ARCAM Debuts A50 Signature Amplifier and CD25 CD Player

ARCAM is celebrating 50 years of audio design and manufacturing with the launch of two new products: the A50 Signature integrated amplifier and the CD25 CD player. Both made their global debut at HIGH END Vienna 2026, ahead of availability from authorized dealers from Q3 2026.

The A50 Signature sits at the top of ARCAM’s Radia Series amplification and represents its most complete expression yet of its Class G platform. The CD25 extends the Radia Series with a new reference CD player designed to integrate within ARCAM’s wider system approach.

A50 Signature

Rather than being a heritage or nostalgia-driven product, the design reflects five decades of amplifier development in Cambridge — a continuity that began when the company was founded as A&R Cambridge in 1976 and shortened to ARCAM in the 1980s, with the “A” always standing for amplification and remaining central to its design philosophy today.

Created in collaboration with ARCAM co-founder John Dawson, the A50 Signature reflects that continuity while looking firmly forward. His involvement in the project was guided by a clear principle: not to revisit past designs, but to ensure that ARCAM’s amplifier philosophy remains relevant to how people listen today. His signature on the rear cowl and the PCBs acknowledges that connection, while the amplifier itself represents ARCAM’s latest expression of Class G design.

It is also the first ARCAM integrated amplifier to implement a fully dual mono Class G architecture, with each channel built as a completely discrete amplifier section. Each side uses its own PCB, output stage, Class G lifter stages, power regulation, and transformer windings, designed to maximize channel separation and minimize crosstalk.

This architecture is physically expressed inside the chassis, with a centrally located power supply and carefully separated signal paths for analog, digital, and power domains. The rear panel layout also mirrors this approach, with speaker terminals placed at opposite ends of the chassis.

Power output is rated at 2 × 150W (8 ohms), delivering control and headroom across a wide range of loudspeakers. Digital conversion is handled by an ESS ES9039Q2M DAC operating in a fully differential configuration, supported by an ESS reference voltage regulator.

The A50 Signature is designed as a central hub for modern listening systems, integrating digital, analog, and wireless sources in a single chassis. Digital inputs include HDMI eARC/ARC, USB-C audio, optical and coaxial S/PDIF, and two-way Bluetooth with Snapdragon Sound (lossless-capable) and Auracast support. Analog connectivity includes three RCA inputs, a balanced XLR input pair and a fully integrated Class A MM/MC phono stage. Control connectivity includes RS232, trigger input/output and USB service access.

CD25

Alongside the A50 Signature, ARCAM introduces the CD25, a new flagship CD player for the Radia Series. The CD25 is the first ARCAM design since the FMJ D33 DAC to adopt a dual mono DAC architecture, and the first to implement ESS Hyperstream 4 DAC technology.

A linear toroidal power supply underpins the design, supporting stable, low-noise operation and consistent analog performance, while a vibration-damped internal structure ensures accurate disc reading. Balanced XLR and RCA outputs allow direct connection to high-performance amplifiers, including the A50 Signature, SA45, SA35 and A25+. The CD25 supports CD, CD-R, and CD-RW playback.