at your local Arcam dealer.

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