Arcam DiVA P85 Power Amp

I bought the P85 on eBay recently after having had my Arcam A85/CD 92 kit for six months. I wasn't expecting it to make much difference to be honest, as I though that the dealers over-stated the benefits of biamping. However, I found that it really does make a fantastic difference.

With just my A85 my kit sounded good, but not nearly as good as Musical Fidelity kit I also auditioned. It was quite detailed, but the bass was often a bit on the slow side, and could overwhelm and swamp midrange vocals on bass-heavy dance tracks. With the addition of the P85 however I'd say that these problems have been solved. The bass has been tamed. It is tighter and far more rhythmic. The midrange now stands out a lot better. The treble is also sharper, with guitars and cymbals really standing out. The overall sound is far more involving, and the separation and imaging are improved. It feels and sounds a lot more powerful, as I now find that a I don't need to turn the volume up as much as before. The A85/P85 combo sounds more like proper high-end kit.

The P85 is no longer sold, but like me you could find one on eBay (although they hold their value well so don't expect to get one for peanuts) or else you can use it's successor the P90, which is more or less the same and has the same gain as the A85.