Anthem MRX Receivers - 300, 500, 700 Owners Thread & Tweaking Guide - Page 173

Turning the volume up on the sub won't make any difference as ARC will change the trim in the receiver so that it balances with the other speakers. You probably want to set it at about 25% on it's volume control so that you don't need the max (-12db) trim set in the receiver.

Your sub has a very large peak that is probably from boundary gain by having it in the corner. If you can get that down some it might be able to level it out better and then maybe you won't have that null (calculated curve below the target) that ARC can't correct.

is gain good or bad?
as closer to the corner made gain almost go to zero but the peak even worse.
how do i get more power if i leave it at 25%,should i increase the bass in advance source setup or in level calibration or is calibration off when arc is on.

i manually set the bass to 60%,as i have no bass as arc has set -12 along with the 25% as well.
i watched u571 and it was a little boomy but shook seats. with arc measured and loaded......nothing for bass, even when main receiver volume turned to 15!!

Newbie question...

I have my iPod Touch hooked up with a cable going from the headphone out to the L and R Audio Front Inputs on the MRX-700.

What imput do I select? There is no selection for front panel? The "logical" choices like Media, Aux, or Game do not work.

Thanks for your help.

I read the manual and I'm still confused on the best positioning for the mic.

I understand the mic should point straight up and idealy be at ear level. However, should I place the mic on my Berkline home theater seats, infront of the seats or behind the seats?

This is the first I've read about the -12db max trim for the receiver. I get a similar peak in my sub measurements as well. But I never gave it any thought to turn the sub gain down to effect the the ARC correction. I just had the thought in my head..."that's what you get with a 1,250 watt rms amp". Interestingly enough though...I found the below chart when I just looked up the specs for my sub. Seems the ARC measurements verify what was said in this 1998 review of the Velodyne HGS-12.
Up until now, I've found the ARC corrections to leave the sub output somewhat lacking. I've found myself adjusting the sub output after correction by +1-2db on both the movie and music profiles. I've had the gain on the sub set somewhere between 1/3 - 1/2 max output...and the ARC corrections have come back at -11 and -12db...where my mains are -2 or -3db. I'll play around with the ARC again this week, just for kicks and giggles. As well as the corrections have been calculated and loaded already, I don't know what improvements I would anticipate if any. But it should be an interesting experiment.

I installed the ARC software on my HP laptop running XP professional. I connected using a Keyspan Tripp-Lite Serial to USB connector. This was supplied by my dealer for use with the ARC. The box is labeled "The World's Best USB Serial Adapter."

When I run the software it tries to initialize but it won't recognize the MRX-500.

Suggestions greatly appreciated.

(My first impression of this AVR is that it is not very user friendly.)

Edit: Sorry for the spelling typos...

Hi, I have the Mrx 500 and I to just recently have been experiencing the same problems! Picture just goes out but the sound keeps playing!! Also the other day I was listening to music and all the sudden my Mrx just shut off!!!!
It seems other people are experiencing this to! I guess we just have to wait and see if the new fw fixes this!

RIck

9 o'clock position would be turning it down

That is true to a point, IMO. If the MRX is trimming -12db or +12db it's hard to say if it needs more trim or boost as this is the max setting the MRX can apply. It's better to raise or lower the subs trim level to get it +/-2 of 0db.

Is the shut off and freezing something Anthem is aware of? Are these issues two of the same or different?

If you can't move your sub then nothing will make the sub response better. Some of the lack of bass is the location you're stuck with. Even moving along either wall, a small dist., may improve the response. Using quick measure could help nail down a spot even inches away that could give you a flatter curve from 100 Hz to 20Hz.
John

Can anyone tell me how to connect my iPod to the MRX-500?

Thank-you for your help.

you are right,2-3 is the correct direction on the dial for more juice...
just spent 3 hrs with sub.....and moved it from left -middle- right and not much different then the 5 other saved files...
until i get a pbk like the other post, nothing to be done as its the character of this sub....

Now i join the bug team, now my sub has sounds coming from it when the system is off.......Ive installed it twice and still the same..

This is the first report I have read about this. What kind of noise? If you unplug the sub cable at the sub is the noise still present? Maybe try a different sub cable to see if it resolves the issue.

Make sure the keyspan is on com port 1 thru 6 and not a com port that is assigned to something else like a modem. Also make sure you have the latest keyspan driver installed and is running at the correct speed.

Check this post out.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=3875

PBK can't make a bad spot significantly better. The best measurement possible prior to PBK or ARC is what you aim for. This allows the correction software to do it's best job. If you can do this then do PBK. A full ARC measurement would then follow. As I mentioned above, the measurement prior to ARC should aim for the flattest curve from 100 to 20Hz.
John

Should be the AUX button. Make sure you have your volume turned up on your ipod since you are using the headphone jack.

its picking up a broadcast of a show,sounds just like a normal speaker but muffled.something is passing through. switched between both old and new sub cables and still the same.

Does the Aux botton select the front panel input? volume is turned to max. Doesn't seem to work on mine.

If you disconnect the sub from the MRX but leave the sub cable attached to the sub, does it still pickup the noise you are hearing? If yes, clearly not the MRX's issue.

If no, I would call Anthem ASAP on this one Monday. That sounds like a hardware issue.

