What AV receivers to buy!

ptammaro_3

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Hi all,

I’ve recently bit the bullet and bought a LG 65” C8 and love it.

However, this is my first venture into the world of 4K HDR and suddenly find my Anthem MRX710 lacking in this department.

Although really pleased with the sound here, the HDMI specs aren’t up to scratch anymore.

So, given it bonus time in December, I thought I’d treat myself to a new amplifier but I’m really not sure what’s classed as “good” anymore. Ideally, I’d like to future proof myself as much as possible which is why my eye has been drawn to the Denon 8500H and has seen a price drop too.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a budget of £3k?

Do I wait till new recier are released in 2019?
 
You could wait but the only significant change that is likely to happen is HDMI 2.1, and your TV would also need to support that.

For your budget the Denon 8500 or the Marantz 8012 might be a good choice, but also look at the Arcams. They are better for 2 channel music listening and come with Dirac room correction, which is better than Audyssey.
 
You could wait but the only significant change that is likely to happen is HDMI 2.1, and your TV would also need to support that.

For your budget the Denon 8500 or the Marantz 8012 might be a good choice, but also look at the Arcams. They are better for 2 channel music listening and come with Dirac room correction, which is better than Audyssey.

Thanks for the response. I have looked at the Arcam but the AVR850 would be out of my budget. The Denon appears to be a bit more future proof than the others too from what I can see.

Must admit I will miss using Anthems ARC, really nice room set up I thought.

What’s Audessey like these days?
 
Thanks for the response. I have looked at the Arcam but the AVR850 would be out of my budget. The Denon appears to be a bit more future proof than the others too from what I can see.

Must admit I will miss using Anthems ARC, really nice room set up I thought.

What’s Audessey like these days?
What about the AVR550? There are some good deals to be had:

Arcam FMJ AVR550 (Black) AV Receiver

Arcam AVR550 Used AV Amplifier

Arcam FMJ AVR550 product review + FMJAVR550 7.1 network receiver Hot Deals. - from Audio Express

Arcam AVR550 AV Receiver (Open Box)

Audyssey is okay, at least with the app available now you can customise it a little. However, for me, when I used it to try and iron out an 80hz peak on my centre speaker, it sounded digitized and unnatural. Whereas, Dirac just nails it and it sounds great.

The general consensus is that ARC is better than Audyssey but Dirac is better than ARC. Also Dirac have just released version 2 of the software, which is better than version 1.

Having said that, I was happy with my Denon 4400 apart from the centre speaker issue, and it being very poor for 2 channel music, so I would expect the the Denon 8500 to be a great sounding receiver for movies, packed full of features and 13 amp channels. But the Arcam is more refined, better room correction, a different type of sound. Denon is warm and more bass orientated, whereas the Arcam is a little brighter, but clearer and more sparky and detailed. The Arcam mantra is less is more, so only 7 onboard power amps, but they are very strong power amps and the musical ability is great, suggesting that a less cluttered chassis can produce a better sound.
 
There are a few question that need to be asked not least what speakers will be used. Will the receiver be used mainly for film and TV or will there be a significant music influence. What size is the room.

Many good one box solutions available especially with your maximum budget and they have been outlined above. As for waiting for newer specifications that like asking how long is a piece of string as something or other seems to come along every year and that question arises every autumn when the new models hit the dealers.

Dirac is an itch I'd like to scratch but Audyssey does a pretty good job in my easy to please room and it is so easy to set up and use. With the use of the app it's probably a lot easier now than when I bought my Denon X6200.

There is no real need for me to go higher than an Arcam 390 channel wise and even then I would still employ a stereo amp to power the fronts for music, the 550 would be within your budget. The Denon 8500 is winning a lot plaudits and is feature packed and would make a great one box solution.
 
If you are happy with the Anthem, why not look at the latest 720 which replaced your 710, as the ARC system is one of the best out there, (Dirac does beat it in certain parts though) as to Audyssey, then while it has improved, it still falls way short of the competition and is still at the bottom of the pile when it comes to room correction.

Bill
 
If you are happy with the Anthem, why not look at the latest 720 which replaced your 710, as the ARC system is one of the best out there, (Dirac does beat it in certain parts though) as to Audyssey, then while it has improved, it still falls way short of the competition and is still at the bottom of the pile when it comes to room correction.

Bill

I have to agree. If your happy with your anthem then the logical step would be the 720.

its future proofed to the point you would need to change your tv before the avr

  • Dolby Atmos®
  • DTS:X™
  • ARC™ Anthem Room Correction
  • 4 Speaker Profile Memories
  • Quad Core Digital Signal Processing
  • Two Sub Out Jacks (parallel)
  • Premium 32-bit / 768 kHz Differential-Output D/A Converters
  • Wireless Network Connection
  • DTS Play-Fi® – Local and Streaming

  • HDMI & Video
  • HDMI 2.0a
  • HDCP 2.2
  • 4:4:4 Subsampling at 4K60 (18.2 Gbps)
  • High Dynamic Range (HDR)
  • Dolby Vision™ Compatible
  • Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG)
  • BT.2020 Color Gamut
  • On-Screen Display with 4K 50/60
  • 4K 50/60 Switching
The arcam has less features than the denon but as far as future proof goes, i guess it depends on what you mean? from a video stand point, all the latest avr's video formats are supported by the avrs however i do remember reading somewhere that the denon will be upgraded by a firmware update for 2.1. I do not know if this will be full fat 2.1 has the soc's i believe are still in development and no hardware is currently available??
 
