Official Arcam AV888 Owner's Thread! - Page 8

Had another question: I just bought my AV888 a couple of weeks ago, what is the most current and/or recommended firmware version that I should have installed and where can I go online to download it?

The latest firmware is 2.3. There is a link to it in the AVR600 thread here and on the UK Arcam forums. I can't vouch for it and will say that the 2.2 link that was floating around did not take correctly when I tried it in mine.

I would highly recommend you get the software directly from your dealer or Arcam. I am running 2.2 on my 888 and its 'reasonably' stable. My Anthem is wife and kid friendly, the Arcam sometimes requires high level intervention, not somthing I am wild about.

Also, you should be aware that post 1.9 (that is versions 2.2 and 2.3) various users have had hdmi issues and that the software notes are pretty light in terms of actual improvements made post the 1.9 version. There are a ton of 600s and 888s that seem to be doing fine, but there are also a fair number of user complaints about the firmware and its bugginess.

REally on the fence between the AV888, SSP800 or D2V.

does the AV888 upconvert audio like the D2v???

Upconvert audio or video? All three have pluses and minuses; ALOT depends on your priorities and how you plan to use it in my view.

The AV888 upconverts standard DVD video very well, but I find my Oppo 83 upscales even better.

How do I go about seeing what firmware version is installed on my AV888 unit? I tried holding down the menu button for over a minute and that didn't show anything on the front display except MENU, no engineering menu came up. Thanks

In regards to getting the firmware updates from Arcam or a dealer versus downloading from a link on this website, Arcam has not responded to any of my previous emails regarding this on their website email, and my dealer doesn't have firmware updates either, they actually told me to download off of the Arcam website, which I don't even see available on their website What would you suggest? Thanks

this lack of support from arcam is concerning.

Arcam has a dealer / password protected part of their site where the firmware is kept. I am not certain 2.3 is there yet or not since it just came out. I find it hard to believe you dealer is not getting a decent response from Arcam. Arcam puts a lot of reliance on its dealer network, more so than Anthem in my view.

If you are contacting Arcam in the UK and you are US based, they are probably not going to be the quickest to respond. They would expect you to work through your dealer.

I would say the video processing on the Arcam is pretty decent and on par with other options, including my Oppo, its a bit disc and input dependent and it depends on what you are putting out to as well.

Oh, and you need OSD to show the engineering menu. If you press and hold the menu button on the Arcam (not the remote), it will come up on the OSD in about a 3 sec hold. The front display on the Arcam will read Menu.

Thanks for all that info audiojack, I appreciate it

Looks like my unit already has version 2.2 installed.

There are a lot of things you can do to help stabilize the unit, like locking down inputs and outputs as a start. I would try to go down that route before thinking about 2.3 which makes some improvements on 2.2 in thoery but is getting a bit trashed on the UK board in terms of HDMI issues.

Hello,

I am having an issue with the heaphone output on the 888. I have the 2.2 firmware installed and am confident my headphones work fine.

I feed the 888 hdmi from the PS3. With music cds I am able to output digital stereo and all sounds fine.

However, with movies I get only surround info through the headphones.

For example while playing the Bourne Identity the disc menu only gives the option to output DTS 5.1. The 888 reads 7.1 digital pcm and can't be changed with the mode button to anything else. Plug in the headphones and the display still says 7.1 - listen and you hear only the surround channels!

With 'cloudy with a chance of meatballs' the 888 reads digital 5.1 and then reads 5.1 +stereo downmix when you plug in the phones. All I hear are the surround channels - 'mode' doesn't change anything. Direct stereo enables the analogue inputs - but since I am feeding it hdmi, kills sound altogether.

How do you get stereo heaphone output from the 888 when you are feeding it hdmi? The stereo downmix feature does not seem to work.

Mike

Are you able to output stereo (right and left speakers) only when playing a movie? I would think that would be the right starting place before I would worry about the headphones.

I love the sound from the Arcam AV888 and running version 2.2, so no regrets buying the unit! And I haven't had any HDMI handshaking issues so far to speak of, like I've read from a few other users. The only performance issue I've had is that the room Auto EQ setup will run properly and come up with final speaker distances, dB levels, crossover, etc, but the OSD says "completed - error" at the end, so the data can't be saved. My dealer suspects it's just an issue with a defective microphone perhaps and is going to give me a new one to try in a few days. Other than that, with the manual calibrations I've done already in the meantime, the sound is great: dialogue sounds real, great dynamics, great clarity, nice bass, and dead quiets; all are fine to me. I'm just curious to see what the unit can sound like with my room auto EQ'd to get rid of any resonant frequencies.

Arcam got back to me today from an email I sent 2 days ago regarding the firmware version 2.3 download and instructions, so it was a pretty quick response on their part. Here is the link to it if anyone else wants it:

http://www.gaia-technology.com/sites...8_sw_v2-3a.zip

I was told that 2.3a is not the official public release and should be used with caution. There is an official 2.3 version available from dealers. I have heard issues with posted firmware for the Arcam and would urge all to only use firmware from their dealers.

Ok, I'm going to stay with firmware 2.2 for awhile, until there is any significant change in a future version to make it worthwhile to update.

Also, my dealer and I figured out why my Auto Room EQ wasn't completing properly and it wasn't a software issue at all. Turned out that I had the AV888 pre-amp outs incorrectly on Surround Back L & R, instead of Surround L & R for my 5.1 setup, so the processor was trying to do the calculation algorithm for a 7.1 setup. Now the Auto EQ is working perfectly and overall I can say that I haven't had any software issues with the AV888.

I upgraded to 2.3 last night; no issues just yet. As noted on another thread, there is not 2.3a; the only difference is that thereis a minor change in the pdf file in 2.3a. There is only on version of the 2.3 software.

Update on the headphone issue. It turns out that you need to feed the 888 bitstream and not pcm to get the stereo. The latest ps3 update does not allow you to output bitstream through hdmi without a lot of hassle so I will be using optical out and analogue stereo when I want to use the headphones. Oh, and yes audiojack, the issue is purely a headphone one. I can output stereo to the speakers.

If you want v2.4 here it is...

http://www.arcam.co.uk/_ugc/file/tor...888_sw_2-4.zip

Does the Arcam have room correction equalization; e.g., something similar to Audyssey?

I assume it has an auto setup EQ function, but it's not clear to me if it has RC.

Thanks
Bruce

Has anyone compared this proc with the D2V??

It is offered as a roomEQ feature but (1) it is a feature of the chosen AD/Sharc chipset (http://www.analog.com/static/importe...whitepaper.pdf) and (2) Arcam is timid about recommending its use. That said, I thought it did a dandy job of setup and the EQ was usefully effective, if not to the degree of Audyssey or ARC or NeptuneEQ or.........

Thank you, very helpful clarification.

Not to get to off topic. Would you say the standalone Audyssey and NeptuneEQ are easy to use and setup.

Yes but that is my personal opinion and I have been doing this a lot. Let me say that they are no more difficult than doing Audyssey with an AVR and, in the case of the Neptune, less difficult (except for the additional wires).

Hi all,

I try to play my 24/192 Flacs through a Linn Player with a Coax cable connected on the Arcam AV888. But I don't get a Link. Only up to 24/96 KHz Flac Files.

Playing a Bluray with HD is noch Problem through HDMI, but playing 24/192 through HDMI also doesn't work.

I already changed the cables, and I also have put a reclocker (Apogee Big Ben) betwenn my Devices.

Actual FW is 2.3a
Acual I have no clue to get this run.

Cheers

Thomas