Arcam AVR 390

Not ideal is it but I guess having the LCR powered by the external PA would save a 390 from a lot of the heavy loads
 
If Samsung done AV amps, these companies would be gone tomorrow. As they would work and not be silly money.

Well on the basis Samsung purchased Harman Kardon recently they may well already do so.

I'm not entirely sure that I could phone Samsung up and get a problem solved like I could with many companies in the AV world (like yamaha and yes there are many others are just as good), I think they are just too big!
 
Morning gents, hope all are well.

I'm looking at a new AVR to be used as a processor and the 390 is at the top of my list for the purpose of Dirac.


Are the 390/550 exactly the same besides from the power produced by the internal amps?

And are the internal amps on either the 390/550 assignable to the Atmos speakers??

Anything I should be aware of ?
 
Morning gents, hope all are well.

I'm looking at a new AVR to be used as a processor and the 390 is at the top of my list for the purpose of Dirac.


Are the 390/550 exactly the same besides from the power produced by the internal amps?

And are the internal amps on either the 390/550 assignable to the Atmos speakers??

Anything I should be aware of ?

They are the same except for internal amps, as you said, and the power supply isn't quite as powerful.

Yes you can assign just the Atmos speakers to an external amp.

Be aware that the 390 alone isn't the best at driving 4 ohm speakers
 
Morning gents, hope all are well.

I'm looking at a new AVR to be used as a processor and the 390 is at the top of my list for the purpose of Dirac.


Are the 390/550 exactly the same besides from the power produced by the internal amps?

And are the internal amps on either the 390/550 assignable to the Atmos speakers??

Anything I should be aware of ?
The 550 and 850 have a toroidal psu. The 850 has gold plated binding posts.

I'm thinking of either the 390 + amp or 550. If the 390 I would only be using it for zone 2!
 
What differences will the toroidal PSU bring?
 
Sorry to question here but am seriously thinking about a AVR550 and now AVR390 to replace my existing Marantz SR8002 amp so that I can go Atmos and use room correction.

I have read the AVS post as only 26 pages and everything was fine until this Dirac and Bass Management issue which has got me worried. I will now take the time to read all 160 odd pages on the AVR550 post here and don't know how many of the issues reported are down to how people do their Dirac as I am sure I would get it wrong first time. But AVS thread alluded to some manufacturers doing it before or after Bass Management and it being incorrect the one way which Arcam are using. And I understand nothing about all this.....

For a UK room that is 12 ft by 15ft is a AVR390 a better option, especially with a power amp like a P7? Over something like a AVR550 where I would still have to get a P35 or similar to give 9 channels.

I am planning going 5.1.4 as it seems everything Atmos I have read says you miss the extra 2 height channels if you don't. Not having a perfect MLP I am unsure if I get the benefit of the 4 speakers as sofa is against the back wall so rear heights would be more or less directly above and front heights forward of MLP.

Lastly am I correct that something like an Arcam would get the best out of my current speakers? I understand they are not the best that some people use but I am stuck using Monitor Audio Radius 225 for LCR as these are in a false chimney breast above a Dru Metro fire. They currently surround my Fujitsu P42XHA58 plasma which I have never been happy with the purple snake issue so that is being replaced by the largest screen I can fit in the sxisting set up which is a 50 inch 4K Panasonic. Current sub is a RSW12 and rear Radius 180 will be replaced by IDC wall mounted speakers, ceiling speakers will also be IDC.

So would AVR390 with P7 be better than AVR550 using all amps in latter plus a P35 for heights not possible with inbuilt amp?
 
Might be interested in this unit for a potential garage conversion I've been planning for the past 5 years :confused:

A quick question, re running 7.1.4, I have a Lyngdorf TDAI-2170 Stereo Amp

Could I use this to power the L & R and only need a 3 Channel Amp to power the C & Heights?
 
Might be interested in this unit for a potential garage conversion I've been planning for the past 5 years :confused:

A quick question, re running 7.1.4, I have a Lyngdorf TDAI-2170 Stereo Amp

Could I use this to power the L & R and only need a 3 Channel Amp to power the C & Heights?
That's a very nice stereo amp. So you can only assign channels 6&7 but all pre out are live. So you could use the 2170 for L&R, the 390 for the surrounds and a 5 channel power amp for the centre and 4 Atmos channels.
 
Sound from the fronts, centre included, should all be the same where at all possible. On that basis I wouldn't want a centre channel with a different amp to the left and right. Unless you're mostly listening to music and are prepared to sacrifice the centre channel a little. Even Dirac's not going to correct timbre and the characteristics of different amplifiers, although they'll be brought 'in-line' with each other course.

You could then opt to run the 390 for the centre and surrounds, an an additional 4 channel amp for the height channels.
 
Do people think now is the time to invest in a product like the AVR390 or is there more to come with regards 4K and HDR? Will this support 4K standards (Dolby vision, hlg etc) or will there be something out in 6-9 month time that'll make this defunct. Not worried about 8k or pie in the sky stuff, just stuff that just around the corner.
 
I just invested in my AVR550 with this in mind, but not proven. To be honest I don't believe their should be any problems as long as 4K+HDR is properly passed through. There's no video processing at 4K anyway, just sync.

I'm sure there must be someone with a 390/550/850 who is already pushing through UHD BDs, or streaming equivalents; I don't recall seeing major issues reported in any thread except for the usual manufacturer to manufacturer HDMI hassles, which can be as much to do with the source or display as the AVR.
 
