Arcam AV40 AV Processor Review

[Lsc]

I replaced an Marantz SR8015 with an Arcam AV40 which has the HDMI 2.1 upgrade. Per the manual, Arcam’s standard gain is 31db… I’m I best finding and amp with higher gain with this processor? Looking at a Rotel but its gain is only 26.6db. Are the Acram AV40 preouts strong enough?

The AV40’s standard gain is 31dB or are you looking at an Arcam amp?

 

[truwarrior22]

The AV40’s standard gain is 31dB or are you looking at an Arcam amp?

Would be nice but, not sure it’s dynamic enough? Also read some say it sounds like it’s out of phase? Not sure if that’s the 2 channel or the 7 channel… Appears it ramps up the power like a “turbo” but no turbo lag? Gotta love marketing speak. Curious about hypex nilai for music and HT amp…looks like those may have a 28db gain option…suppose it depends on the manufacturer.

 

[Magnus]

IT MUST CHANGE. We shall all go into a strike and stop buying processors until they start paying attention to good engineering.
This kind of performance at $4500 is so utterly disrespectful towards the customers.
...
Is the av40 any better now or is it still rubbish?

Let's talk about the most basic thing quoted on here in one form or the other, THD+Noise. Listening tests have shown audible levels to be at about 0.1% for odd order distortion and 1% for even order distortion. The absolute worst THD+N measured here was 0.0045%!!! That's a whopping 22.2x lower than the lowest possible audible level of distortion!

I'm betting not a single one of (save perhaps Amir who probably knows, but wants absolute perfection anyway). Boycotts? Seriously? How about that full head lobotomy that headless panther got instead?

Features? Inputs? Decoders? Room correction? (I guess DIRAC was second hand mentioned) is there any useful information to a possible customer?

Ah, yes. There was that left-handed volume control! Gee, Amir didn't like that at all! Seeing as I'm actually left handed, imagine how frustrating it is for me to reach over to the right with my left hand on my Marantz AVR.... Oh wait. I just fudging use my right hand! (or more likely the remote!)

Are all right-handed people incapable of using their other hand for simple tasks like volume controls? How the hell do I manage to play guitar, piano and saxophone? I must be ambidextrous....

Beyond that, the review basically says it has perfect audible sound. Yet he severs the panther's head anyway and the peanut gallery goes nuts.

Ridiculous.

I can't help but wonder if the real reason the new Cinema line from Marantz costs so much more retail wise than past models is due to the extra time needed to please Amir so he doesn't throw the panther into the meat grinder. Audible difference? None. Price difference? 50% higher.

 

[truwarrior22]

Let's talk about the most basic thing quoted on here in one form or the other, THD+Noise. Listening tests have shown audible levels to be at about 0.1% for odd order distortion and 1% for even order distortion. The absolute worst THD+N measured here was 0.0045%!!! That's a whopping 22.2x lower than the lowest possible audible level of distortion!

I'm betting not a single one of (save perhaps Amir who probably knows, but wants absolute perfection anyway). Boycotts? Seriously? How about that full head lobotomy that headless panther got instead?

Features? Inputs? Decoders? Room correction? (I guess DIRAC was second hand mentioned) is there any useful information to a possible customer?

Ah, yes. There was that left-handed volume control! Gee, Amir didn't like that at all! Seeing as I'm actually left handed, imagine how frustrating it is for me to reach over to the right with my left hand on my Marantz AVR.... Oh wait. I just fudging use my right hand! (or more likely the remote!)

Are all right-handed people incapable of using their other hand for simple tasks like volume controls? How the hell do I manage to play guitar, piano and saxophone? I must be ambidextrous....

Beyond that, the review basically says it has perfect audible sound. Yet he severs the panther's head anyway and the peanut gallery goes nuts.

Ridiculous.

I can't help but wonder if the real reason the new Cinema line from Marantz costs so much more retail wise than past models is due to the extra time needed to please Amir so he doesn't throw the panther into the meat grinder. Audible difference? None. Price difference? 50% higher.

What is the distortion from John and Ripewave? Seems excessive when compared to RMC-1? Would be be a fail by Amir? I think I've only seen this when testing speaker distortion.

 

[peng]

What is the distortion from John and Ripewave? Seems excessive when compared to RMC-1? Would be be a fail by Amir? I think I've only seen this when testing speaker distortion. View attachment 355313

For distortions measurements, I wouldn't take his REW plots above too seriously as we don't know why he did it. I can tell you if I sweep it 5 times, without moving the mic and keep everything the same, the same AVR or AVP's frequency response curves will look almost identical, but the distortions will differ quite a bit, not as much differences as Ripewave's but again I don't know how he did his. May be he use a switch and never move the mic, but may be he did something different that he may think the distortions measured should be the same but that wouldn't be true.

Besides, the Umik-1 mic, or any similar mic at the <$200 price range would have distortions not better than 1% THD, combined that with tolerance, there are going to be some differences even under the best scenario. So, when it comes to distortions, I would trust ASR and Audioholics, but the Ripewave's that rely on his unknown way (I mean in terms of details) and reliance on measuring it from the speaker's in-room response, not directly from the AVR themselves.

 

[truwarrior22]

Will I get more gain to my amp if I use the XLR out to single ended into the amp?

 

[Bachemar]

For the same volume level, the amp will will sound louder because the input signal is higher, Note that you will also be closer to clipping the amp. So a better solution might be to get a higher powered amp.

 

[peng]

Will I get more gain to my amp if I use the XLR out to single ended into the amp?

The gain of your power amp will not change regardless what you do, unless the power amp has provision for different gain setting/selector.

If your question is about using your preamp's XLR output to the power amp's single ended input using a XLR to RCA cable versus using the RCA preamp output the the power amp input, then again, there will be no difference.

 

[truwarrior22]

If is the lower dynamic range why I prefer it over my previous SR8015? When ads come up on Spotify I found the levels to be distractingly different on the SR8015. I don’t notice it or at least not as much on the Arcam. Seems like levels don’t jump around as much.