Can anyone review/comment on Arcam AVR10

shmerls

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I've been thinking about getting the Marantz SR6015 and heard the Acram AVR10 yesterday. Does anyone have comments/reviews on this Acram?
 
the avr10 is base arcam for 7.1.4 so cant do things like auro3D the marantz can. not sure if an issue also no dts-x pro and such. other main issue woudl be bugs :D i would do your own due diligence in this regard. there is a whole thread on the "new arcams"


though not that new anymore since released back in 2019

not sure if hdmi 2.1 is a consideration or not ?

also consider the denon 3700h...or if dont need hdmi 2.1 see the 3600h/6013... or look even higher wiht the amazing pricing we are getting at least on run out denon/marantz models...where can look far higher up the range with back catalog just superseded vs the latest model.
 
Arcam will be releasing a 2.1 hdmi board soon, so you would have the option of upgrading if you wanted. As for the bugs, the owners seem quite happy with how stable the units are now.
 
I've been thinking about getting the Marantz SR6015 and heard the Acram AVR10 yesterday. Does anyone have comments/reviews on this Acram?
The Arcam will beat the Marantz both musically and for movies, it’s in another league, if you want bland/average choose Denon/Marantz
 
I've been thinking about getting the Marantz SR6015 and heard the Acram AVR10 yesterday. Does anyone have comments/reviews on this Acram?
If you've actually heard it yourself, how did you like the sound and what specifically are you looking for feedback on?

I see you're in the US where the AVR10 is the same $2,500 price as the Marantz SR7015 so you probably ought to be comparing it with that model if you're shopping to a budget.

I haven't heard either of them but ASR bench tested both which you may find both interesting and depressing, but then he's a notoriously hard marker.

ASR SR7015 review

"Conclusions: Like clockwork, the performance of Marantz SR7015 tracks other Marantz AVRs we have tested. They take the excellent platform used in Denon sister products, and modify them to produce objectively worse performance by good bit. Distortion is sharply increased and extremely slow DAC filtering causes lots of ultrasonic noise, making any intention of playing "high-res" audio moot. Company feels subjectively the modifications improve the sound of the unit. With no controlled listening test demonstrating that, and measurements showing the opposite, I don't think the changes are wise or merited.

Needless to say, I can't recommend the Marantz SR7015. I highly suggest you stick with the Denon counterparts instead."


ASR AVR10 Review

"Conclusions: After seeing rather poor performance form many AV products, many of us were holding hope that Arcam would do better. Company has a great heritage of caring about measurements and superb performance. Alas, whatever pedigree was there, is no longer found. Maybe they and us are victim of one million logos on these devices, forcing the project to be mostly software/firmware development and hardware execution has become an afterthought. Regardless, for a multi-thousand dollar device, our expectation should be very well engineered AVR but we don't remotely get that.

In some sense, the AVR10 is worse than the last generation AVR390 which had great amplification stage. Seems like Arcam took the only thing that was good there and messed that up too.

Needless to say, I cannot recommend Arcam AVR10."
 
The Arcam will beat the Marantz both musically and for movies, it’s in another league, if you want bland/average choose Denon/Marantz
I hooked up my new Marantz SR6015 and am quite underwhelmed. I bought it from a high end HT designer who bought 25 units for inventory due to the chip shortage. He sold it to me for $1400 in an unopened box full, store receipt and full warranty. In store price is $1700. I figured I can't go wrong if I hate it and eBay it.

I'm really surprised at how lame Audyssey calibration sounds. Tinny and toppy, no life, no smile factor. I started to try to figure out how to get under the hood and do it myself. But apparently to do that you have to buy a $20 app! WTF? Whatever. I also only got sound out of my fronts. Went to bed exhausted and will try to get it right or semi right today.
If you've actually heard it yourself, how did you like the sound and what specifically are you looking for feedback on?

I see you're in the US where the AVR10 is the same $2,500 price as the Marantz SR7015 so you probably ought to be comparing it with that model if you're shopping to a budget.

I haven't heard either of them but ASR bench tested both which you may find both interesting and depressing, but then he's a notoriously hard marker.

