Anthem MRX 1120 11.2 Channel AV Receiver Review & Comments

Yeah, I think I will be too. It's interesting that the upsell to the 710 from the 510 used to (basically) be the toroidal PSU. I think it's a shame a receiver at the 720's price point doesn't include one, considering my old Cambridge 650R had a toroidal PSU 7 years ago, but hey. It's interesting also that the Arcam 550 (the most popular model by far) doesn't seem to have one either (and again, only the Class G 850 has been reviewed).

Rob

Arcam 550 has a massive toroidal psu!

XXL-TEST: Arcam 7.2 AV-Receiver AVR 550 – britisches Atmos-Ass mit Dirac-Einmessung für 3.300 EUR | AREA DVD
 
Oh, I'd been led to believe it didn't. Interesting, thank you. So with that being cheaper (albeit with less pre-outs) and with a 5 year warranty, that reignites my 550 vs 720 debate somewhat. Although Dirac looks more of a PITA to operate (even though it runs natively on Mac), I had set my sights on the Anthem.

Bearing in mind I'm used to Yamaha's excellent iOS AV Controller app, what are people's thoughts on Anthem vs Arcam for their operation apps? This is (believe it or not) a fairly big consideration for me.

Rob
 
Arcam doesn't have the 4 speaker profile thing that Anthem have, do they? I wanted to set CD input to 'Large' 2.0 and Movie / Game inputs to Small 5.1.2, plus have a 2.1 profile for other music. Is Anthem fairly unique in this regard (or should I ask this in the Arcam thread)?

Rob
 
ARC also runs on the Atmos/height channels which is a plus.
 
I don't use room correction at all on the 720 as it sounds just so stunning bare bones I don't want to muffle performance in any way. Honestly I don't feel this things needs room correction unless you have a very difficult room or low end speakers. ...and don't start stoning me about the benefits of ARC I am fully aware ;)
 
Controversial. But each to their own. I don't know if Dirac just sounds too much faff compared to ARC, even though it would work on my computer (I say that, but of course nothing works properly on Macs) :)

Rob
 
Does anyone know if these things process the video that's being passed through in any way. Just asking because I am about to calibrate my PJ.
 
Does anyone know if these things process the video that's being passed through in any way. Just asking because I am about to calibrate my PJ.

I don't believe the Anthems do.
 
Could anyone confirm if the 2016 Anthem MRX receivers (and the new Arcam models for that matter) suffer from any delays / drops of digital audio inputs (coax and/or optical)? My old Cambridge amp was virtually unusable for digital inputs as it would take 2 seconds to pick up an incoming source, and then sometimes drop it between every single song! My Yamaha amp was such a revelation in this sense. I don't really intend to use any analogue inputs so need to know that the DACs are stable and basically instantaneous.

Also, are they pretty stable and quick on HDMI handshakes?

It seems Arcam and Dirac are expected to be set up by dealers. Is ARC the same or are most people running and setting up Anthem amps themselves?

Cheers

Rob
 
Not a lover of the new Arcams by any means.
Why, out of interest? My feeling is that the sound quality is arguably slightly beefier with Arcam, but the reliability, stability (even though they offer a 5 year UK warranty) and faff of Dirac compared to ARC puts me off.
 
Mine's been running fantastic for a few months but now I get frequent HDMI handshake issues and complete loss off signal but I believe its the cable (however nothing changed it just started out of the blue), will test a new cable and report back.
 
Is it always only on the same input?

Again, my Cambridge amp used to do my head in with HDMI sometimes taking multiple 'off and on' or swapping input motions to obtain a signal, especially detecting my old PC (which I don't have anymore). My Yamaha amp is pretty flawless in this regard again (although it does take maybe 3 seconds of blank screen at every refresh), and I really don't want to take a step back toward the Cambridge style.
 
Yes it does it with the HTPC only it seems and only with 4K signal so that's why I am thinking its a weak cable.
 
Yes it does it with the HTPC only it seems and only with 4K signal so that's why I am thinking its a weak cable.

What GPU are you running, how long is the cable, what software player are you using? 4K in what format, is this just 4K sans HDR content?
 
Why, out of interest? My feeling is that the sound quality is arguably slightly beefier with Arcam, but the reliability, stability (even though they offer a 5 year UK warranty) and faff of Dirac compared to ARC puts me off.

It's just my personal opinion but Arcam sounds like Arcam, nice but that's all.

Experience with poor reliability issues on previous models and not heard an amazing demo yet.

Hence I install/sell other brands.
 
It's a crappy situation because on one hand you have the Anthem processor which will work pretty well, but it's a processor and the used market for them is very tight.

The Arcam.. not as functional as the Anthem but arguably a better, tho harder use EQ system and then there's dropping Dirac standalone onto a Japanese AVR, which comes with some challenges.

Either way I'm going to add another 3 Lyngdorf power amps for maximum flexibility as soon as @SeriouslyCinema gives me a price.

****CASH WAITING**** call now!!! etc.

And then I'll have to go for one of those 3 options.
 
It's just my personal opinion but Arcam sounds like Arcam, nice but that's all.

Experience with poor reliability issues on previous models and not heard an amazing demo yet.

And what does Anthem sound like?

Yeah, the reliability question puts me off. As a Yamaha owner, I'm used to stability now! A five year warranty is reassuring on the Arcams, but I don't want to be pulling it out or fiddling every five minutes anyway.

Rob
 
And what does Anthem sound like?

Yeah, the reliability question puts me off. As a Yamaha owner, I'm used to stability now! A five year warranty is reassuring on the Arcams, but I don't want to be pulling it out or fiddling every five minutes anyway.

Rob

The Anthem sounds detailed and clean. Doesn't add anything to the signal. The Arcam sounds well like Aarcam, warm and boring IMO.

We've not had any reliability issues with the latest generation of Anthems.
 
It's a crappy situation because on one hand you have the Anthem processor which will work pretty well, but it's a processor and the used market for them is very tight.

The Arcam.. not as functional as the Anthem but arguably a better, tho harder use EQ system and then there's dropping Dirac standalone onto a Japanese AVR, which comes with some challenges.

Either way I'm going to add another 3 Lyngdorf power amps for maximum flexibility as soon as @SeriouslyCinema gives me a price.

****CASH WAITING**** call now!!! etc.

And then I'll have to go for one of those 3 options.

Will drop you a price next week. Mighty fine amps.
 
It's a big downside to me that ARC needs Windows to run (sadly, I made the foolish mistake that everyone makes once in their life of buying a Mac :p), but would you say ARC is more user-doable than Dirac? I've little interest in having someone else set it up for me (weird as that sounds). It is, however, annoying that I couldn't fiddle with the room EQ (at software level) once it's in where I could with Dirac. But somehow ARC just appeals to me more.
 
It's a big downside to me that ARC needs Windows to run (sadly, I made the foolish mistake that everyone makes once in their life of buying a Mac :p), but would you say ARC is more user-doable than Dirac? I've little interest in having someone else set it up for me (weird as that sounds). It is, however, annoying that I couldn't fiddle with the room EQ (at software level) once it's in where I could with Dirac. But somehow ARC just appeals to me more.

You could always get a cheap second hand laptop.
Then you can fiddle to your hearts content.

If I can help you with the Anthem, I have a laptop lying around that we no longer use as this was used just for ARC calibration because we foolishly owned a Mac too.
 

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