Cadence ARCA : opinions please

[Radni14]

I hope I could upload a pic here successfully.
Bhagwan , the link you gave has mostly Duelund capacitors, two inductor coils and few Mundorf M-caps , but does not have Resistors.
Duelund resistors are pencil like , 135 mm long .
Opening of Arca back panel is not difficult .
Post mods , Arcas sound much better .
My rest of chain is :
Cary Audio CDP, Bryston DAC, Reimyo PreAmp, AES(by Cary) Amp,
Sony MiniDisc player.

 

[Radni14]

One more pic , you see the long black resistors more clearly .
White stock resistors ( removed ) are in tray at the back .

 

[ranjeetrain]

Last week I replaced resistors in my ARCA s .

Congrats! Sounds fun.

I would like to know why/how the decision to replace the transistors were arrived at? What prompted it. TIA.

 

[Radni14]

Basically I am a believer in upgrade of audio gear through better quality of components , wherever possible. Despite its cost , I think results are generally always rewarding much more than the cost .
OEM s , in most cases , have cost constrain while deciding on components .
Upgrade like this are quite common among hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts in USA , unlike in India , IMHO.
In expensive Arca s , with excellent ES Panels , I never liked the idea of having average quality of resistors whereas it deserved higher quality of resistors , even at extra cost (this is my personal view ) .
BTW, my pair of ARCA s is already custom mfd by Cadence with upgraded capacitors , coils , hook-up wires . So I was feeling stock resistors remained a weak link to exploit Arca s potential to full or higher level .
And so worked on options , finally chose Duelund Cast Premium .

 

[bhagwan]

finally chose Duelaund Cast Premium .

Sir,

Good Call.
Frank makes super parts @ Duelund.
Drives a Nice A3 [custom tweaked] too.

To get 'serious' - back to audio...
If you like to upgrade, ask Cadence to make your Arca up to Siltect Pantheon level.
It was done here in Mumbai - with Battery Back [so no power cord is needed to connect the speaker to your wall socket] & internal cables are all Siltech etc. etc. Amba has full idea of what I am saying. He can do it for you.

All the Best !

 

[Radni14]

Bhagwan,
I auditioned Pantheon before ordering Arca . DC battery as PS was also discussed before ordering. I did not go for it considering cost of the Battery.
I decided to give AC power to Arca from my PS Audio power generator, which does Line AC - filter- DC - filtered smooth AC sine wave . I thought that should do the job as good as (almost) a DC battery without much extra cost.
My Arca have better caps , resistors than Pantheon but same siltech G7 hook up wires , IMHO .
Pantheon was only prototype or first version. Present Arca is Version VI , so I assumed it has matured to a good level in chamber and cavity design ...

 

[Radni14]

Drives a Nice A3 [custom tweaked] too.
Bhagwan,
What is Nice A3 ?

 

[bhagwan]

Drives a Nice A3 [custom tweaked] too.
Bhagwan,
What is Nice A3 ?

Car

2015 Audi RS3 Sedan and Sportback Rendered – News – Car and Driver

Car review: Audi A3 RS3 - road test - BBC Top Gear

Audi RS3 Car News - BBC Top Gear


hyeah:

 

[vkirti]

What is the experience of forum members in driving the ARCAS or the ARISTAS with SS amps ? Am considering cadence for zone 2 and will be using the Yamaha AS 2000 to drive them. Plan to carry my Amp to pune and do an audition if needed.

 

[bhagwan]

I have heard an Arca with GamuT M230 Mono Amps & it sounded good.
Personally I prefer the Cadence Canasya with any / all Cadence Speakers.
But, budget may not permit their use - although a pair is for sale in Mumbai @ 350/- K if you would be interested - someone I know is trying to move from CC to Pass Labs.

 

[vkirti]

I have heard an Arca with GamuT M230 Mono Amps & it sounded good.
Personally I prefer the Cadence Canasya with any / all Cadence Speakers.
But, budget may not permit their use - although a pair is for sale in Mumbai @ 350/- K if you would be interested - someone I know is trying to move from CC to Pass Labs.

