Question Arcam AV860 vs Anthem AVM60 vs Marantz 8805

grahamricho

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Which of the above processors would you pick and why?

I have an Arcam AV888 and some things about it I hate about it, no volume knob, dated GUI, a few cliches etc...

I had before the Arcam a Pioneer lx87 receiver and found the set up etc and features better. The sound on the Arcam was better though.

Not sure if getting another Arcam processor would be a bit samey?

I like the XLR input on the marantz, which the Arcam does not have and duel XLR sub output ,

So which is the better one ?
 
Had an Arcam 860, now have a marantz 8805.

If I was to choose again, I would choose the marantz everytime.

Why?

Sounds better
Better built
HDMI is more stable in my setup
More options than you can shake a stick at
 
I've had the Arcam av888 for a number of years and hated the set up pages, it seemed not very advanced.

What does Audyssey not do what Dirac can do? What's it like with subs?
 
the 860 should trounce the 8805 if you think of its background and having Dirac, but imho the 8805 is a cracking processor and maybe not thought of being good enough, because our far eastern friends don’t know anything about what good audio should sound like.

let me tell you that they do and the 8805 sounds excellent with both multi channel and stereo, anyone wanting a demo to see if i’m telling porkies then you know what to do

Allan
 
I see the Arcam av860 has 5 year warranty and the Marantz 3 years normally? (There is a 5 year warranty if bought before the end of the month) ?
 
I've had the Arcam av888 for a number of years and hated the set up pages, it seemed not very advanced.

What does Audyssey not do what Dirac can do? What's it like with subs?

I find audyssey much better with subs. I didn’t really like Dirac, it sucked the life out of my system, whereas The Marantz is far more lively and energetic.
 
No one has mentioned the AVM60?
Interesting..
 
I've never been an Arcam fan, I used to hate the styling of their hifi amps from the 1980s-1990s.
I may have a look at the marantz, I want something I can set up and one button on/off.

At the moment I have a separate hifi stereo pre amp that shares the front left right power amps with the Arcam AV888 I have now. I want to get rid of all hifi pre amps , XLR switch etc and just have a av processor. I spend more time now watching music videos on YouTube and listening to music on spotify.
 
No one has mentioned the AVM60?
Interesting..

Likewise - I'm in the market for an AVM60, so it would have been nice if someone with a bit of experience of it, could wade in! :D
 
My thoughts are that I would only ever consider a processor/receiver with either Dirac or Arc. Nothing at the price comes close to the results you can get from these room correction options.

Personally I own 2 Anthem units due to personal sound preference.
 
the 860 should trounce the 8805 if you think of its background and having Dirac, but imho the 8805 is a cracking processor and maybe not thought of being good enough, because our far eastern friends don’t know anything about what good audio should sound like.

let me tell you that they do and the 8805 sounds excellent with both multi channel and stereo, anyone wanting a demo to see if i’m telling porkies then you know what to do

Allan

So Al assuming you had decided to go with an ATI 52x class D for power amp (which isn’t exactly a shrinking violet :)) and you had to choose between the Arcam (Dirac) and the Marantz (Audyssey) to match with the ATI which of those two processors would you (personally) choose?
 
So Al assuming you had decided to go with an ATI 52x class D for power amp (which isn’t exactly a shrinking violet :)) and you had to choose between the Arcam (Dirac) and the Marantz (Audyssey) to match with the ATI which of those two processors would you (personally) choose?

i’ve had both in the dark room as i think you know, the 860 came first and with the Dirac setup properly and my own personal tweaks it really sounded great and agreed by people who visited on open events or otherwise. You need to setup Dirac properly though and when done it gives great results and i can’t think of a reason why anyone wouldn’t like it.

The interface needs updating badly though and bringing into the 21st century for me

The 8805 is a breeze to setup, the interface is light years better than the 860 making it a pleasure to use, sound quality is as good if not better than the 860 imo. With this i’m referring to sound separation and steerage all around the 13 channels i’m using atm. I’ve read that some don’t like Audyssey, well i do tbh once i’ve added my on personal tweaks, which i also do with Dirac btw.

Both processors are very good tbh and make it difficult to choose, but if i had to it would be the 8805.

That said both would go out the door once my “new” processor arrives and a perfect match with the ATI amplifiers I use ;)

The ATI ATP16 isn’t too far away :clap:
 
i’ve had both in the dark room as i think you know, the 860 came first and with the Dirac setup properly and my own personal tweaks it really sounded great and agreed by people who visited on open events or otherwise. You need to setup Dirac properly though and when done it gives great results and i can’t think of a reason why anyone wouldn’t like it.

The interface needs updating badly though and bringing into the 21st century for me

The 8805 is a breeze to setup, the interface is light years better than the 860 making it a pleasure to use, sound quality is as good if not better than the 860 imo. With this i’m referring to sound separation and steerage all around the 13 channels i’m using atm. I’ve read that some don’t like Audyssey, well i do tbh once i’ve added my on personal tweaks, which i also do with Dirac btw.

Both processors are very good tbh and make it difficult to choose, but if i had to it would be the 8805.

That said both would go out the door once my “new” processor arrives and a perfect match with the ATI amplifiers I use ;)

The ATI ATP16 isn’t too far away :clap:

That’s a great reply Al and very much appreciated. The ATI Processors do indeed look interesting although I am assuming that the price difference with the 8805 may put them over the “diminished returns” line for some. Do we have any prices on those yet?
 