'However, this is my first venture into the world of 4K HDR and suddenly find my Anthem MRX710 lacking in this department.' - which 4K UHD, HDR capable Source(s) are you working with?

Joe
 
Yes, as Joe is almost certainly about to explain, there are -many- ways you can sort out your problems without changing your already excellent AVR.
 
Thanks for all the responses so far.

So to answer some of the questions to help the debate....

Speakers 5.1:
  • L/R - KEF R500
  • C - KEF R600c
  • Rear LR - R800ds
  • Sub - SVS PC-13 Ultra
4K Sources:
  • Oppo - cant remember the model
  • Qnap NAS (took delivery of this on sat and comes with a HDMI 2.0a output)
  • PS4 Pro
  • Sky
I don't know my room dimensions off hand but I'd say medium to large.

And, yes love the Anthem but its 4-5 years old and I'm not loyal to the brand. Just looking for the best option for my money.

So, in short, open to suggestions!
 
If an open box Anthem 720 can be had for near the price of an Arcam 550 then it might be worth considering, but at £2995 when an Arcam 550 open box with full warranty can be had for £2100, the Arcam would definitely be the better buy, in my view.
 
Anthem are struggling to be competitive, especially with the AVR 390 at £199x. I have an MRX 510 and am wanting to dip into Atmos. I think the OP is referring to 4K inputs and outputs + Dolby Atmos.

I am in the same situation, my preference is the Arcam 390 due to Dirac, functionality (I will run a 5.1.2 Atmos setup) and the HDMI piece.
 
Might add I am also interested in @Joe Fernand 's opinion on this..
 
Might add I am also interested in @Joe Fernand 's opinion on this..

Yes this too. Especially if it involves me saving some cash.

Anthem are struggling to be competitive, especially with the AVR 390 at £199x. I have an MRX 510 and am wanting to dip into Atmos. I think the OP is referring to 4K inputs and outputs + Dolby Atmos.

I am in the same situation, my preference is the Arcam 390 due to Dirac, functionality (I will run a 5.1.2 Atmos setup) and the HDMI piece.

Your right here too. With the Anthem I only have 1 4K input and is only HDMI 1.4 if memory serves. So, ideally would like to match what my LG C8 has as it has the latest version in my set up. I'm now in the position where I cant use my TV to its full potential because of the Anthem (which is also situated in a cupboard in the hallway to complicate things further).
 
Mine is in the cupboard in the hallway too! I have a JVC PJ and a 55" LG B7 in the living room, so I would need some sort of long distance HDMI link as well that can carry 4k. The Ruipro HDMI products that Joe has on sale at TMF solutions may help you with long distance between the cupboard and the location of the TV. They are hybrid Fibre HDMI so can carry full bandwidth that the TV would need.
 
You are my AV brother.

I've got HD Anywhere 4K Xtend, essentially HDMI over Cat6. I've been using it for a few weeks now and seems to be doing the trick without flaw.
 
I was looking at this, does it do HDR?

The issue I have with a high end fibre HDMI cable is that if it gets damaged you are in trouble but with Cat6/7 being cheap it is not such an issue.
 
Yes - least thats what the guy in store told me.

Haven't tested HDR through it to be honest. If not, itll be going straight back.
 
Yes I would be interested to know.
 
The KEFs do like a little power to make them sound their best, especially for music and your set up is not a hundred miles from mine I'm going to suggest the Denon X6500. Certainly no need, unless you feel the need to splurge, to go any higher up the model range. The 6500 will do more than an adequate job of driving a 5.1. Having the previous incarnation in the 6200 I can confirm the excellent filmatic sound that it gives with KEF speakers.

Only thing that disappointed with the 6200 was it's musical ability. Now I use a Rega Elicit-R to drive my R300s and they really sing.
 
Ok, so far the options appear to be,

  • Denon X8500
  • Denon X6500
  • Arcam 550
  • Whatever @Joe Fernand may recommend as a solution to my problem.
 
Did we establish if you use the system for 2 channel music listening?
 
Did we establish if you use the system for 2 channel music listening?

I think this is key. If not than the denon may be a valid choice but for music, there’s really no comparison of your looking for a one box solution. Both myself and @Rambles have recently swapped out denon and marantz avr’s paired with dedicated stereo amplifiers for an arcam avr’s And have both ditched the integrated amplifiers.

For movies, Dirac still trumps audyssey but the difference for me is not as big as it was for 2 channel music.

Also with the 8500 your paying for a lot of processing and amplification, if your not going to utilise it all, the 6500 would be better value
 
Also with the 8500 your paying for a lot of processing and amplification, if your not going to utilise it all, the 6500 would be better value

Why not the AVR390 like you have?
 

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