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Anthem AV receiver at CES? - Page 39

post #1141 of 1261
11/9/10 at 3:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by golfugh View Post

I have searched here and the manual for preout voltage. Does anyone have the exact numbers? The 500/700 will be used as a processor in a 5.2 system.

Thanks
Mark

I have an external B & K Ref Amp and compared it to the MRX 700. I have no need for the Amp. The amp will be going on Audiogon.
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post #1142 of 1261
11/9/10 at 3:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian-HD View Post

I had many Denons, NAD, the buggy UMC and moved on to the Anthem. IMO, the best sounding component that I have listened to. I have the MRX 700.

Brian, thank you for this reply!

Are you using the 700 as a preamp or with the internal amps?

I was debating between the MX300 as a preamp using my 200wpc external amps or selling them and moving up to the 700.

If the sound processing is the same, I don't care about the internet features of the 500 & 700.

Thoughts?

Jeff
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post #1143 of 1261
11/9/10 at 3:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxdowne View Post

Brian, thank you for this reply!

Are you using the 700 as a preamp or with the internal amps?

I was debating between the MX300 as a preamp using my 200wpc external amps or selling them and moving up to the 700.

If the sound processing is the same, I don't care about the internet features of the 500 & 700.

Thoughts?

Jeff

I compared the 2 ch ang with manual setup and I will not use an Amp. My friend had his buggy UMC which sounds great on 2 ch ang and my B & K Amp. Both of us like the sound better on the Anthem.
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post #1144 of 1261
11/9/10 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by matted View Post

how comparable are the video solutions employed in the non-v D2 versus the MX series?

D2 vs D2v video are not hugely different except that non-v is not a candidate for 3D hardware upgrade.

As for VXP vs Torino, there isn't much to compare. The latter does 1080p upconversion and that's about it (a decent job with the usual test discs) whereas VXP has deinterlacing to rival anything and a setup menu all to itself.

Speaking of, the cropping options in said menu are my favourite thing about it so a few words on that... Need a special setting for a misaligned TV channel (like practically all SD on Rogers), or one that underscans like TCM-HD when playing non-4:3, or for Criterion DVD which does the opposite? Need only two lines of garbage removed from the top edge? You can crop and center one line at a time to your heart's desire and store various settings in input memory layers. There's also gamma correction for when the display doesn't have it and could use it.

On the flip side, something that MRX has over AVM/D is that it automatically switches output to 1080p24 if the TV accepts it and source is 1080p24. Known recently revealed issue to go with it... if MRX is in Through mode it doesn't play nice with 24p-enabled Oppo BDP-83 with 24p. Easy fix with nothing to lose - don't use Through mode in MRX, use Auto or 1080p instead. Output resolution can be changed on the fly, but not while it's trying to sync. Software engineers are looking into it. 1080p plus Through does work with Anthem BLX 200 though. All a mystery for now.
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post #1145 of 1261
11/9/10 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian-HD View Post

I have an external B & K Ref Amp and compared it to the MRX 700. I have no need for the Amp. The amp will be going on Audiogon.

Appreciate the thoughts, but the amps aren't leaving.

Mark
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post #1146 of 1261
11/9/10 at 3:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxdowne View Post

Nobody has thought to compare the two "best" systems out there head to head to see which one does a better job?

Thats mindboggling.

Jeff

Dr. Sean Olive did at his Audio Musings which forms part of his AES keynote.

He didn't do the two best but he did try some of them in a controlled test environment. Some interesting conclusions.

Cheers.
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post #1147 of 1261
11/9/10 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxdowne View Post

Does the 300 use the same sound processing as the 700?

Yes.
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post #1148 of 1261
11/9/10 at 4:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TKO1 View Post

Dr. Sean Olive did at his Audio Musings which forms part of his AES keynote.

He didn't do the two best but he did try some of them in a controlled test environment. Some interesting conclusions.

Cheers.

Older ARC version, results might be different if test was re-done using latest.
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post #1149 of 1261
11/9/10 at 4:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick @ Anthem View Post

D2 vs D2v video are not hugely different except that non-v is not a candidate for 3D hardware upgrade.

As for VXP vs Torino, there isn't much to compare. The latter does 1080p upconversion and that's about it (a decent job with the usual test discs) whereas VXP has deinterlacing to rival anything and a setup menu all to itself.

Speaking of, the cropping options in said menu are my favourite thing about it so a few words on that... Need a special setting for a misaligned TV channel (like practically all SD on Rogers), .....


Thanks Nick! I couldn't care less about 3D and network/USB streaming.... I'm looking for solid audio/video performance first and foremost, so it sounds like getting the used D2 is probably my best bet, even though it'll end up costing about $1k more once I do the ARC upgrade and purchase the kit.

On a sidenote, what misalignment on Rogers SD channels are you talking about? PM me... Without giving too much away, I may or may not have the power to fix such issues....

Cheers,

Matt
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post #1150 of 1261
11/9/10 at 4:09pm
Nick

Any words on preout voltage? Can't find it in the manual.

