CD93 Discontinued - CD73?

[jdinho]

Hi There

I have noticed that the CD93has been discontinued (and CD82 as the middle upgrade option?). Now i am saving up for a CD73 and thinking of getting one at the end of next month, this info re: CD93 has got me wondering what the fate of the CD73 is?

I've no real basis for this hunch. but.. what with the Cambridge Audio 640c V2 having dual WM8740 DACs does this place an emphasis on Arcam to up the spec of their player that is frequently reviewed agains the Cambridge spinner? Obviously there must be other considerations when buying a player but i don't think you would be being unreasonable if you felt hard done by when comparing a the respective specs.

I would really appreciate any thoughts from those Arcam lovers who might have their fingers on the pulse, or ears to the ground. Also those who are familar with Arcam's product strategy. I don't want to spend £400 on a soon to be shelved player- if there will be ex dem bargains and a new model.

Cheers


John

 

[MarkE19]

IIRC the CD73 & 93 came out at the same time, but the CD82 was never updated. I think the CD93 was then replaced a while later by the CD192 and the CD82 discontinued. That left just 2 CD players in Arcams Diva range - The entry level CD73 (great player, I used to own one) and the CD192.

I doubt anybody would know if the CD73 was about to be replaced, other than those working in Arcam and they wont let the cat out of the bag until the official announcement.

Mark.

 

[fathervic]

You can buy one with confidence... Arcam (along with other UK manufacturers) don't upgrade just because they can - they like to give their products a decent shelf life rather than worry consumers like yourself by changing it on a regular basis (like some Japanese manufacturers).
The main reason for a quick change would mostly be down to poor product performance (rare but not unheard of for a company with a decent name, but ballsy enough to take feedback and redesign the product to what it should be) or manufacturing difficulty - lack of parts eg. 72 to 72t due to Sony discontinuing a specific mechanism, or the 93 for certain bits of the audio board.
The only time I was ever peeved was when not long after I'd bought the Alpha 7SE, they actually dropped the rrp... (quite rare as the prices typically go up)
Even if it were to be replaced anytime soon, you'd still be able to upgrade the unit later on - CD72/t/73 owners can still upgrade to the 82 and 192 without a problem. You're not going to be stuck with a duff player, it's still going to be worth £400 - if and when Arcam decide to replace it, it won't be drastically better, just slightly tweeked.
If you haven't heard about it by now, there's still some decent life left as they'd have announced it to get some interest and showcase it for the HiFi shows.

 

[Crustyloafer]

Just in case you weren't aware, Arcam have just increased the RRP prices on a number of their products including the CD73 which has had a price increase of 5% to £420.

 

[jdinho]

Thanks for the opinions guys! Just finished checking the sofa for the last few quid i need