MA Radius 360 Sub

milanlad

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I recently bought a Radius R360 and a pair of R90s to use in a 2.1 setup using an Arcam Alpha 9 integrated amp. It sounds pretty cool. I use it for music (squeezebox) and for my Sky HD.


1. Is it okay to leave the R360 Sub switched on 24/7? It has lots of air around it. (I normally leave my Arcam switch on 24/7)


2. The setup is in my bedroom, and I've noticed when I'm trying to get to sleep, a low audible hum from the Sub. Is this normal?


3. Could someone recommend an AV amp for when I upgrade to 5.1? I want good sound for both my music listening and TV.


Thanks
 
The R360 should automatically switch off when it receives no signal. If you are getting hum this implies that it is detecting some form of input which is preventing it from switching off. Try unplugging the input cable rather than the power to see if this cures the problems. The blue LED on the front should give you a blindingly :))) clear indication if the sub is off or on!

If you like the Arcam sound then you can't go wrong with the AVR series.

HTH

Neil
 
ceenhad said:
The R360 should automatically switch off when it receives no signal. If you are getting hum this implies that it is detecting some form of input which is preventing it from switching off. Try unplugging the input cable rather than the power to see if this cures the problems. The blue LED on the front should give you a blindingly :))) clear indication if the sub is off or on!

If you like the Arcam sound then you can't go wrong with the AVR series.

HTH

Neil

The blue light does indeed go out, but the hum is still there, albeit low in level.

Yes, the AVR sounds so tempting. What alternates should I look into?
 
milanlad said:
The blue light does indeed go out, but the hum is still there, albeit low in level.

Wow - just clapped my ear to mine and there is a definate transformer hum which is removed by switching off the power! The answer then seems to be to switch off at the mains over night as such a noise can be very annoying.

Not really sure what I consider apart from the AVR series TBH. Too much money to go for something considerably better. Denon, Yamaha and Pioneer are the other usual suspects but with those you are best advised to see how the range is panning out at the time of purchase to see if a deal can be struck.

Neil
 
A good subwoofer shouldn't have transformer hum (although quite a few do), so you can ask for a refund if you want.

Maybe try something much better like the Jamo A7 - no hum, the best small subwoofer I've ever heard (and I've heard and owned a fair few costing many times as much), and perfect for small satellites.

If you want to keep the R360, a mains switch on a timer or an RF controlled switch may be a good idea!

Also, the Arcam AVRs sound nothing like the Alpha 9, so beware if you enjoy the combination you have now.
 
dingwall said:
A good subwoofer shouldn't have transformer hum (although quite a few do), so you can ask for a refund if you want.

Maybe try something much better like the Jamo A7 - no hum, the best small subwoofer I've ever heard (and I've heard and owned a fair few costing many times as much), and perfect for small satellites.

If you want to keep the R360, a mains switch on a timer or an RF controlled switch may be a good idea!

Also, the Arcam AVRs sound nothing like the Alpha 9, so beware if you enjoy the combination you have now.

Would you say that the AVRs are in a different class (lower or higher) to the Alpha 9 or just completely different is sound? (I know all these things are subjective).

Also, would you say AVR 300 or 350 are worth the price or overpriced for what they are?
 
I still use my Alpha 9/9P combo with pride.

Post-alpha, Arcam completely changed their sound and philosophy. Personally, I love the naturalness and mid-bass power of the Alphas, and hate the brittle brightness of the new Arcam's, but then again I don't get on with most attempts at audiophile design which I find completely flawed. I like my music to sound realistic and live above anything else.

I would have guessed (but it's only a guess) that new Arcam and Monitor Audio would be a match made in hell as both are deliberately engineered to be on the bright side and therefore appear detailed.

My next door neighbour actually has the full Monitor Audio Radius setup, he uses a NAD AV amp. The setup sounds decent and balanced, but that's just listening in isolation.
 
dingwall said:
I still use my Alpha 9/9P combo with pride.

Post-alpha, Arcam completely changed their sound and philosophy. Personally, I love the naturalness and mid-bass power of the Alphas, and hate the brittle brightness of the new Arcam's, but then again I don't get on with most attempts at audiophile design which I find completely flawed. I like my music to sound realistic and live above anything else.

I would have guessed (but it's only a guess) that new Arcam and Monitor Audio would be a match made in hell as both are deliberately engineered to be on the bright side and therefore appear detailed.

My next door neighbour actually has the full Monitor Audio Radius setup, he uses a NAD AV amp. The setup sounds decent and balanced, but that's just listening in isolation.

Yeah, I've been using the Alpha 9/9P Combo with an Alpha 8SE CD Player, and Linn Tukan Speakers for a while now, although the laser has just gone on my Alpha 8SE CD Player!

I could still use the Linn Tukans as the front speakers, but I wonder whether they will be matched to the AVR?

I haven't used any NAD gear recently, but years ago I had a NAD amp which was great. Is current NAD AV gear worth considering?
 
Oh right, thought you were going to use the MA Radii (if that's the pluralisation)!

The Alpha 9 can be switched on the back, then used as a dedicated power amp on the end of an AV amp's pre-outs, which may or may not help you.

I hate Linn equipment with a passion :D so I'm not the best to advise you. Over to someone else I think!
 

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