ASR SR7015 review

I'm setting up a 7.2 system but might do Atmos some day so the 9.2 was attracting me. I have an old system from 8 years ago with a Sony SR DG2100 and had no idea all this audiophile stuff existed. I just bought stuff. Then I moved into a condo with neighbors and only hooked up the fronts (JBL 4311B Studio Monitors). Now I'm in a house and feel like I got out of jail. So I'm starting from scratch and while I was a pro guitarist and am very into gear all my life, audiophile home theater is just a bigger, more compicated and way more expensive obsession. I haven't seen this term here but particularly guitarist have GAS, Gear Acquisition Syndrome.
I am looking at:
SR605 - purchased two weeks ago. My 8 year old Sony 7.1 sounds better, Ugh
BW 702 S2 - fronts, replacing my JBL 4311B Studio Monitors, made 1978d
BW HTM72 S2 center, can't fit the HTM71 S2
SVS 2000 - 2 of these
For surround mids, I'm going to try moving my JBLs from the front. Could be amazing
For rear surround, for now I'm just going to move my silly Insignias to the back




;
 
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If you've actually heard it yourself, how did you like the sound and what specifically are you looking for feedback on?

I see you're in the US where the AVR10 is the same $2,500 price as the Marantz SR7015 so you probably ought to be comparing it with that model if you're shopping to a budget.

I haven't heard either of them but ASR bench tested both which you may find both interesting and depressing, but then he's a notoriously hard marker.

ASR SR7015 review

"Conclusions: Like clockwork, the performance of Marantz SR7015 tracks other Marantz AVRs we have tested. They take the excellent platform used in Denon sister products, and modify them to produce objectively worse performance by good bit. Distortion is sharply increased and extremely slow DAC filtering causes lots of ultrasonic noise, making any intention of playing "high-res" audio moot. Company feels subjectively the modifications improve the sound of the unit. With no controlled listening test demonstrating that, and measurements showing the opposite, I don't think the changes are wise or merited.

Needless to say, I can't recommend the Marantz SR7015. I highly suggest you stick with the Denon counterparts instead."


ASR AVR10 Review

"Conclusions: After seeing rather poor performance form many AV products, many of us were holding hope that Arcam would do better. Company has a great heritage of caring about measurements and superb performance. Alas, whatever pedigree was there, is no longer found. Maybe they and us are victim of one million logos on these devices, forcing the project to be mostly software/firmware development and hardware execution has become an afterthought. Regardless, for a multi-thousand dollar device, our expectation should be very well engineered AVR but we don't remotely get that.

In some sense, the AVR10 is worse than the last generation AVR390 which had great amplification stage. Seems like Arcam took the only thing that was good there and messed that up too.

Needless to say, I cannot recommend Arcam AVR10."
Thanks. What is ASR? Can I read the bench tests here?
 
Thanks. What is ASR? Can I read the bench tests here?
Audio science review, think crackpot who measures useless inaudible features in AVRs and then states them as the worst thing ever when ranking them. needless to say using your ears and room to test an AVR is far more accurate.
 
If you've actually heard it yourself, how did you like the sound and what specifically are you looking for feedback on?

I see you're in the US where the AVR10 is the same $2,500 price as the Marantz SR7015 so you probably ought to be comparing it with that model if you're shopping to a budget.

I haven't heard either of them but ASR bench tested both which you may find both interesting and depressing, but then he's a notoriously hard marker.

ASR SR7015 review

"Conclusions: Like clockwork, the performance of Marantz SR7015 tracks other Marantz AVRs we have tested. They take the excellent platform used in Denon sister products, and modify them to produce objectively worse performance by good bit. Distortion is sharply increased and extremely slow DAC filtering causes lots of ultrasonic noise, making any intention of playing "high-res" audio moot. Company feels subjectively the modifications improve the sound of the unit. With no controlled listening test demonstrating that, and measurements showing the opposite, I don't think the changes are wise or merited.

Needless to say, I can't recommend the Marantz SR7015. I highly suggest you stick with the Denon counterparts instead."


ASR AVR10 Review

"Conclusions: After seeing rather poor performance form many AV products, many of us were holding hope that Arcam would do better. Company has a great heritage of caring about measurements and superb performance. Alas, whatever pedigree was there, is no longer found. Maybe they and us are victim of one million logos on these devices, forcing the project to be mostly software/firmware development and hardware execution has become an afterthought. Regardless, for a multi-thousand dollar device, our expectation should be very well engineered AVR but we don't remotely get that.