Thanks Mark
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post #1151 of 1261
11/9/10 at 4:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau View Post
You need an adapter with Windows software drivers that create a virtual serial port -- a COM port -- that the Anthem software will see just as if you had a real, physical serial port on the Windows PC.
--Bob
If Anthem improved the ARC software such that it supported generic USB-Serial adapters, it would probably quiet a lot of complaints. Especially since they could then include a cheap (~$6) USB->Serial adapter in the box.


John
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post #1152 of 1261
11/9/10 at 5:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpoet View Post
If Anthem improved the ARC software such that it supported generic USB-Serial adapters, it would probably quiet a lot of complaints. Especially since they could then include a cheap (~$6) USB->Serial adapter in the box.
I don't see any reason why a cheaper adapter wouldn't work, assuming it has a good driver (i.e., WHQL certified). The cheap Monoprice one is based on the Prolific chip, and they have a WHQL driver. The only other issue might be max speed, but I think ARC works all the way down to 1200 bps (slow), so not a problem.
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post #1153 of 1261
11/9/10 at 6:05pm
I can't see any information regarding video processing on the anthem site, does anyone know if the video is the same on the three receivers?
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post #1154 of 1261
11/9/10 at 6:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick @ Anthem View Post
One difference is that MRX allows not only flash stick but hard drive as well. When big name 1 TB drives sell for what 16 GB flash sticks did less than a year ago I'd say it's advantageous. Browse by song, album, artist, playlist, or folder. It's quick too, except when there are a thousand things in the view and a one-time indexing is needed. If cover art is embedded in the file it shows on-screen when the song is played, except with MRX 300.

Since there are two USB ports, a big drive might be connected to the back panel with the front USB left open for other random mass storage devices or multimedia section software update. Both jacks can be used at the same time. Something not always seen on receivers with multimedia capabilities is seamless integration - it won't feel like you're switching to another device with generic graphics when using USB, internet radio, or iPod dock, and that's because of in-house design.

Wav up to 96 kHz is supported. Flac is not (might change via software some day - no promises) but then with memory this cheap it hardly takes more than "select all and drag" into Flac Frontend to convert everything back to wav.

-----------------------

Summary of feature or functional differences between the three models:

MRX 500 vs 300: Bigger power supply and transformer (still EI), USB, internet radio.

When optional MDX 1 iPod dock comes out: Digital tap, faster navigation, longer file name display, album art, availability of component video connection with iPod (S-Video and composite iPod video connections are available either way).

MRX 700 vs 500: Toroidal transformer, HD Radio, RDS.

ARC, and preamp and video sections are the same.
Who ever starts the official MRX AVR thread should ensure this is quoted in post # 1 ...
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post #1155 of 1261
11/9/10 at 6:10pm
lol, point well taken
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post #1156 of 1261
11/9/10 at 6:18pm
MRX 300, 500 and 700 all have the Genesis Torino video chip. (The Anthem pre/pros and MRX 900 have Gennum VXP, which is the comparison Nick is making.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick @ Anthem View Post
As for VXP vs Torino, there isn't much to compare. The latter does 1080p upconversion and that's about it (a decent job with the usual test discs) whereas VXP has deinterlacing to rival anything and a setup menu all to itself.
[...]
On the flip side, something that MRX has over AVM/D is that it automatically switches output to 1080p24 if the TV accepts it and source is 1080p24. Known recently revealed issue to go with it... if MRX is in Through mode it doesn't play nice with 24p-enabled Oppo BDP-83 with 24p. Easy fix with nothing to lose - don't use Through mode in MRX, use Auto or 1080p instead. Output resolution can be changed on the fly, but not while it's trying to sync. Software engineers are looking into it. 1080p plus Through does work with Anthem BLX 200 though. All a mystery for now.
I'd like to know if this is the Torino released in 2007 (FLI30436), or if there is a newer version. Anybody know?
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post #1157 of 1261
11/9/10 at 6:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Noxdowne
I can't see any information regarding video processing on the anthem site, does anyone know if the video is the same on the three receivers?
Yes. It's in the post by Nick just below your question.
John
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post #1158 of 1261
11/9/10 at 6:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by favorini
MRX 300, 500 and 700 all have the Genesis Torino video chip. (The Anthem pre/pros and MRX 900 have Gennum VXP, which is the comparison Nick is making.)

I'd like to know if this is the Torino released in 2007 (FLI30436), or if there is a newer version. Anybody know?
Newer version according to Nick.
John
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post #1159 of 1261
11/9/10 at 7:04pm
A simple man has a question.

My Denon 3300 has stopped working. Yes it's 13 years old. It met my needs....enough.

The MRX-500 is my choice but since the recent posts have gotten (to me) technical, I'm wondering if I should consider (for example) a Denon 3311 and Emotiva amp.

My goal is set, forget it and enjoy it.

