Anthem AV receiver at CES? - Page 34

Make sure you have the latest drivers installed. Make sure it is using between com1 and com6.

All us statement guys are using the keyspan adapter. There are been problems with other adapters.

+1
John

I just got off the phone with my dealer (who lent me his USB to Serial Adapter) and he said it was from Cables Unlimited that he got from Amazon. So I searched Amazon and found this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ms_ohs_product

I couldn't agree more. Not putting in a $10 adapter (I'm assuming a bulk discount) for a $2k product is astonishing. I'm more upset that they didn't include a Serial-to-USB cable. Could you even buy a laptop with a serial port in the last five years? And how many people own laptops more than five years old.

Thanks for the kind words. The only problem is I will only be using mine with a 2.1 system which is pretty weany compared to what most of you are going to use yours with. I would still contribute as I have and still do on the Anthem Statement thread. Questions about surround systems will be hard for me to comment on since I won't be using one. Many of you will be repositioning speakers for a while since you will discover things about your room which need to be adjusted. There are probably many more people who are experts in this area and of course, Bob Pariseau is the Yoda of ARC and I, only at best, Luke Skywalker. So for these reasons I would suggest someone who fits the profile better set up the official thread. This won't make you responsible for everyone else's system.
John

I mentioned a few pages back about the Keyspan adapter. It has been flawless for the Statement owners and yes it would be nice to get it in the package but the reason I mentioned it several days ago was so some of you could pick one up before your units arrived. I feel your pain but it will work out in the end and be a simple process from then on.
John

I'm slightly disappointed in the ARC software. After reviewing and saving the speaker graphs, I wanted to upload the graphs for everyone here to see. When I go to open the file it can't do it saying the file format is incompatible.

You need to do a print screen. In windows this is the alt key and the print screen key to copy to the pasteboard. then open paint and copy it in. Save that file as a jpg and upload to the forum.

Here's the link for the Keyspan USB/serial adapter model.

http://www.tripplite.com/en/products...xtModelID=3914

John

Second adapter worked better. ARC done. Still not impressed with the "don't include the adapter in the box approach tho. The Serial cable they include looks like it's a high quality piece - geezus... grrr....

nuff said.

Now - back to results.

Didn't notice a huge difference with ARC on 2 ch music, a little more pronounced bass, not too much otherwise at low to medium volume.

For DD from my sat box, sound is good, centre is a little more pronounced but not in a bad way, just tends to draw the attention back to the screen.

Will try to post the graphs later

Sounds like it may be a good time to walk away for 5 minutes and take a breather. Getting yourself all worked up isn't going to help. I know it may be frustrating you; but it isn't like the MRX doesn't power up without the adaptor!

Have any of U guys used the usb to serial adapters from MonoPrice? 45$ seems like quite a bit for the Tripplite?

hmmm, error opening .arc file - invalid file format...

Might have to re-run arc again just to get a new file and some graphs

It saved OK during the process... who knows.

I believe the going price at Amazon is about $30.
--Bob

The one I saw at monoprice dot com was $9.10. I just hate and don't understand why accessories items for the consumer electronics industry are so dang expensive (HDMI cables, speaker wire, adapters etc).

But I to am waiting for a new anthem receiver. The MRX-300 specifically. I will only be using it as a pre/pro here. So, I am only interested in the receiver's ARC and bass management capabilities and performance.

So guys keep the comments coming.
Thanks.

They have a 3 ft. cable for $5.54. It uses the Prolific PL-2303 chip. Drivers are here. This seems to be a common chip. We have a few USB to serial converters at work, and they all use this chip.

Folks, get the Keyspan USA-19HS if you need a USB/Serial adapter.

You'll be glad you did.

When you get it, check on its support site to make sure you are installing the most recent driver for your specific version of Windows.

If you have a prior adapter installed, uninstall it first. Reboot the PC after the uninstall. Then install the Keyspan.

Once you have installed the Keyspan, reboot the computer again.

Frankly it's always a wonder to me when ANYTHING works on Windows PCs.

Oh, I've also found it helpful to draw a chalk pentagram around the computer.
--Bob

I guess the question is. Why did Anthem decide to use such an old style connection (serial) on their new receivers in the first place? They could have put the USB port on the back of these receivers and been done with it and saved people a lot of headaches.

USB cable limit is 12 feet due to the bandwidth, and some equipment rooms are several times that away from the listening room.

Building ARC entirely into the AVR won't be an option until processors become powerful enough.

All our dealers and distributors will soon have Keyspan USA-19HS adapters so they can lend them out. We're just days away from receiving the big shipment. They're the best - I was using the earlier model 10 years ago and tried practically every brand on the market since. They're also the only one designed with Mac in mind, as far as I can tell. Although including one in each box at zero markup was considered, cost is still too high. The lowest online price might give an idea. How well other USB-serial adapters work, and they're all cheaper, depends on your system and driver updates.

Other options are ExpressCard serial cards, or PCMCIA for older laptops, or PCI for desktops which can be found for less than the shipping cost. On newegg.com under laptop add-on cards - not posting link because it keeps changing - they start at prices lower than Keyspan serial adapter, and they work considerably more quickly.

The four possibilities including "I already have something and don't want to pay for another" is the other reason we left this to the user despite how convenient it would have been otherwise. Adapters are the lowest common denominator but some people prefer the other choices. As well, one thing that's almost never apparent on AVS due to its nature is the large number of hands-off people who have their dealer set everything up.