I guess I'm slightly worried with Arcams track record on problems with models like AVR600/AVR500 etc, that weren't sorted until AVR400 or is that a bit unfair? Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but would hate to invest in AVR390/AVR550 and they be ok with HDR10, just to find in 6 months time they are replaced with newer models as they don't support Dolby Vision or HLG. If I wanted to buy a new AVR each year I could stick with the cheaper Japanese models for now. I know many of the current Japanese AVR have various HDMI HDCP HDR / high bandwidth maybe issues. Are the current Arcam AVEs better or worse? Also are the different HDR standards just going to be supported in existing kit so don't worry and it's the player and TV you need to worry about?
 
OK, tackling the subject of DV head-on, I've asked them the question. Let's see what they come back with...
 
I have to say I'm getting a little bit more than peeved with my amp.

In particular, seting up direc properly with the POS USB and mic they give you.

I ended up, after p;ssing around with it for a day desoldering the 3.5mm female jack from the USB dognel (yes I meant to spell it like that), cutting the 3.5mm plug off the mic and soldering it direct to the little board.

Still no joy. Too bloody quiet to set the levels correct in Dirac.

I have been in contact with Arcam and they have kindly sent me a new USB dognel and a new mic but these are even worse! I get no sound at all unless I hold the mic plug in the USB 3.5mm socket.

Even when I do and I follow the manual to turn off AGC in the properties of the mic, it's no where near sensitive enough - tapping on the mic itself makes the little green bar chart bounce half way.

I never had any of these issues with my Pioneer.

The random "going onto standby" is beginning to wear thin too.

if you are thinking of buying this amp then PLEASE just budget an extra £80-£130 for either your dealer to set it up or for a UMIK-1 or XTZ Mic Pro because the stuff you get in the box is shyte.

Can anyone confirm they've had suitable success with the USB dognel and Windows 10?
 
I have to say I'm getting a little bit more than peeved with my amp.

In particular, seting up direc properly with the POS USB and mic they give you.

I ended up, after p;ssing around with it for a day desoldering the 3.5mm female jack from the USB dognel (yes I meant to spell it like that), cutting the 3.5mm plug off the mic and soldering it direct to the little board.

Still no joy. Too bloody quiet to set the levels correct in Dirac.

I have been in contact with Arcam and they have kindly sent me a new USB dognel and a new mic but these are even worse! I get no sound at all unless I hold the mic plug in the USB 3.5mm socket.

Even when I do and I follow the manual to turn off AGC in the properties of the mic, it's no where near sensitive enough - tapping on the mic itself makes the little green bar chart bounce half way.

I never had any of these issues with my Pioneer.

The random "going onto standby" is beginning to wear thin too.

if you are thinking of buying this amp then PLEASE just budget an extra £80-£130 for either your dealer to set it up or for a UMIK-1 or XTZ Mic Pro because the stuff you get in the box is shyte.

Can anyone confirm they've had suitable success with the USB dognel and Windows 10?
Are you using the latest version of Dirac v1.2.2, I believe there is a issue with it and Windows 10.
 
Are you using the latest version of Dirac v1.2.2, I believe there is a issue with it and Windows 10.

Yeah I soon found that out. You get errors after you've done the measurements.

It's the microphone hardware they supply that's the problem. Cheap crap - I would be surprised if Arcam paid more than 90p for them - and I'm not exaggerating.

This mic doesn't even work properly if I plug it straight into my sound card.
 
Yeah I soon found that out. You get errors after you've done the measurements.

It's the microphone hardware they supply that's the problem. Cheap crap - I would be surprised if Arcam paid more than 90p for them - and I'm not exaggerating.

This mic doesn't even work properly if I plug it straight into my sound card.

I must admit I've never even looked at the mic, didn't unwrap it, put it back in the box and stuck it in the loft, already had a UMIK-1. Only heard bad things about it though so I think your right about people adding the cost of a decent mic.
 
Same here. I got the UMIK-1 so I could use it for room measurements as well as Dirac. So the original mic is in its bag, sealed, unused. Couldn't possibly comment on how good or bad it is, with the exception of one thing: dealers are expected to use a calibrated professional measurement mic such as the XTC (thingybobinsertmodelcodehere) when they perform an install. Apart from the obvious argument of increased cost, I'm not sure why a pro mic isn't included in the box. I'm sure Anthem are baffled too when they look at their competition.
 
Arcam respond:
Thank you for your email. We have done some limited testing on Dolby vision and it appeared to work, although we admittedly have not done a great deal of testing so there may be issues that we have not encountered. It really is a case of watch this space, although results have been hopeful so far.
Guess that's all we can ask for at this time, but pretty much what I expected.
 
Same here. I got the UMIK-1 so I could use it for room measurements as well as Dirac. So the original mic is in its bag, sealed, unused. Couldn't possibly comment on how good or bad it is, with the exception of one thing: dealers are expected to use a calibrated professional measurement mic such as the XTC (thingybobinsertmodelcodehere) when they perform an install. Apart from the obvious argument of increased cost, I'm not sure why a pro mic isn't included in the box. I'm sure Anthem are baffled too when they look at their competition.

As I'm considering sending this thing back, do anthem do an equivalent to the 390?
 
As I'm considering sending this thing back, do anthem do an equivalent to the 390?
You'd have to spend over three grand for a Anthem MRX 720 AV Amplifier to get 7 channels of amplification
 
You'd have to spend over three grand for a Anthem MRX 720 AV Amplifier to get 7 channels of amplification

Yeah so half way between a 550 and an 850 :-(

I suppose my only option is to buy a UMIK or XTZ.
 
Contact your dealer and ask for a deal on a mic, at the end of the day you've purchased the Arcam and it's been supplied with a substandard mic. You can always have a play with REW if you do get a decent mic.
 

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