In some sense, the AVR10 is worse than the last generation AVR390 which had great amplification stage. Seems like Arcam took the only thing that was good there and messed that up too.

Needless to say, I cannot recommend Arcam AVR10."
The guy is a joke, the only people who love him are Denon fanboys
 
I’m pretty sure he trashed the NAD T778 too, but it’s the best sounding amp I’ve ever heard. As stated, the measurements are inaudible and should not be used when making a decision on your purchase.
 
I would think twice about the AVR10 as the amp side is poor for $$ and not really up to job to drive 702 S2s. AVR10 shut down protection mode in the power output test with 4ohm load and in real world owners of the earlier AVR390 have got it shutting down with certain speakers. Same psu in both.

You can get the Audussey sound good with or without the app if you know what you are doing and also depending how you have run the setup, where you have place the mic in each 3-8 spots, how close to walls were the mic, was the room totally silent, was the cardboard mic stand used or better yet some boom arm mic stand...

If you listen in 2ch mode now with Audussey enabled with the full range correction then it´s no suprise it may not be your liking. If you listen in Pure Direct mode (turns Audussey off) does it sound lot better?
 
The guy is a joke, the only people who love him are Denon fanboys
Like the "Arcam fanboys" (I actually hate this terminology btw), who imo unwittingly signed up to be covert beta testers for their glitchy (and I'm being kind) software!

This is not saying that Arcam's sound isn't better than a Denon. It's well documented it is. I don't even think you'll get many Denon/Marantz owners (or fanboys as you say) disagreeing with this, including me. But imo it's a lot of money to pay, for the privilege of becoming a beta tester in my opinion

But I respect other people opinions differ. I actually want to try Dirac, but will wait to see if Onkyo/Pioneers implementation of it offers better value for money.
 
Like the "Arcam fanboys" (I actually hate this terminology btw), who imo unwittingly signed up to be covert beta testers for their glitchy (and I'm being kind) software!

This is not saying that Arcam's sound isn't better than a Denon. It's well documented it is. I don't even think you'll get many Denon/Marantz owners (or fanboys as you say) disagreeing with this, including me. But imo it's a lot of money to pay, for the privilege of becoming a beta tester in my opinion

But I respect other people opinions differ. I actually want to try Dirac, but will wait to see if Onkyo/Pioneers implementation of it offers better value for money.
Well the easy way to avoid that is wait at least a year before buying…..if you head over to the AVR10/20/30 forum now it’s virtually silent as firmware is stable. I’m not saying I agree with it but many things using software are released half baked in the knowledge that they will eventually be fixed….it’s a small sacrifice for superior SQ.
 
I'm really surprised at how lame Audyssey calibration sounds. Tinny and toppy, no life, no smile factor. I started to try to figure out how to get under the hood and do it myself. But apparently to do that you have to buy a $20 app! WTF? Whatever. I also only got sound out of my fronts. Went to bed exhausted and will try to get it right or semi right today.
its not a WTF, its actually well worth doing... if do download.. will find it simply lets you step through and not only calibrate but setup properly and choose how you want it to sound... want a top end roll off ? or dont.... want to only eq below certain freq ? yep can select that... wan a BBC dip with the mid range compensation ? all selectable with tick box as leads you through... also option of dynamic EQ ? ie to make up for our poor hearing at lower listening levels below reference (can adjust reference level offset kicks in at) want dynamic volume ? (for different listening times - night day ? ie want to watch the blockbuster and not awake the household thats an option too.. want to save different presets...one for music one for movies... yep possible through app as well. it is worth getting if want to setup as you want it and then not grumbling its Tinny or top or no life or smile factor. if not getting that ask why ? is it a setup thing or actually you room and setup

was asking re ASR... here's his review of audyssey...

not that i see a centre speaker in that room so not sure if this is the setup he uses to check things...
 
I would think twice about the AVR10 as the amp side is poor for $$ and not really up to job to drive 702 S2s. AVR10 shut down protection mode in the power output test with 4ohm load and in real world owners of the earlier AVR390 have got it shutting down with certain speakers. Same psu in both.

