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Deleted member 46062
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Sure, it would be great to splurge on a Trinnov, Storm, or Lyngdorf. If I really wanted to go wild, something I’d like to try is the JBL SDP-55 and leverage Dante. Get a couple 8 channel Dante equipped JBL (Crown) DSi 2.0 amps…unlimited active crossovers, 10 band PEQ per each individual driver, Time Alignment independent for tweeter vs midrange, adios passive bottlenecks!…I digress
But if you, like me, need something more conventional or just can’t (or don’t want to) afford any of the above, I’d say the options are easily narrowed down to the Arcam AV40 vs Anthem AVM70.
The only other honorable mention is the Rotel RSP-1576MKII, yet it lacks Dirac Bass Control and balanced outputs. Looking back, the MKI unit was a tantalizing piece, it had 10 band PEQ per channel, and no Dirac.
I have excluded all other options because Dirac is miles better than Audyssey, ARC is generally well regarded/something I’d like to try. I also think if Audyssey is good enough for you, then just get an X3700H and call it a day, no pre/pro with Audyssey as a bottleneck is worth buying in 2022. I have an X6500H, it was a waste of money. It can’t sufficiently power the Focal Chorus 700 series (floor)/ Sonance (ceiling) 7.1.4 system it’s currently paired. The Audyssey phone app lets you dial in decent sound for the front, but it’s terrible for dialing in cohesive surround. Really, all you do on the phone app is change the filter range to 500hz and down, uncheck the “midrange compensation” and tweak levels/crossovers. And yet, Audyssey is much, much worse than a mediocre REW operator like myself.
When shopping for surround audio gear, the question becomes, what is the solution that doesn’t bottleneck you to death? Dirac is the clear answer. Dirac really works, and it’s even starting to catch on in entry level receivers. Although, I can not envision the average Joe that has zero interest in hi-fi successful running dirac in their home unsupervised.
I have had an M33 in the same room as the 6500H for about a month to do AB comparisons. For two devices with -similar- SINAD ratings, the difference in audio is astounding, not subtle. The bass region of the M33 is so good it feel like an auditory illusion. Pleasantries behind us, let’s dig in:
Arcam AV40
Pro:
-Dirac with multiple sub, bass control
-MQA support
-UMIK-1 compatibility (Arcam supplied calibration file)
-5 year warranty
Con:
-1v Unbalanced/2v Balanced preamp output (not a problem for my Parasound amps)
-questionable reviews
Questions:
-MQA via USB only?
-no on screen display?
Anthem AVM70
Pro:
-good review
-2v unbalanced/4v balanced preamp output
-adjustable sub phase, phase frequency, polarity and crossover slope
-proprietary surround upmixer for music that disables the center channel
-$1200 less expensive retail
Con:
-no MQA
-ARC vs Dirac
-3 year warranty
I have some questions about both units:
-Can the preamp channels be reassigned to allow biamp front L&R with 7.2.4? (15 channels total)
-does ARC/Dirac work for Zone 2?
-coax input support 24/192k? (Or only HDMI & USB?)
-3 sub support? (Or limited to 1, 2 or 4 subs?)
-Tidal Connect?
-do they process internally at 24/192 or higher?
I am not at all concerned about HDMI versions or 8K, 4K far surpasses the threshold of my eyes and I use a Wyrestorm HDMI matrix for multi-zone distribution.
But if you, like me, need something more conventional or just can’t (or don’t want to) afford any of the above, I’d say the options are easily narrowed down to the Arcam AV40 vs Anthem AVM70.
The only other honorable mention is the Rotel RSP-1576MKII, yet it lacks Dirac Bass Control and balanced outputs. Looking back, the MKI unit was a tantalizing piece, it had 10 band PEQ per channel, and no Dirac.
I have excluded all other options because Dirac is miles better than Audyssey, ARC is generally well regarded/something I’d like to try. I also think if Audyssey is good enough for you, then just get an X3700H and call it a day, no pre/pro with Audyssey as a bottleneck is worth buying in 2022. I have an X6500H, it was a waste of money. It can’t sufficiently power the Focal Chorus 700 series (floor)/ Sonance (ceiling) 7.1.4 system it’s currently paired. The Audyssey phone app lets you dial in decent sound for the front, but it’s terrible for dialing in cohesive surround. Really, all you do on the phone app is change the filter range to 500hz and down, uncheck the “midrange compensation” and tweak levels/crossovers. And yet, Audyssey is much, much worse than a mediocre REW operator like myself.
When shopping for surround audio gear, the question becomes, what is the solution that doesn’t bottleneck you to death? Dirac is the clear answer. Dirac really works, and it’s even starting to catch on in entry level receivers. Although, I can not envision the average Joe that has zero interest in hi-fi successful running dirac in their home unsupervised.
I have had an M33 in the same room as the 6500H for about a month to do AB comparisons. For two devices with -similar- SINAD ratings, the difference in audio is astounding, not subtle. The bass region of the M33 is so good it feel like an auditory illusion. Pleasantries behind us, let’s dig in:
Arcam AV40
Pro:
-Dirac with multiple sub, bass control
-MQA support
-UMIK-1 compatibility (Arcam supplied calibration file)
-5 year warranty
Con:
-1v Unbalanced/2v Balanced preamp output (not a problem for my Parasound amps)
-questionable reviews
Questions:
-MQA via USB only?
-no on screen display?
Anthem AVM70
Pro:
-good review
-2v unbalanced/4v balanced preamp output
-adjustable sub phase, phase frequency, polarity and crossover slope
-proprietary surround upmixer for music that disables the center channel
-$1200 less expensive retail
Con:
-no MQA
-ARC vs Dirac
-3 year warranty
I have some questions about both units:
-Can the preamp channels be reassigned to allow biamp front L&R with 7.2.4? (15 channels total)
-does ARC/Dirac work for Zone 2?
-coax input support 24/192k? (Or only HDMI & USB?)
-3 sub support? (Or limited to 1, 2 or 4 subs?)
-Tidal Connect?
-do they process internally at 24/192 or higher?
I am not at all concerned about HDMI versions or 8K, 4K far surpasses the threshold of my eyes and I use a Wyrestorm HDMI matrix for multi-zone distribution.