Arcam’s stereo amplifiers are delivering some big early Black Friday savings – could they drop even further?

A new product launch tends to result in a couple of things. First, there’s the excitement generated amongst our review team over the arrival of new and shiny tech to put to the test.

But it can also cause a ripple effect in the market where pricing is concerned. You see, a new generation of one product invariably tends to lead to a price drop in the previous generation.

Sometimes it can take a while for the prices to adjust, but other times you can quickly see the impact the new models have on the market. And this chain reaction can result in quite a bargain, especially now that we are starting to see more and more early Black Friday deals.

What Hi-Fi? Award winner

Save £200

Arcam A5: was £749 now £549 at Peter Tyson

Even with the A5+ now on the scene, the original Arcam A5 is still a well-rounded performer. It features three line-level inputs, a moving magnet phono stage, digital inputs and Bluetooth connectivity. It's still a seriously entertaining amp, especially at this discounted price.
Deal also at Richer Sounds

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Arise new Arcams

Take Arcam as a prime example. You see, its Radia range of hi-fi electronics made serious waves following an October 2023 launch. Out of three stereo amplifiers in its line-up (A5, A15 and A25) two of them (A5 and A15) gained not only five-star reviews, but also received What Hi-Fi Awards in both 2023 and 2024.

Skip forward to September this year, and Arcam announced that it had refreshed said amplifiers with new A5+, A15+ and A25+ versions, claiming updated circuitry, refined components and “enhanced performance”.

The result? We've seen the price of the original A5 plummet to a temptingly low £549 at Peter Tyson and Richer Sounds (down from £749), and it’s still sitting there at the time of writing.

Don’t get us wrong, the A5+ eeks out extra gains that all add up to something worth the extra outlay. After all, not only have we given the A5+ a five-star rating, but a What Hi-Fi? Award too, so you know we must think it’s something rather special.

In our Arcam A5+ review, we said it’s “a wonderful addition to Arcam’s family of amplifiers, offering a sound that blends class-leading insight with a tangible sense of musicality.”

But there is fabulous value in the original model right now, and it spells trouble for rival stereo amplifiers at the money. The A5 still offers a huge chunk of what the A5+ is capable of: its unfussy, articulate nature, combined with a strong feature set and solid build quality, means there’s plenty of life left in it yet.

We’d go so far as to say it’s arguably the best circa £500 stereo amplifier around. Could it drop even further? Possibly, although I would be surprised if it dipped much below £499 even with Black Friday just around the corner.

Save 37% (£550)

Arcam A25: was £1,499 now £949 at Richer Sounds

Although we haven't tested this particular model, the pedigree of Arcam's most recent stereo amplifiers speaks for itself. Offering 200W of Class G amplification, a built-in moving magnet phono stage, USB-C connectivity and Bluetooth, this huge saving on the Arcam A25 should be investigated at the very least.
Deal also at Peter Tyson

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Deal or no deal?

The A15, meanwhile, is sitting at £1099, which is the price we originally tested it at. Honestly, I’m surprised we haven’t seen any real movement in that price since the announcement of the new models.

The A15+ is currently only £100 more at £1199, which makes me think we could see a first major price drop for this amplifier during the Black Friday sales. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it hit the £899 mark or perhaps a bit lower at some point in the near future, which would make it a very good option.

However, if you were currently trying to choose between the two at their respective full prices, I would honestly say spend the £100 extra on the new version because it does sound that much better.

Like the A5+, the A15+ takes small steps ahead of its predecessor. In our Arcam A15+ review, we said the amplifier “has more expressive dynamics and seems to go from quiet to loud with greater fluency”. We also felt it’s clearer and cleaner-sounding.

Interestingly, if you move right up to the top-of-the-range A25, you’ll see that this amp has a substantial £550 saving across multiple retailers, including Richer Sounds and Peter Tyson. Arcam’s former flagship is now just £949, down from £1499 – by comparison, you’re looking at £1699 for the enhanced A25+ version.

Now we haven’t tested the original A25, so we can’t vouch for its sonic abilities; suffice to say, it comes from a particularly strong family of products. We think it could definitely be one to audition, especially at this low price.

Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks as Black Friday gets into full swing, and be sure to get in touch if you see any other hi-fi deals worth shouting about!

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