To check the source for AUX:

1) Press Setup
2) Go to 'Audio/Video Setup and Presets'
3) Go to 'Main Source Setup'
4) Select your Source (6 of 9 Aux)
5) Make sure 'Main Video Input' is "Composit", and 'Main Audio Input' is "Analog"
6) Go back to the Main Setup Menu (use the left arrow key till you get there)
7) Go to 'Audio/Video Setup and Presets'
8) Go to 'Advanced Source Setup'
9) Select your Source (6 of 9 Aux)
10) Make sure 'Main/Rec Composit Input' is "Front Composit", and 'Main/Rec Analog Audio Input' is "Front Analog"
11) If using Zone 2, make sure that 'Z2 Composit Input' is "Front Composit", and 'Z2 Analog Audio Input' is "Front Analog"
12) Press Setup to exit and try your iPod now on source Aux

Eric-t has made an excellent suggestion. We do not know that these two issues are the same, but you both need to report them to Anthem ASAP. See the second post of the thread (FAQ post) for a link to contact Anthem.

The MRX should not be turning off on its own! That is not good.

Mic should be as close to the place where your head would be if you were sitting in the chair. (though, if you have a high seat back, one where your head would rest on the back of the chair, it would be best to lower the back a bit, recline it if you can or if you cannot remove the back of the chair from the picure, than move the mic forward 12 inches from where your head would be to get the mic a little ways away from the back of the chair.)

Measure your center chair/primary listening position first and then do the ones left and right of that, making sure none of your measurements are closer than 24" from any other measured location.

I'm considering a MRX300 or 500. How is Anthem with regard to firmware updates? Do they release them occasionally?

Also how is the firmware updated? Is it auto-connect from the AVR to Anthem's website (using Ethernet)? Or you have to download something, put it onto a flashdrive and plug it into the Anthem?

There are different kinds of gain. There is your general "room gain" which ARC measures and displays in the 'Targets' window and than there is speaker "boundray gain" which is caused my sound being reflected directly off of a wall in close proximity and there are also specific frequency gains and losses caused by standing waves. A combination of Boundray Gain and a Standing Wave is what is most likely causing the HUGE spike we are seeing.

A certian amount of Room Gain is typically considered good or your room will sound flat and dull. However if your room does not naturally have much room gain, than it may sound unnatural to introduce to much room gain. Room Gain usually affects the lower frequencies from around 350Hz and below. Room Gain is caused by reflections and the natural ability of a room to amplify a sound. You can see the room gain on most of the charts posted as a small rise in the dashed "Target" line as the frequency hits around 350Hz and goes down.

Boundray Gain is also caused by reflections of a room and is made more intense by placing a speaker up against a wall which has the affect on certian lower frequencies of magnifying the volume of the lower frequencies by focusing the radiated sound directly off the wall and back at the listener. Placing the speaker against two walls (a corner) further amplifies the lower frequencies even further by focusing the reflection of the lower frequency of both walls back at the listener. (In fact most subs sit on the floor with the speaker close to the floor which, in a way, means we are already getting some boundray gain from the "wall" we call the floor, that the sub it is sitting on.)

Typically Boundray gain will have a wider focus of lower frequencies than what we are seeing with your current graph which has a very specific frequency peak somewhere around 35Hz. I think you are probably suffering from some boundray gain and from a very specific standing wave, very possibly created by bouncing of your two walls that make up the 16 foot dimension of your room. Are these walls hard surfaces? Perhaps cement or glass? Is the sub somehow confined to a cabinate or under a table?

As has been suggested, try moving the sub as much as you can. You can even try picking it up off the floor and placing it on a study stand if the speaker cone sits close to the floor.

We need to try and tame the spike at 35Hz before we even begin to try adjusting anything else or running ARC.

Use Quick measure to try and get the spike to come down as much as possible. Every DB you can lower that spike, the better off we will be when we start to tweak everything else.

Anthem is good about fixing issues they find. However they tend to lump a number of fixes into one release, so don't expect a lot of high frequency fixes to be released for each issue (from what I have seen).

Currently Anthem has a firmware that includes several highly anticipated fixes that will hopefully be released shortly as it has been a while since the last official public release was put out.

With regards to upgrades via firmware, today there are two primary pieces of firmware that need updating (the second is only for the MRX 500/700). The main MRX 300/500/700 firmware is loaded via the serial port on the back of the MRX. The MRX 500/700 also have a second "multi-media" firmware that is uploaded via the USB port.

Good Morning everyone!
the shut off only happened once! There was no freezing! It was not a power issue in the house because everything else was still on! The dropped pic happened for the first time yesterday! Sound still present but the picture just disappeared! I will be calling Anthem this morning! I will say this, I have hooked my Mrx up to my MP and am using the hdmi out for itunes and the sq is nothing short of AMAZING!!!! It reminds me of the days when i had 2 channel separate systems set up!!! I do love the sq that anthem gives!! I really hope the FW will fix these issues!
Rick

Have you reported this issue to Anthem?

The surest way to cause a lock up is if the receiver was turned off while in a MEDIA mode, then turned back on and switched to TV immediately. Anthem is aware of this problem.

I've never experienced any kind of Shut Off by the receiver on it's own. This is the first I've heard about this.

Is this how your unit locked up?