So it's a 12ft USB cable limit (due to bandwidth limitations issue). Ok that's fair enough. It's just that newer pc's nowadays don't have provisions for serial hookups without the need for some kind of adapter or adapter card. Ok so that clears that up and I am a little more educated on the issue.

Another question I have is with the ARC implementation on these receivers. I have heard that it is not the same as with the other separate Anthem Processors in that the ARC in the receivers don't have the same amount of processing, filtering and resources available. Could you or anyone care to elaborate on this issue? Further. Does anyone know if there will be differences in the ARC implementations across the MRX-300, 500 or 700 models as I am waiting for the 300 model to become available. Thank you for your time.

Due to the lesser DSP power in the receivers, it can't do the job the pre/pros can. However,as I have stated before, comparing the solution of my D2v compared to my MRX500, there are differences but not as much as one might expect. The LFE solution is almost identical while the other speakers have more wiggles but still a very good solution overall. I will post my D2v solution vs these same files processed for the MRX and people will be able to see the difference. As for the three models, they will not have any differences in how they handle ARC. So for you, the 300 will still do a very good job on your room at a very cost effective price. Hope that helps.
Will post my impressions of the MRX vs. the Denon 4310 tomorrow.
John

MRX 300/500/700 DSP has around the same amount of number crunching ability as anything in the price range, which is around half as much as AVM/D prepros using ARC (and PBK for that matter), which have as much as pro systems in the five figures. This means that MRX 300/500/700 corrected response usually does not meet target response as closely as AVM/D, thought it's also usually not too far off.

The other difference is that correction range not only defaults to 5 kHz but cannot be made to go higher. Correction above 5 kHz is not normally recommended regardless.

Another difference not dependent on ARC is that MRX DSP uses crossover frequencies of 60, 80, 100, 120, and 150 whereas AVM/D allows 25-160 in 5 Hz steps. It relates because ARC selects the crossover frequencies based on in-room measured response.

The practical difference depends on the amount of correction the room speaker/combo needs, and this varies greatly. MRX-ARC still improves things regardless, using the same principles as the other ARC.

Ok thanks. I will check back here to see your impressions soon. I'm just trying to nail down whether it would or could be worthwhile to get a MRX-500 or 700. As I only plan to use the MRX-300 as a pre/pro. The internet and HD radio features and extra power for the 500 or 700 aren't to important to me.

Possible future MRX-300 owner.

Yes - if you measure on one system and load the file into the other, ARC knows and asks whether to convert the file. Save the converted one with a different name so you can run open both in two ARC windows and compare. At this point it's not loaded. In other words all you need to convert a file is to connect the other unit - nothing in it needs to change.

If the original .arc file wasn't saved, no worries even if targets were changed manually. The original measurements are always there... simply use auto-detected targets, connect to original unit, and everything will return to where it was.

Ok this is the kind of info I was digging for. It looks like the 300 should be the receiver for me at this point. I appreciate it. Thanks for your help.

I'm really interested in the MRX 700, but I think the lack of Mac software for ARC might keep me away. We only have Macs, which means if I want to run ARC, I would have to buy and run Windows and Parallels or Bootcamp (which I'm not going to do since I don't want to muck up my hard drive with that), or buy a used laptop just to run ARC, which will add substantial cost to the receiver. Not really worth it.

I’m a Mac guy too, so I feel your pain.
If dropping $150 or so on a used PC is out of the question; don’t you have a friend that can come by with a Windows machine?

A couple of questions:

(1) What will the MRX do if you feed them a 3D 1080p60 signal? Will it be able to handle it? Or at least passthrough? I'm asking because the bandwidth needed for 3D 1080p60 is higher than most current HDMI chips can handle...

(2) With the MRX turned off (or in standby), is the HDMI signal passed through? I've been told some receivers do that, some don't.

(3) Is there an easy way for my HTPC to remote control the MRX? Preferably through LAN, or at least through serial cable? I'm mainly interested in being able to read and write "volume" and "mute". I need to be able to do these things with my own (Windows) software.

(4) Will the MRX be able to handle "funny" resolutions like e.g. 1080p with 24.000Hz or 25.000Hz? Will it at least passthrough not-supported modes?

(5) I'm wondering whether it's worth it to wait for the MRX 900? Does anybody have a list of things where the MRX 900 will be better than the MRX 700? Will the MRX 900 case have the same depth as the MRX 700? (my rack is limited in how deep a receiver it can handle)

If I recall correctly (from my prior D2-Arc days), ARC will not run on Parallels, and only with BootCamp on a Mac. I found that although I was/am a Mac user that the easier solution was/is to find a Windows laptop. I still have a Thinkpad with a PC card to serial adapter that I use to undertake ARC installations/setups for clients (who can barely push the power on button on the remote) of my Anthem dealer, on occasion

I guess I have to stop by my Anthem Dealer today since he promised to loan me an MRX700 to compare with my Denon 4810.

My recollection is that this outcry about Anthem's use of RS232 instead of straight usb for ARC upgrades also occurred when the D2 was originally released and when the D2v was released. Guys, I assume you all checked this out before opting to enter the world of Anthem And, since the Anthem Receivers are about a year+ late in being released, I think that there has been plenty of time to obtain the correct adapters.

And, of course, try to enjoy your new Receiver(s).

That would be easy, if I could open the file.