Arcam A5+ Integrated Amplifier at Vinyl Sound Toronto Canada

The A5+ is an entry-level Class AB integrated amplifier from Arcam (Cambridge, England), available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada. Built on nearly 50 years of amplifier heritage tracing back to the 1976 A&R Cambridge A60, the A5+ is the latest evolution of Arcam's acclaimed Radia series — delivering 50W per channel into 8 ohms (75W into 4 ohms) with harmonic distortion of just 0.003%, alongside Bluetooth 5.4 with Snapdragon Sound and Auracast, an ESS ES9018 DAC, and a meticulously tuned MM phono stage. Refined internal components and lower power supply impedance over the original A5 give the A5+ a quieter noise floor and more composed presentation across all inputs. The A5+ was named a What Hi-Fi? Award winner for 2025 in the stereo amplifiers category, succeeding the original A5's back-to-back What Hi-Fi? Awards in 2023 and 2024.

Class AB Amplification with Enhanced Power Supply

The A5+ uses a Class AB amplifier topology with component-level refinements to the internal circuitry and a lower power supply impedance compared to the original A5. Arcam's engineers targeted PCB interference reduction and improved noise performance at the entry-level price point, with intelligent power management that powers down the DAC when an analogue input is active and disables the Bluetooth module when Autoswitch is off — keeping the noise floor as low as possible during all listening modes. The result is 50W per channel into 8 ohms (75W into 4 ohms) delivered with a harmonic distortion floor of 0.003% at 80% power — and a signal-to-noise ratio of 106dB on analogue inputs and 109dB on digital. Despite its compact dimensions, the A5+ is capable of driving a wide range of loudspeakers, from bookshelf standmounts to moderately sensitive floor-standing designs, and includes a preamp output for adding an outboard power amplifier should greater headroom be needed.

Snapdragon Sound, Auracast, and Wireless Headphones

The A5+ is built around Qualcomm's Bluetooth 5.4 platform with Snapdragon Sound certification, enabling high-quality wireless audio transmission alongside AAC and LE Audio support. Auracast broadcast technology allows the A5+ to stream simultaneously to an unlimited number of compatible Bluetooth headphones or speakers with no individual pairing required — making it straightforward to share music across a room or enable quiet listening for multiple people at once. The amplifier functions as both a Bluetooth sink (receiving from a phone or tablet) and a Bluetooth source (transmitting to wireless headphones), with the front-panel 3.5mm headphone output supporting wired listening across a load range from 16 ohms to 2 kilohms.

Key Features

• What Hi-Fi? Award Winner 2025: Named best stereo amplifier in its price category by What Hi-Fi? magazine, following the original A5's back-to-back Award wins in 2023 and 2024.
• Class AB Amplification, 50W per Channel (8 ohms): Musical, composed Class AB design with 75W into 4 ohms — suited to bookshelf and moderately sensitive floor-standing speakers alike.
• Enhanced Power Supply: Component-level refinements lower PCB interference and reduce power supply impedance for improved noise performance over the original A5.
• Snapdragon Sound with Bluetooth 5.4: Qualcomm's wireless audio platform enabling high-quality streaming via AAC and LE Audio, with two-way Bluetooth for both receiving and transmitting audio.
• Auracast Broadcast Audio: Stream simultaneously to an unlimited number of compatible wireless headphones or speakers with no pairing required.
• ESS ES9018 DAC: 24-bit/192kHz capable digital-to-analogue converter handling all digital inputs via optical and coaxial connections.
• Fine-Tuned MM Phono Stage: Precisely voiced moving magnet phono input (47kΩ + 100pF, RIAA-accurate within ±1dB from 20Hz to 20kHz) for detailed, engaging vinyl playback.
• Wired and Wireless Headphone Output: Front-panel 3.5mm output delivering up to 5V RMS into 300 ohms, compatible with headphones from 16 ohms to 2 kilohms.
• Preamp Output: RCA preamp output for connecting an outboard power amplifier to expand headroom when needed.
• Plastic-Free Packaging: 100% biodegradable packaging using natural materials throughout, with no single-use plastics.