That’s a great reply Al and very much appreciated. The ATI Processors do indeed look interesting although I am assuming that the price difference with the 8805 may put them over the “diminished returns” line for some. Do we have any prices on those yet?

yes the rrp is set at £10,495 so some very healthy competition now for the likes of Lyngdorf and the rest :clap:
 
The one thing about sound experiences is that it subjective and what one person feels is the best thing since sliced bread to another is their worst nightmare. Myself, I've always enjoy Arcam, Anthem and Marantz, yes they all sound different with pace, depth and impact being different. But none sound poor to my ears, just different. I've yet to sample ATI & Lyngdorf to add them to my thoughts, but for anyone looking for a really good home cinema amps, its certainly a great time to be buying as we have never had such a good selection of capable home cinema amps. It's so much easier to find a product to their taste, room and ear
 
i’ve had both in the dark room as i think you know, the 860 came first and with the Dirac setup properly and my own personal tweaks it really sounded great and agreed by people who visited on open events or otherwise. You need to setup Dirac properly though and when done it gives great results and i can’t think of a reason why anyone wouldn’t like it.

The interface needs updating badly though and bringing into the 21st century for me

The 8805 is a breeze to setup, the interface is light years better than the 860 making it a pleasure to use, sound quality is as good if not better than the 860 imo. With this i’m referring to sound separation and steerage all around the 13 channels i’m using atm. I’ve read that some don’t like Audyssey, well i do tbh once i’ve added my on personal tweaks, which i also do with Dirac btw.

Both processors are very good tbh and make it difficult to choose, but if i had to it would be the 8805.

That said both would go out the door once my “new” processor arrives and a perfect match with the ATI amplifiers I use ;)

The ATI ATP16 isn’t too far away :clap:
Agree with what saying , but I thank what happens is when doing an A-B comparison it's easy to get it wrong. I have done it myself, simple playing music/films and the releasing the volumes are different or in fact one song sounds nice but intact less true to the source.

Have to say I am a big Arcam fan and love Dirac too.
 
Will be interesting to see what the Anthem AVM60 (plus integrated receivers) will be like, with the imminent arrival of ARC Genesis.
 
No one has mentioned the AVM60?
Interesting..

Bought one today - I'm not kidding when I say I'm absolutely blown away, and I haven't even had much of a prolonged tinker with it.

I've been messing with audio systems since my mid teens & 37 years later, I've never been so impressed by a component change, than I have by swapping in the AVM. The way my subs have blended with the main speakers is a revelation - they have never sounded as deep, but with such punch as they do now. I could have been there for an eternity with my sound pressure meter, and never achieved what the AVM has, in tuning my subs & mains.

It is so much more than I'd expected - although I may have tried the missus's patience with all the track changes, and hogging the living room!

In absolute audio heaven.
 
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Here it is, in all it's glory - :D

20190422_115604.jpg
 
Congrats on the new purchase Moviebuff . I see you have the Statement A5 and A2 as your amps . Great amps if you ask me. Love my A5 and AVM50v combo .
 
Going from the Nakamichi, which undoubtably is a good amp, I feel the A2 & A5 have contributed as much to the improvement in SQ, as the AVM60.

I must admit though, in comparing the cost of the Nak Pre/Pro/Pwr to the Anthems, I would have been pretty mortified if there was'nt a discernable difference between the two.

I'm just glad that the difference is more than I'd hoped!
 
We took part in an AVF member room EQ shoot out with processors from Arcam/Denon/Anthem Dirac, Audyssey and ARC respectively. We used the same loudspeakers, subwoofer and power amplifiers in a 2.1 system. Content was all music based.

ARC was preferred by all present.
 
The AVM60 is high on my list. I am still using analogue out through a legacy processor working only as a 6 channel preamp. This solution worked significantly better (yes really) when I moved to BR and bought the old Denon 3800 and then demoed the HDR processors to replace my ‘compromised analogue out solution’ back in 2010. To my surprise the Arcam AV888 was some way behind and a Denon in the £3k category was as well. So I just kept that set up and was very happy. Trouble is the Panasonic 9000 analogue out is pretty good but not in the same league as the old Denon.

The AVM60 held its own against the Lyngdorf (from the brief listen on two channel I preferred the sound of the Anthem)

I wonder why it is not as popular as other units ?
 
We took part in an AVF member room EQ shoot out with processors from Arcam/Denon/Anthem Dirac, Audyssey and ARC respectively. We used the same loudspeakers, subwoofer and power amplifiers in a 2.1 system. Content was all music based.

ARC was preferred by all present.
I’m always impressed when dealers or owners attempt one of these shootouts given the complexity of the receivers/processors and RC systems, so hats off to everyone who helped organise the event and set things up. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it.

One potential confounding issue is the fact that you are also comparing the quality of the DAC/pre-amp/analogue output stage/power supply sections etc if you are using different processors.

I don’t think there is any easy way round this though unless you keep the processor fixed then use a dedicated RC box like a MiniDSP with Dirac, Trinnov ST2, Lyngdorf RP-1, although an ARC or Audyssey option is tricky.

I’d be interested to know what the order of preference was for each processor with RC turned off as a simple baseline reference point.
 

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