ALL comments welcomed. Thanks.
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post #1160 of 1261
11/9/10 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BEACHIN' CHRIS
A simple man has a question.

My Denon 3300 has stopped working. Yes it's 13 years old. It met my needs....enough.

The MRX-500 is my choice but since the recent posts have gotten (to me) technical, I'm wondering if I should consider (for example) a Denon 3311 and Emotiva amp.

My goal is set, forget it and enjoy it.

ALL comments welcomed. Thanks.
No comparison b/t the 3311 and MRX 500. You won't need the ext. amp and will have ARC.
John
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post #1161 of 1261
11/9/10 at 7:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by golfugh View Post
Any words on preout voltage? Can't find it in the manual.
Specs on page 39... 4.9 Vrms max output at 0.1% THD. It's more than enough.
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post #1162 of 1261
11/9/10 at 7:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BEACHIN' CHRIS View Post
A simple man has a question.

My Denon 3300 has stopped working. Yes it's 13 years old. It met my needs....enough.

The MRX-500 is my choice but since the recent posts have gotten (to me) technical, I'm wondering if I should consider (for example) a Denon 3311 and Emotiva amp.

My goal is set, forget it and enjoy it.

ALL comments welcomed. Thanks.
I bought and returned a Denon 3311 that was supposed to replace a Denon 3801. The 3311 sounded like someone sucked the life (and midrange) out of the music. I bought a 700 and am liking it for both video and 2 ch audio.
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post #1163 of 1261
11/9/10 at 8:28pm
A few pages back PBC mentioned the Anthem 300 didn't do HDMI passthru. I really want to be able to shutoff the receiver and still pass our cable box HDMI signal to the TV, basically 'wife-mode'.

Do all 3 Anthem receivers NOT have HDMI pass-thru? The ARC looks fun to play with.
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post #1164 of 1261
11/9/10 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by matted View Post

Thanks Nick! I couldn't care less about 3D and network/USB streaming.... I'm looking for solid audio/video performance first and foremost, so it sounds like getting the used D2 is probably my best bet, even though it'll end up costing about $1k more once I do the ARC upgrade and purchase the kit.

On a sidenote, what misalignment on Rogers SD channels are you talking about? PM me... Without giving too much away, I may or may not have the power to fix such issues....

Cheers,

Matt

ARC for D2 is around half that amount including tax although AVP instead of AVR means "don't forget the power amp."

Reply to sidenote posted here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0#post19463670
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post #1165 of 1261
11/9/10 at 8:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LD500 View Post

Do all 3 Anthem receivers NOT have HDMI pass-thru?

Yes
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post #1166 of 1261
11/9/10 at 8:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jayray View Post

The 300 can work very well as your preamp using external amps.
John

thanks sir will get the mrx300 this december when i spend 2 months in ottawa
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post #1167 of 1261
11/9/10 at 9:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick @ Anthem View Post

ARC for D2 is around half that amount including tax although AVP instead of AVR means "don't forget the power amp."

I already have a power amp so I'd be using the MRX as a preamp only.

My dealer told me the non-v D2 needed a $700 upgrade to be compatible with ARC, plus the ARC kit itself... was he misinformed? I even asked him on "Anthem Day"... tsk, tsk....
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post #1168 of 1261
11/9/10 at 9:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by matted View Post

My dealer told me the non-v D2 needed a $700 upgrade to be compatible with ARC, plus the ARC kit itself... was he misinformed? I even asked him on "Anthem Day"... tsk, tsk....

I hope he wasn't confusing things with non-v *AVM* but that's what it sounds like. D2 only needs software - it already has the dual-processor DSP that doubles the cost of the AVM kit.

For D1 and D2, ARC kit's list price is 399 USD or 429 CAD - same as it always was.
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post #1169 of 1261
11/9/10 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick @ Anthem View Post

I hope he wasn't confusing things with non-v *AVM* but that's what it sounds like. D2 only needs software - it already has the dual-processor DSP that doubles the cost of the AVM kit.

For D1 and D2, ARC kit's list price is 399 USD or 429 CAD - same as it always was.


That is certainly what it sounds like. Thanks for the info! Too bad the used D2 I was looking at has been sold. Unless I find another used D2/AVM50 at a reasonable price I might seriously consider picking up an MRX.
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post #1170 of 1261
11/10/10 at 4:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick @ Anthem View Post


I hope he wasn't confusing things with non-v *AVM* but that's what it sounds like. D2 only needs software - it already has the dual-processor DSP that doubles the cost of the AVM kit.

For D1 and D2, ARC kit's list price is 399 USD or 429 CAD - same as it always was.

Nick, question on ARC. ARC sets my crossover fairly high considering I have Paradigm S-6's. Does it make sense to use two subs as not to localize the sub when using a high crossover. It sets mine crossover at 100hz but others have had it set higher. I have no problem with high crossovers because it makes it easier on the amp in the Anthem but if you use one sub and the crossover is above 100hz the sub becomes easier to locate. Thanks for all your insight.
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