Arcam unveils 3rd generation Solo Movie and Music systems

Arcam's Solo range has been on the go for the best part of a decade and it's had a great deal of success, picking up a number of five star reviews and Awards in the process.

Compact systems such as the original Solo and Movie 5.1 have proved to be popular and the range has evolved over the years to include a networked system, the Neo, and more recently a soundbar in the shape of the Solo bar.

The third generation Solo Movie and Music systems use technology and components from Arcam's latest home cinema products and hi-fi separates, "including Class G amplification, high-end disc replay and app-controlled music networking".

The Solo Movie supports Blu-ray, DVD, CD and SACD playback, has a total power output of 250 watts, and uses a housing designed to reduce any vibrations. Connections include one HDMI output and four HDMI (1.4) inputs, plus a couple of digital inputs. There's also built-in Bluetooth that lets you beam audio to the Movie or you can simply stream over your home network.

The Arcam Solo Music meanwhile supports CD and SACD playback and has a total output power of 160 watts (all channels into 8 ohms). It uses the same cabinet construction as the Solo Movie. It has the same array of connections and a similar set of features, including Bluetooth and a DAB/DAB+/FM tuner.

Both the Arcam Solo Movie and Solo Music systems will go on sale in the fourth quarter of 2015 for £2000 and £1500 respectively.

Arcam has also teased a brand new product, the MusicBOOST for iPhone 6, which the company is heralding as a "massive audio upgrade for iPhone/headphone users".

Priced at around £120 (this is still subject to change), MusicBOOST attaches to an iPhone like a battery sleeve, but its internal DAC is claimed to improve the sound quality of music from any source, including streaming services such as Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal.

The MusicBOOST is currently in pre-production, and we'll bring you more details before it goes on sale in December.

MORE: Awards 2015: Best systems

See all our Arcam reviews

Andy Madden

Andy is Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. Over the years he's also contributed to a number of other outlets, including The Sunday Times, the BBC, Stuff, and BA High Life Magazine. Premium wireless earbuds are his passion but he's also keen on car tech and in-car audio systems and can often be found cruising the countryside testing the latest set-ups. In his spare time Andy is a keen golfer and gamer.