ARCAM A50 Signature & CD25 Break Cover At HIGH END Vienna

As StereoNET reported yesterday, the Cambridgeshire hi-fi brand arrived in Vienna, marking half a century since its founding as Amplification and Recording Cambridge in 1976. At the time, ARCAM had confirmed that significant new products were coming, but kept the details under wraps. Those details are now out, and the anniversary story is centred on a new Class G integrated amplifier and a premium CD player rather than a backward-looking commemorative exercise.

The A50 Signature sits at the top of ARCAM’s Radia Series amplification range and is described by the company as the most complete integrated amplifier it has produced. It has also been created in collaboration with ARCAM co-founder John Dawson, whose involvement gives the project some real continuity without turning it into a museum piece. His signature appears on the rear cowl and the PCBs, but ARCAM says the design brief was not to revisit the past. Instead, the aim was to carry the brand’s amplifier philosophy into a modern system context.

The A50 Signature is the first ARCAM integrated amplifier to use a fully dual-mono Class G architecture, with each channel built as a discrete amplifier section. Each side has its own PCB, output stage, Class G lifter stages, power regulation and transformer windings, with the layout designed to maximise channel separation and reduce crosstalk.

Inside the chassis, ARCAM says the amplifier uses a centrally located power supply and carefully separated signal paths for analogue, digital and power sections. Even the rear panel layout reflects the dual-mono thinking, with the speaker terminals placed at opposite ends of the chassis.

Power output is rated at 2 x 150 watts into 8 ohms, giving the A50 Signature a useful lift over the existing Radia integrated models and enough claimed headroom to partner 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.

As a modern integrated amplifier, the A50 Signature is also expected to cover rather more than traditional line-level duties. Digital inputs include HDMI eARC/ARC, USB-C audio, optical and coaxial S/PDIF, while wireless connectivity includes two-way Bluetooth with Snapdragon Sound, lossless-capable support and Auracast. Analogue users are covered by three RCA inputs, a balanced XLR input pair and a fully integrated Class A MM/MC phono stage. RS232, trigger input/output and USB service access are also included for system control and integration.

Alongside the amplifier, ARCAM has introduced 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. ARCAM says this approach is intended to improve separation, detail retrieval and dynamic control from Compact Disc playback.

A linear toroidal power supply underpins the design, while a vibration-damped internal structure is used to support accurate disc reading. The CD25 supports CD, CD-R and CD-RW playback, with balanced XLR and RCA outputs allowing direct connection to matching Radia and ARCAM amplifiers, including the A50 Signature, SA45, SA35 and A25+.

Visually, the CD25 follows the Radia design language with a glass front panel, OLED display and metal chassis. That makes it a natural visual companion to the new A50 Signature, but also to the broader Radia family.

StereoNET team is at HIGH END Vienna 2026 to see the new ARCAM A50 Signature and CD25 first-hand in the HARMAN Luxury rooms 3.29 and 3.30 on Level 3 of the Austria Center Vienna. The ARCAM A50 Signature and CD25 will be available from authorised ARCAM dealers from Q3 2026. Recommended retail pricing is set at US$2,999.95 | €2,799 | £2,499 for the A50 Signature, and US$1,799.95 | €1,599 | £1,499 for the CD25.

For more information visit ARCAM