Thanks, but as you have already specified the budget is way out. I am currently looking to start with their loudspeakers hence considering the Amaya, Arista or the Avita. Though i was sorely tempted last year when the pair you talk about was first put up for sale, i have decided to wait for a while and maybe have that upgrade a year or two later when the zone two will become the zone 1.

 

[captrajesh]

I've driven my Aristas with AP Tube pre & SS Power combo, with PP Tube Integrated and now with SET Integrated. They sounded good with all the amps but the electrostats bring out the best out of what the tube amps offer, comparable to the single driver speakers.

 

[square_wave]

When looking for high power tube amps, one should look at these too. Importing will be a pain though.

Power Amplifiers

Line magnetic also makes some good amps. Also look at some German amps distributed by the Listening room in Bangalore and Prima Luna by Absolute phase.

 

[vkirti]

When looking for high power tube amps, one should look at these too. Importing will be a pain though.

Power Amplifiers

Line magnetic also makes some good amps. Also look at some German amps distributed by the Listening room in Bangalore and Prima Luna by Absolute phase.

Hi square wave, thanks for the info. I was actually inquiring about the cadence range of speakers, driven by my current amp (Yamaha Integrated AS 2000) for a zone 2. Not looking for a tube amp currently.

 

[square_wave]

Hi square wave, thanks for the info. I was actually inquiring about the cadence range of speakers, driven by my current amp (Yamaha Integrated AS 2000) for a zone 2. Not looking for a tube amp currently.

AhI have heard them only with the cadence canasya amp and loved it.
From what I understand from conversation with people who owned cadence hybrid speakers, they thrive on tube amps especially the ones made by Cadence.

 

[Radni14]

Square_wave,
I have always heard Cadence Arcas on tube amp , and I am very happy with it.
But I have no idea how they would sound with SS amp .
Taking your amp to Pune will be the best way to find out for yourself , and will be worth it for you to decide .
Once done , please post your experience on this thread .

 

[Radni14]

It has been a while since I posted on this thread .
I would like to share some update on my ARCAs .
Last week I replace and upgraded capacitors on my Arcas . The upgrade replacement is done only on High Frequency crossover and not on Low Frequency (LF ) crossover .
My Arcas were already fitted with upgraded caps ( HF and LF ) of Mundorf M-Supreme . Last week I replaced these Mundorf M Supreme with V Cap OIMP .
There were totally 6 caps replaced on HF crossover for the pair.
I replaced them at my home without moving the spkrs , as shifting them is very difficult.
High quality WBT silver solder of 4% Ag was issued for the job .
LF caps are still M Supreme , they are not replaced as that proposition would work out very costly , considering there are about 20 caps per pair on LF side.
It has been only about 10 hours of break in since replacement and I find vast improvement in sound .
I would encourage other Arca owners to consider upgrade path as I think full potential of ESP is not exploited with OEM fitted components.

 

[jenson]

i had the pleasure of meeting radni14 couple of weeks back. it was an humbling experience for me as he is a gentleman of rarest kinds. very passionate about the finer details of things and keen on using only the best components, keeping practically in check.

onto his setup which is placed in an exclusive, cozy listening room. cary audio amplifier looks pretty small compared to the mighty presense of ARCA's.

every thing from source to pre-amp and speaker cables were carefully paired. i took some cd titles such as Chris Issak Baja sessions, E.S.T, live in hamburg, Michel Petrucciani Live, Feist Let it die and such.

Radni's listening room is quite big, speakers were placed least 7-9 feet from front wall, 4-5 feet from side wall, maybe more? keeping this context in mind, i did not find it comparable to Arista or Amayas...ARCA's have mighty presence, wide soundstage, transparent, with a trademark "live" sound that i get from Cadence stable.

apparently radni;s recent upgrades have improved it's performance even better. overall, a smooth and seamless setup which is great for longer listening sessions.

 

[GeorgeO]

I have also had the pleasure of interacting with him a few times,though on phone, and have enjoyed talking to him. Hopefully one day will do a one on one!