You can get the Audussey sound good with or without the app if you know what you are doing and also depending how you have run the setup, where you have place the mic in each 3-8 spots, how close to walls were the mic, was the room totally silent, was the cardboard mic stand used or better yet some boom arm mic stand...

If you listen in 2ch mode now with Audussey enabled with the full range correction then it´s no suprise it may not be your liking. If you listen in Pure Direct mode (turns Audussey off) does it sound lot better?
Yes indeed, Pure Direct is much better. Does that mean I had a bad Audyssey outcome? I did use the cardboard mic, but not close to the walls, but I’m concerned about the natural echo from my 18’ ceiling. i gotta do a search re sound dampening.

Curious, if you feel the AVR10 can’t properly drive the 702s, why should the SR6015? I did A/B it against the AVR10 (into 702s) and was amazed at how much better the AVR10 sounded. Unfortunately I’d already purchased the Marantz which was in the mail, plus as you say the AVR10 is expensive. Plus it’s not HDMI 2.1 compliant, right?

There‘s a high end design and installation shop out of Kansas, selling 5 new in unopened boxed SR 6015s on eBay for only $1,400! At $300 less than retail, after researching, checking their site and talking to the owner who bought 25 units from Marantz for inventory due to concerns about chip unavailability, but needed to lighten his inventory load, I bought one. There are 4 left on eBay. I can attest they are fully intact, unopened. The owner is a great guy and their audiophile shop appears to do quite amazing work. I trust them. They recently switched favorites from the 702 s to Paradigm BTW and recommended I check the Forests before buying the 702s, FYI.

While pushing buttons to get rid of the bad Audyssey sound, I tried Pure Direct but also seem to have locked it into stereo mode and now my streamed vids from my computer are not sounding in 5.1 or 7.1. My old Sony STR-DG2100 that I’m replacing, does 7.1 and sounds better than the new SR 6015. If I can’t get the 6015 working, at $300 less than retail, I’ll be OK selling it and try to find a comparable receiver to the AVR10 with similar DACs, HDMI 2.1, and a similar warm sumptuous sound. The quest continues…
 
Yes indeed, Pure Direct is much better. Does that mean I had a bad Audyssey outcome? I did use the cardboard mic, but not close to the walls, but I’m concerned about the natural echo from my 18’ ceiling. i gotta do a search re sound dampening.

Curious, if you feel the AVR10 can’t properly drive the 702s, why should the SR6015? I did A/B it against the AVR10 (into 702s) and was amazed at how much better the AVR10 sounded. Unfortunately I’d already purchased the Marantz which was in the mail, plus as you say the AVR10 is expensive. Plus it’s not HDMI 2.1 compliant, right?

There‘s a high end design and installation shop out of Kansas, selling 5 new in unopened boxed SR 6015s on eBay for only $1,400! At $300 less than retail, after researching, checking their site and talking to the owner who bought 25 units from Marantz for inventory due to concerns about chip unavailability, but needed to lighten his inventory load, I bought one. There are 4 left on eBay. I can attest they are fully intact, unopened. The owner is a great guy and their audiophile shop appears to do quite amazing work. I trust them. They recently switched favorites from the 702 s to Paradigm BTW and recommended I check the Forests before buying the 702s, FYI.

While pushing buttons to get rid of the bad Audyssey sound, I tried Pure Direct but also seem to have locked it into stereo mode and now my streamed vids from my computer are not sounding in 5.1 or 7.1. My old Sony STR-DG2100 that I’m replacing, does 7.1 and sounds better than the new SR 6015. If I can’t get the 6015 working, at $300 less than retail, I’ll be OK selling it and try to find a comparable receiver to the AVR10 with similar DACs, HDMI 2.1, and a similar warm sumptuous sound. The quest continues…

FYI: The AVR10 will likely be shipping with a new HDMI 2.1 board at the end of this year. It will be 40gbps but all 7 inputs should be good for 40gbps not just 1 (I assume you are a games console or high end PC user who wants to use their HT setup for games)

Also I think the AVR10 does have full Auro 3D it just maxes out at Auro 11.1 (Although it can downmix Auro 13.1 media to Auro 11.1)
 
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The Arcam will beat the Marantz both musically and for movies, it’s in another league, if you want bland/average choose Denon/Marantz

Agreed. Auro3D is worthless if the base line audio is inferior. My experience with D&M versus Arcam has shown that D&M can have 94894894 upmixers and audio formats - Arcam and DIRAC just trounce it. I've played with in the last 12 months Denon, Marantz and Arcam. Arcam stopped me wanting to upgrade farther.

