Arcam SA35 review

On the face of it, Arcam has everything in place for its SA35 streaming hi-fi system to be a slam-dunk success.

It already has a What Hi-Fi? approved five-star music streamer in its lineup in the shape of the ST25. And it has not one but four five-star stereo amplifiers (the updated A5+ and A15+, and the original A5 and A15).

You would think, then, that for Arcam and the SA35, it’s going to be a relatively straightforward case of taking the best bits from its streamer and amps, adding a smattering of extra features, and just sitting back and admiring its work.

However, after years of testing products like this, we know that marrying everything together and automatically creating five-star synergy isn’t easy. There’s no doubt that Arcam potentially has a pretty solid foundation from which to build for the SA35, but can it execute?

Price

The SA35 is Arcam’s entry-level streaming amplifier and has an asking price of £2999 / $3300 / AU$6495. There is a step-up model in Arcam’s Radia range, the SA45, which costs £4499 / $5500 / AU$9995.

There aren’t a huge number of rivals for the Arcam around its price point – it’s relatively similar in terms of features and functionality to the Naim Uniti Atom £2299 / $3799 / AU$5750, although the Naim is cheaper and getting a little long in the tooth now.

Build & design

Like its ST25 streamer and A15+ stereo amplifier siblings, the SA35 is quite a chunky unit. It weighs in at 12kg, which you can definitely feel when moving the unit into position.

The black chassis hides its size well, though – we think Arcam has really nailed the styling of this Radia series of hi-fi products.

The clean-but-stealthy look combined with the yellow halo lighting around the input and volume dials, and the yellow highlights around the top vents, make for a striking piece of kit.

There’s nothing stealthy about the large 6.5-inch high-resolution display that sits right in the middle of the fascia, though. It’s bright, punchy and colourful and, from what we can tell, virtually identical to that found on the ST25.

This means album artwork generally looks great on the Arcam, offering you a few different configurations for how it and the accompanying metadata are displayed.

The display's size and clarity also make navigating the on-screen menus very straightforward when you’re carrying out functions like choosing inputs, cycling through filters and setting up Bluetooth.

The display is flanked by those input and volume dials, which give the front of the unit a neat symmetry. Both rotary controls feel good to use – they turn smoothly but, being ultra-critical, we think they could have a tiny bit more resistance to them. Otherwise, you’re treated to a tactile user experience.

The supplied remote does feel cheap and plastic in comparison, though. It’s a little small in hand, and although the volume control gets the job done, it feels on the finicky side when you’re trying to do more extensive navigating.

Depending on the streaming services and features you want to use, you’ll also be using the Arcam Radia control app, which is fine, but isn’t the last word in intuitiveness.

It also feels slightly clunky that you have to use the remote to access some features and settings, and Arcam’s Radia app for others. It would make for a more complete user experience if you could access everything through the app.

The inputs on the rear of the unit are all clearly labelled, although the hood that extends over the rear of the chassis does get in the way when you’re hooking everything up for the very first time. Thankfully, most users will only have to do this once and then forget about it.

Features

Arcam has been as thorough as possible with the spec sheet for the SA35.

The streaming section of the SA35 caters for Apple AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, Amazon Music and Roon. There’s also playback from UPnP servers and the system can handle a multitude of high-res formats up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256.

There’s also two-way Bluetooth connectivity, which not only allows you to stream music to the system from a smartphone or tablet but also allows you to stream music from the Arcam to any pair of Bluetooth headphones you want to pair with the unit.

For those seeking a wired headphones connection, there’s a 3.5mm socket in the bottom left-hand corner of the front of the unit.

Connectivity also includes a pair of optical digital inputs, a pair of coaxial digital inputs (both styles of digital input support datastreams up to 24-bit/192kHz) and HDMI eARC for anyone wanting to use the Arcam to receive audio from a compatible TV.

You even get individual inputs for moving magnet and moving coil phono stages to cater for your turntable.

To help with set-up, there’s Dirac Live Room Correction; you get a mic and remote in the box to help get the system configured best for your particular room conditions.

Our test rooms have been acoustically treated and designed to minimise effects that Dirac compensates for, but in our experience the system encourages your set-up to sound more even as well as clearer, but the trade off is that you lose a bit of rhythmic drive and expression,

If your room isn’t well behaved we definitely feel there’s no harm running it to try and improve how your system sounds.

120W of Class G amplification (per channel) provides the grunt, which is more than you’ll find in any of Arcam’s stand-alone Radia amplifiers, including the 100W A25+. It’s actually Arcam’s fifth generation of Class G amplification and uses new components and materials to raise performance levels.

Similarly to Arcam’s ST25 music streamer, you have a choice of different DAC filters to choose from to help you tailor the sound to suit your own taste.

The four options are minimum phase, linear phase apodizing, linear phase slow roll-off, and minimum phase slow roll-off. We found all four very similar during testing and stick to the default on the unit, which in this case is linear phase apodizing.

To try and give us an idea of compatibility, during testing we try the Arcam SA35 with a range of different speakers from our reference ATC SCM50 to the PMC Prodigy 5 floorstanders and the Award-winning KEF LS50 Meta. The Arcam handles each pair with relative ease, and we don’t think it should have any issues driving most suitably-priced pairs.

Sound

We kick things off with a CD-quality stream of Adele’s Hometown Glory and the Arcam SA35 shows an amazing sense of control and precision with every keystroke.

The quiet background, the reverb from each string, the Arcam reveals detail effortlessly and delivers a level of intimacy that really connects with the listener. As the piano play becomes more dramatic and Adele’s voice enters the fray, you can feel the intensity pick up.

Her vocal sounds expressive and emotional, superbly reinforced by the increased intensity of the piano. When the strings seep in, they just add another layer of detail and simply add to the dynamic reach of the Arcam.

There’s a real sadness, anger and feeling of conflict with Adele’s vocal, which the Arcam captures perfectly. It’s calm, controlled and conveys emotion well.

The stereo imaging you get is clear and precisely layered. Tonally, The Arcam system is well-balanced too – there’s no coarseness at the top end, nor any bloating at the bottom end.

We turn up the sonic temperature with a stream of Mombassa from the Inception OST and the Arcam goes straight on the offensive, showcasing its agility and ability to capture the feeling and tone of a track at will.

It dispatches bass notes with confidence and efficiency – there isn’t an ounce of fat on the meat of the track. There’s ample power behind each low frequency hit and the SA35 goes deep yet still delivers detail and texture to satisfy those who want to hear the fine details in their music.

The dramatic, high-octane nature of the track is captured superbly, and as the track courses along, you’re left in no doubt as to the feeling of impending danger and action that the track is conveying. It’s a confident performance across the board.

During testing, we don’t ignore the Arcam’s phono stage options and headphone output. Arcam really has ticked all the boxes with the SA35, but it’s also ensured both the MM/MC phono stages and headphone output are up to scratch. Play Michael Jackson’s Bad on vinyl and both inputs maintain the very likeable, clean-cut, precise sound of the system. It’s effortless and expressive.

And as you’d probably expect, the Bluetooth connection is sonically more limited than the other connectivity options, but it’s good enough for general listening.

Verdict

In this modern age, where people want the convenience of a one-box solution but don’t want to make huge sacrifices where sound quality is concerned, the Arcam SA35 streaming amplifier is one of those rare do-it-all devices that does it all extremely well. Highly recommended.

Review published: 13th October 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 5

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