IF you were wondering what’s happening with that excellent loudspeaker manufacturer Totem Acoustic… well, be prepared for a paradigm shift.
The Montreal, Canada-based company has just launched its first Kickstarter campaign for… wait for it, a digital amplifier called the ARC, describing it as a “true wireless and HD audio high-fidelity experience.”
The press release claims that the ARC is a “game-changer in the hi-fi world, altering every perspective by supplanting the need for equipment typically used today” and delivering “high performance for a moderate price.”
The ARC is touted as a state-of-the-art Class D amplifier that operates silently without the need of a noisy cooling fan. It is also ultra-compact, about the size of a book. There are no buttons or knobs and it turns on automatically when connected.
It dishes out 120W and runs at high efficiency, thereby providing large amounts of audio output power. The ARC has a single USB Audio 2.0 input and accepts Bluetooth aptX Audio – no analogue inputs here. A set each of speaker and subwoofer terminals are provided.
The USB input is 24-bit/192kHz capable, the Bluetooth connection provides “CD-quality” sound via aptX. Control is via the free and optional ARC app.
“Today, most of the music we listen to is digital; it’s on our phones, our laptops or streamed from the web.
“But being passionate about music, we feel a level of authenticity is missing. There is a disconnect, a real gap, between high quality audio systems and digital music, and that is why we’ve created the ARC,” says Robert Valtierra, inventor of the ARC amplifier.
“The ARC was made to bridge the gap between fine sound and the world of digital music,” he adds.
The ARC project will only be funded if at least US$100,000 is pledged by Dec 26, 2015. For details, go to the site.