The issue is Arcam is if you can
a) Tune DIRAC well
b) Avoid the bugs galore.

I've luckily been able to do the two above.

D&M are great options for reliability but if looking for the next tier in sound quality, it seems to be beyond D&M. Best of the best is Trinnov and Lyngdorf but they're out of budget for most of us.

I demoed the AVR 390 versus the SR7015 and the 390 was streets ahead in pure audio quality.

The Marantz felt so tinny and withdrawn with EQ applies and without EQ, it was flabby and stereo separatgion especially was dreadful compared to the arcam.

without using the arcam, the marantz was awesome but comparively, I found it really really lacking.
 
Yes indeed, Pure Direct is much better. Does that mean I had a bad Audyssey outcome? I did use the cardboard mic, but not close to the walls, but I’m concerned about the natural echo from my 18’ ceiling. i gotta do a search re sound dampening.

Curious, if you feel the AVR10 can’t properly drive the 702s, why should the SR6015? I did A/B it against the AVR10 (into 702s) and was amazed at how much better the AVR10 sounded. Unfortunately I’d already purchased the Marantz which was in the mail, plus as you say the AVR10 is expensive. Plus it’s not HDMI 2.1 compliant, right?

There‘s a high end design and installation shop out of Kansas, selling 5 new in unopened boxed SR 6015s on eBay for only $1,400! At $300 less than retail, after researching, checking their site and talking to the owner who bought 25 units from Marantz for inventory due to concerns about chip unavailability, but needed to lighten his inventory load, I bought one. There are 4 left on eBay. I can attest they are fully intact, unopened. The owner is a great guy and their audiophile shop appears to do quite amazing work. I trust them. They recently switched favorites from the 702 s to Paradigm BTW and recommended I check the Forests before buying the 702s, FYI.

While pushing buttons to get rid of the bad Audyssey sound, I tried Pure Direct but also seem to have locked it into stereo mode and now my streamed vids from my computer are not sounding in 5.1 or 7.1. My old Sony STR-DG2100 that I’m replacing, does 7.1 and sounds better than the new SR 6015. If I can’t get the 6015 working, at $300 less than retail, I’ll be OK selling it and try to find a comparable receiver to the AVR10 with similar DACs, HDMI 2.1, and a similar warm sumptuous sound. The quest continues…

I did similar demo but vs an AVR390 which is inferior to AVR10 as an older model.

Same findings but I was within the return window so returned the Marantz.


Marantz has 2 more channels of amplification and more features though. If you're someone who wants every upmixer, great QOL features and if you use rubbish like dynamic volume, then go with D&M. However for pure sound quality, I wouldn't look at D&M imo.

Just be ready to return the Arcam if you run into bugs.
 
Yes indeed, Pure Direct is much better. Does that mean I had a bad Audyssey outcome? I did use the cardboard mic, but not close to the walls, but I’m concerned about the natural echo from my 18’ ceiling. i gotta do a search re sound dampening.
it really is worth using the app.. to lead you through and select appropriate choices to suit your needs and tastes...

While pushing buttons to get rid of the bad Audyssey sound, I tried Pure Direct but also seem to have locked it into stereo mode and now my streamed vids from my computer are not sounding in 5.1 or 7.1. My old Sony STR-DG2100 that I’m replacing, does 7.1 and sounds better than the new SR 6015. If I can’t get the 6015 working, at $300 less than retail, I’ll be OK selling it and try to find a comparable receiver to the AVR10 with similar DACs, HDMI 2.1, and a similar warm sumptuous sound. The quest continues…
It doesnt sound to me you have a good handle on setup and configuration of the marantz unit. can i suggest getting in touch with the retailer purchased from and avail of their after sales to lead you through getting this setup as want it. otherwise can suggest a full factory reset and then use the app to setup and config :)

all that said no eq and setup will work miracles... if have base setup issues with locations and room these are best got right in the first place... again a good retailer can help here :) and should be all part of the service to get best out of your purchase :)
 