Technical Specifications

Connections at a Glance

• 3 x Analogue RCA line inputs
• 1 x MM Phono input (RCA)
• 1 x Optical (TOSLINK) digital input
• 2 x Coaxial digital inputs
• 1 x Stereo preamp output (RCA)
• 1 x 3.5mm headphone output (front panel)
• Bluetooth 5.4 (transmit and receive)
• Speaker terminals (rear panel)

Awards and Critical Recognition

• What Hi-Fi? Award Winner 2025 — Stereo Amplifiers category, What Hi-Fi? magazine
• What Hi-Fi? Award Winner 2024 — Stereo Amplifiers category (original Arcam Radia A5), What Hi-Fi? magazine
• What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year 2023 — Stereo Amplifiers category (original Arcam Radia A5), What Hi-Fi? magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Arcam A5+?

The Arcam A5+ is a Class AB integrated stereo amplifier from Arcam, a British hi-fi manufacturer based in Cambridge, England, delivering 50W per channel into 8 ohms and 75W into 4 ohms with harmonic distortion of 0.003%. It includes a built-in ESS ES9018 DAC, MM phono stage, Bluetooth 5.4 with Snapdragon Sound and Auracast, and a front-panel headphone output. The A5+ won the What Hi-Fi? Award for 2025 in the stereo amplifiers category and is available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada.

How does the Arcam A5+ compare to the Cambridge Audio CXA61 and Rega Elex MK4?

The Arcam A5+ competes directly with the Cambridge Audio CXA61 and Rega Elex MK4 at a comparable price point. The Cambridge Audio CXA61 offers Bluetooth aptX HD and USB-B audio input, but lacks a built-in phono stage. The Rega Elex MK4 is a purist analogue design with no digital inputs or wireless capability. The A5+ distinguishes itself by combining a MM phono stage, digital inputs with an ESS ES9018 DAC, two-way Bluetooth 5.4 with Snapdragon Sound and Auracast, and a headphone output in a single chassis — alongside three consecutive What Hi-Fi? Award wins across the A5 platform from 2023 through 2025.

Is the Arcam A5+ powerful enough for floor-standing speakers?

The A5+ delivers 50W per channel into 8 ohms and 75W into 4 ohms, which is well-suited to bookshelf and moderately sensitive floor-standing loudspeakers in small to medium-sized rooms. For listeners who need greater headroom or plan to drive large, inefficient floor-standers in bigger spaces, the Arcam A15+ (80W/channel) or A25+ (100W/channel, Class G) are the recommended steps up within the Radia+ range. The A5+ also includes a preamp output for adding an outboard power amplifier if more power becomes necessary.

What is Snapdragon Sound and does the A5+ support aptX Lossless?

Snapdragon Sound is Qualcomm's certified wireless audio platform, designed to ensure consistent high-quality performance between compatible transmitter and receiver devices. The A5+ carries the Snapdragon Sound certification and supports AAC and Bluetooth LE Audio. Based on Arcam's published specification for the A5+, aptX Lossless is not listed among the supported codecs for this model — listeners requiring aptX Lossless should consider the Arcam A15+ or A25+, both of which include the full aptX codec suite.

Does the Arcam A5+ have an HDMI input?

No, the A5+ does not include an HDMI eARC input. Its digital inputs consist of one optical (TOSLINK) and two coaxial connections, all supporting up to 24-bit/192kHz. HDMI eARC connectivity is available on the step-up Arcam A15+ and A25+ models within the Radia+ range.

Where can I buy the Arcam A5+ in Toronto or Canada?

The Arcam A5+ is available at Vinyl Sound, an authorised Arcam dealer in Toronto, Canada. Vinyl Sound carries the full Arcam Radia+ lineup and can arrange in-store demonstrations of the A5+ alongside partnering sources and speakers.

Can the Arcam A5+ be used with a turntable?

Yes, the A5+ includes a built-in moving magnet (MM) phono stage with an input impedance of 47kΩ + 100pF and RIAA-accurate frequency response within ±1dB from 20Hz to 20kHz. It is compatible with any turntable equipped with a moving magnet cartridge and does not require a separate phono preamplifier.

How does the A5+ differ from the Arcam A15+ and A25+?

The A5+ is the entry point of the Radia+ range at 50W per channel Class AB, with optical and coaxial digital inputs but no HDMI eARC and no USB input. The A15+ steps up to 80W per channel with an upgraded transformer, HDMI eARC, and the full aptX Lossless codec suite. The A25+ is the flagship at 100W per channel using Arcam's patented Class G topology, adding USB-C hi-res input (32-bit/384kHz), a dual-DAC architecture with a dedicated ESS9018 chip for S/PDIF inputs, and a precision-cut glass front panel. All three share the same Bluetooth 5.4 platform, Auracast, MM phono stage, and Radia+ design language.