Anthem MRX1120 Home Theater AVR Review

[peng]

I noticed the amplifier is measured with digital input for comparison, but the graph was generated with analog input which gives worse result. Why is that? Wouldn't it make more sense to get a graph for digital input which is a more likely use case and provides better results?

But you do have the graph for digital input already. I wouldn't mind seeing one for analog input versus pre out output SINAD though, then we can see more clearly if the DAC IC is the weaker link than the Volume control IC, along with other parts such as op amps in the signal path, or vice versa.

 

[AlexDD]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Anthem MRX1120 "flagship" Home Theater Surround 4K/UHD 11.2 Audio/Video Receiver (AVR). Got all that? It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $3,499.

You have seen one Athem AVR, you have seen them all:

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The top of the case looks a bit industrial but otherwise, this is a decent looking box. I like the back panel with large, clear fonts for the speaker connections which I could red upside down:

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No balanced output which is a bit of a shame but this is typical in this class.

Disappointed to see that tiny fan on the back which I think is mostly to keep the logic cool than any hope of providing circulation for the amplifiers.

I did not use the room correction but in prior testing, Anthem ARC works well.

The menus are manageable from front panel but not that easily. A 1080p (?) menu comes on screen though which is much easier to work through. I did not play with the remote but it is backlit which is nice. And you can use it to change different ARC settings which can be handy for different kinds of music/movie.

Rotary controller for volume felt nice.

DAC Performance Measurements
As usual with AVRs we first check to see how well they convert digital samples to analog. Here is our usual dashboard using HDMI:

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I have manually set the volume to output 2 volts. At full output, you get 3 volts. I also tested the unit using S/PDIF input and performance was the same. Our ranking is nothing to write home about among stereo DACs:
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But among AV products, this is above average:

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Jitter performance was worse for HDMI input than S/PDIF:

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For the rest of the test I stayed with S/PDIF. Multitone is next:

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Not bad. Same is true of linearity:
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IMD test peformance was disappointing though:
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One of our newer tests is to see how distortion+noise varies relative to output voltage so that you can tell what amplifiers you can drive at what performance:

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There is nice, usable range of output to well above 2 volts which many AVRs can't handle as their amps clip (even with no load) and drag down the DAC performance. This is a major failing of most AVRs and it is nice to see Anthem avoiding that.

The DAC filter is typical with slower roll off than optimal but not cringe-worthy:

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The worse performance was in THD+N versus frequency:

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When I see such results, I then look at the spectrum at 1 kHz and see what is going on:

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We have our explanation. The DAC that is used is using noise-shaping to push noise from audible band to ultrasonic. Since our THD+N test has wide bandwidth, it uses this much higher noise floor and produces poor results. Since this noise is not audible, actual performance is better than the previous graph showed.

AVR Amplifier Measurements
Let's start with our 5 watt dashboard first using analog input:
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Using digital input improves performance fair bit:

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This is above average for all amplifiers tested:
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Power output is within specifications:

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Disappointing to see such high level of noise and distortion at lower power levels though.

Conclusions
The Anthem MRX1120 avoids some of the major failings of Audio/Video Receivers. Its DAC output does not go to hell for example when you output nominal 2 volts allowing you to use external amplification with more power and fidelity. In that sense it makes a good AV Processor. With respect to performance to 2-channel products, it clearly is not there but no AV product is either.

Overall, I am happy to find an AVR that is not broken and can recommend the Anthem MRX1120.

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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

I can't recall if I have asked you all for money recently so to be sure, please donate what you can using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Is there no AVR with an amazing DAC, low level of noise and distortion, or is it just that you didn't get one to test?

 

[ad_fletch]

Is there no AVR with an amazing DAC, low level of noise and distortion, or is it just that you didn't get one to test?

If you have a look at the league table, Denon AVR-X8500H and X6700H are transparent for most purposes. In fact, even this MRX1120 is fine for 16bit source material.

If I had the money I'd probably get this one, because I like the interface and features (not to mention room correction) of my current, lower-end Anthem AVR. AVM70 would be even better, but I would need several more channels of amplification....

 

[Beershaun]

This is a previous generation model. The new models are much better. See Audioholics review here: https://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/anthem-mrx-740-1140-receivers

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

This is a previous generation model. The new models are much better. See Audioholics review here: https://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/anthem-mrx-740-1140-receivers

I read this review last month. I agree. I have been planning how to add 4 ceiling speakers on first floor plaster. Best way is to run speaker wire to crown molding. Fish tape from speaker to molding. Run wire to Avr. Fish tape to Avr. Of course, must remove 100 year old crown molding carefully. You will have some damage but easy to repair.

 

[ad_fletch]

This is a previous generation model. The new models are much better. See Audioholics review here: https://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/anthem-mrx-740-1140-receivers

Wow - had been out of the loop, but the x40 series looks like a really convincing upgrade (esp if you have a good external amp for front channels). Thanks for the link.