FYI: The AVR10 will likely be shipping with a new HDMI 2.1 board at the end of this year. It will be 40gbps but all 7 inputs should be good for 40gbps not just 1 (I assume you are a games console or high end PC user who wants to use their HT setup for games)

Also I think the AVR10 does have full Auro 3D it just maxes out at Auro 11.1 (Although it can downmix Auro 13.1 media to Auro 11.1)
Not a gamer (yet), just thinking Future Proofing, which I know is only a concept, but I tend to hold on to things... if ain't broke, don't fix it. Like I had my Sony STR-DG2100 for like 8+ years. But tech is moving faster than Tesla's rocket car these days and the future :D

Do you know if the AVRs will be upgradable such that you can buy just the board or would that not be a plug n play option?

And, if I'm only interested in HT theater and best music reproduction, is the current AVR10 enough and perfect for me? It sound
it really is worth using the app.. to lead you through and select appropriate choices to suit your needs and tastes...


It doesnt sound to me you have a good handle on setup and configuration of the marantz unit. can i suggest getting in touch with the retailer purchased from and avail of their after sales to lead you through getting this setup as want it. otherwise can suggest a full factory reset and then use the app to setup and config :)

all that said no eq and setup will work miracles... if have base setup issues with locations and room these are best got right in the first place... again a good retailer can help here :) and should be all part of the service to get best out of your purchase :)
You’re correct. Never used Audyssey before. Got the app ready to learn it. Unfortunately I bought the Marantz online from Indy HT designer online so I don’t have a usual local retailer for tech support. I’m gonna call Marantz today and see
it really is worth using the app.. to lead you through and select appropriate choices to suit your needs and tastes...


It doesnt sound to me you have a good handle on setup and configuration of the marantz unit. can i suggest getting in touch with the retailer purchased from and avail of their after sales to lead you through getting this setup as want it. otherwise can suggest a full factory reset and then use the app to setup and config :)

all that said no eq and setup will work miracles... if have base setup issues with locations and room these are best got right in the first place... again a good retailer can help here :) and should be all part of the service to get best out of your purchase :)
youre Right. I bought online so I don’t have a usual local retailer to help. I am going to try Marantz to see if they can provide this level of support.
 
It hasn’t yet been decided (in the UK at least) whether authorised dealers will be allowed to swap the boards or Arcam themselves will do so. It won’t be an end user option unfortunately.

As for the 40Gbps specification I’m not sure that’s been confirmed by Arcam just yet. Last I heard from engineering was 48Gbps as they purposely waited due to chipset limitations they had seen elsewhere in the space. This was a few weeks ago so perhaps things have been confirmed…
 
It hasn’t yet been decided (in the UK at least) whether authorised dealers will be allowed to swap the boards or Arcam themselves will do so. It won’t be an end user option unfortunately.

As for the 40Gbps specification I’m not sure that’s been confirmed by Arcam just yet. Last I heard from engineering was 48Gbps as they purposely waited due to chipset limitations they had seen elsewhere in the space. This was a few weeks ago so perhaps things have been confirmed…
That was an assumption on my part as they use Analog Devices for the HDMI 2.0 card and Analog Devices are currently only shipping 40gbps chips AFAIK.
 
It hasn’t yet been decided (in the UK at least) whether authorised dealers will be allowed to swap the boards or Arcam themselves will do so. It won’t be an end user option unfortunately.

As for the 40Gbps specification I’m not sure that’s been confirmed by Arcam just yet. Last I heard from engineering was 48Gbps as they purposely waited due to chipset limitations they had seen elsewhere in the space. This was a few weeks ago so perhaps things have been confirmed…
Since my Sony STR-DG2100 has lost center channel in 2 of 3 HDMI ports, I need to purchase now unfortunately as the Fall seems the next right buying time.

I’m trying to find a local repair shop which would allow me to wait, but I f Arcam will provide 2.1 boards to local repair shops, then I’ll get the AVR10 now, upgrade it when available. I have a support ticket into Acram now. I’ll post any new info. Thanks
 

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