Anthem MRX1140 AVR Review

[dlaloum]

I see. Thanks for the education. I checked Genes peak numbers and you are right the class D amps do burst higher than their max continuous similar to the class ABs.

When I purchased the Anthem I was in home demoing it side by side with the NAD T778. With the additional NAD external 2ch amp the two units are natural competitors. Same all in price point, same general continuous max power rating on paper and similar features. It had class D amps all around. I wanted to like the NAD because blueOS was so much more feature rich for streaming options than Anthem and their UI was so much slicker. The Anthem just drove my speakers much more powerfully so I ultimately picked that for that reason. When I say powerfully I mean I would play a scene from star wars or avengers at the same listening position spl (for a given passage) and the Anthem would just vibrate the couch on the floor above my theater where the NAD just couldn't. My wife would come down and tell me she could feel the difference. So it came off as less dynamic and powerful in everyday use cases.

So I think that colored my thinking that like-for-like class D power rating were not as real world powerful as class AB.

The difference between AB and D is being further eroded over time, as we are seeing more AB amps being fitted with fully regulated power supplies, and in some cases class D amps fitted with linear power supplies....

I think we need to evaluate the amps on their individual merits, and not focus on the class of amp... Class D is now a mature technology, with new designs showing only minor incremental evolutions rather than anything dramatic.

My 1980's Quad Current Dumping amps are still on a par sonically with new class D amps.... in my own, sighted, testing.

The Anthem amps have a great reputation.... I wouldn't hesitate to short list them.

 

[peng]

The AVM70 measured by Amir in 2021 would have been running AKM DACs. Anthem switched to ESS chips in 2023. Like the AVR1140 measured here, a current version of the AVM70 will be running ESS chips and will likely measure differently, perhaps higher.

You may be right, but the different DAC IC may still not be the factor, at least not as much as the potential factor they Amir has alerted us (me anyway) to.
If the unit Amir measured in 2021, assuming it did has the AKM one, it would be the AK4490, based on Anthem's advertisement at the time.

The ES9038Q2M is a few dB better than the AK4490 in THD+N/SINAD, but we are talking about 112 Vs 120 dB SINAD, the fact is, the AK4490, again 112 dB SINAD, are used in many AVRs/AVPs at the time, as example, the Denon AVR-X8500HA both managed to measure 103 dB on Amir's test bench, so if the AVM70 would measure around 103 dB, it won't be because of the ESS vs AKM DAC IC, but most likely the reason Amir found, when measuring the 1140.

To summarize what he know about the different DAC ICs used in the subject units:

MRX-1140: ES9010K2M, SINAD spec: 106 dB
AVM70: ES9038Q2M, SINAD spec: 120 dB, or for the units at launch or shortly after launch, AK4490, SINAD spec: 112 dB, that's 6 dB better than the MRX-1140's even if the early versions have the AKM DAC chip onboard.

That's why I suspect, and hope that, the AVM70 would have measure at least as good as the MRX-1140's 103 dB as measured by Amir, if measured under the exact conditions and using the exact methodology and procedures.

 

[Massimo]

You may be right, but the different DAC IC may still not be the factor, at least not as much as the potential factor they Amir has alerted us (me anyway) to.
If the unit Amir measured in 2021, assuming it did has the AKM one, it would be the AK4490, based on Anthem's advertisement at the time.

The ES9038Q2M is a few dB better than the AK4490 in THD+N/SINAD, but we are talking about 112 Vs 120 dB SINAD, the fact is, the AK4490, again 112 dB SINAD, are used in many AVRs/AVPs at the time, as example, the Denon AVR-X8500HA both managed to measure 103 dB on Amir's test bench, so if the AVM70 would measure around 103 dB, it won't be because of the ESS vs AKM DAC IC, but most likely the reason Amir found, when measuring the 1140.

To summarize what he know about the different DAC ICs used in the subject units:

MRX-1140: ES9010K2M, SINAD spec: 106 dB
AVM70: ES9038Q2M, SINAD spec: 120 dB, or for the units at launch or shortly after launch, AK4490, SINAD spec: 112 dB, that's 6 dB better than the MRX-1140's even if the early versions have the AKM DAC chip onboard.

That's why I suspect, and hope that, the AVM70 would have measure at least as good as the MRX-1140's 103 dB as measured by Amir, if measured under the exact conditions and using the exact methodology and procedures.

There may have been other changes beyond the DAC chip. The only way to know for certain is to measure the newer AVM70.

 

[peng]

There may have been other changes beyond the DAC chip. The only way to know for certain is to measure the newer AVM70.

That's always possible, as the implementation is likely not going to be the same when switching from the AK4490 to the ES9038Q2M. It would be nice if one get reviewed/measured but I think the chance is slim.

 

[Mark609]

I have the 1140, it is amazing. Excellent sound, useablity, value. I use all the amps and they never compress nor can I detect ANY distortion at very high volumes. 7.2.4

ARC alone is worth the price. This is worth a look if you're considering any room correction.

Most Anthem products are at a dealer deep discount now too. $3,569.99, it's a bargain.

Test results reflect the 740 and 1140 as being ultra high quality.

https://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/anthem-mrx-740-1140-receivers