Before you read my comments on last nights event please remember the following
-I'm new to the AV scene and have a allot to learn
-Apologies if my experience is of no use to you
-IÂ’m going on memory and may make mistake's or mix information
If the AVR600 isnÂ’t hardware p0rn I donÂ’t know what is, the internals look to be extremely modular for potential upgrades on upcoming technologyÂ’s. After opening the case John D gave a detailed run down of the innards. My thoughts where in hyper drive as my main aim was to help me come to the right decision. Underneath the case there are two massive fans to keep the system cool, big grills top and bottom with two large fans underneath to ensure decent heat dissipation. You can see the internals trough the grills which looks really cool. I asked about getting the temp on the front LCD screen, John D said if he gave me the maintenance codes itÂ’s possible.
ThereÂ’s a completely revamped GUI due to the on-board video circuits which automatically scales to selected resolution and is looking great! I was very impressed! Much needed update imho but not possible without the new video circuitry. I suspect the first batch of AVR600's will be sold out. Lucky for me, as an individual I'm one of the first to place an order! The AVR600 will be ready when itÂ’s ready. That could be between late December to February baring no issues. Demo units will be available in stores within the next month. So if you would like one get ordering now to avoid a painful wait.
In the meantime I suspect Arcam will be working hard to iron out any remaining bugs. As an early adopter I guess itÂ’s reasonably to assume we will suffer with bugs, but they will be resolved as and when they materialise. Similar to how Audio lab have been dealing with their issues. Firmware\software updates via serial or even USB if we are really lucky. Network card installed as standard which I was really happy about. I have a terrible low quality snapshot of the innards but said I wouldnÂ’t post online. Low quality crackberry cam you can't see much so nothing to miss!
Arcams bluray player is in the pipe line. And 6 channel analogue out users will be looked after. Bass management HD audio etc etc!! I will personally disregard the recent and future comments on the claimed quality issues of the upcoming player. No one has seen it in action. Most of the time I was discussing my options with John D and David from Frank Harvey HiFi. Loved every second of it. I was one of the first to walk in and went straight up stairs to be greeted by an AVR600 and John. Took me a decent amount of time to realise that John was John Dawson, he came across extremely technical and has spent over 2 years of his life working on the AVR600. I could hear the carnage from the demo rooms produced by the ARV600 and Kef refs but held of going in for most of the night.
When I finally went in for a listen I couldn't compare the demo to the AV9/P7 demo for obvious reasons. I got a chance to give my 360 a test run and it was impressive but I didn’t have the same wow factor as I did with the AV9/P7 but only because the combo was tested with my speakers. It would be madness to deny that the sound was nothing short of astounding. I personally would of preferred a listen with the MA Gold signature's as I will be upgrading in the next 6 – 12 months. I truly believe in the AVR600 and I can’t wait to get my hands on mine. I have a feeling its going to be a huge hit. I personally prefer the Arcam sound over the Jap amps, also knowing the fact that stereo is normally un-matched. The great thing is the AVR600 ticks all the boxes on top of sounding amazing.
I loved meeting John Dawson and it was great to get an insight into his personality whilst asking questions and covering many different areas of AV. I learnt a huge amount in such a short period of time. 5 hours in the car round trip and the event was well worth it. On top of that I made a massive saving close to ÂŁ500. All I can say is whens the next event.
ItÂ’s safe to say we can expect an AV9 replacement, and could be built on some of the tech inside the AVR600. John D and David impacted my decision making process in a great way showing no bias to any particular choice but concentrating on the facts and passing on solid knowledge. One last thing the Mitsu was amazing, My HD80 is wicked but I had to try not think about how beautiful the Mitsu was.. So quiet too!! I want one! Sorry for the badly articulated post and lack of technical expertise and hope its interesting in some way. As always looking forward to comments, and please ask questions as it may bring alive those memory banks. I only had 4 hours sleep last night due getting back late and test driving my new MA Bronze centre.
Peace!