Anthem owners are like in a cult! They won’t accept any criticism as for them Anthem is like a god!
They still have not fixed their software
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Is Anthem overrated? Considering switching to Denon
- Thread starter JamesP1701
- Start date
They still have not fixed their software
Similar to PSA subwoofer owners—but honestly, I find most “owner’s forums” to be loyal to the decision they made to buy that product.
Here on ASR, Anthem owners seem like an exceptional group. I don’t know why, but even AVS members who own Anthem’s tend to accept their avs/avps do have pros and cons when they do visit and participate in this forum.
We also have more rew graphs posted here, on per capita basis. Elsewhere, such graphs posted are just the AARC generated, predicted ones 99% of the time, and we all know those graphs always look great, like ARCG is the most effective RC/EQ.
Can you clarify the specific reproduction steps and I can see if I can reproduce them with my MRX1140? I just posted that the pop/buzz issue I encountered has now been fixed. Not sure if it's the same as your issue though.
I haven't seen this in my MRX1140. So I believe this has been solved. I'm happy to try and reproduce the issues if people can point me to the steps to take to reproduce them.
How so? The denon 6800 is the same price as the mrx1140. And you have to pay extra for dirac on top of it. If you don't need all the channels then I'd say it's overkill and you can get a lower model Denon and save money.
Are you using street/discounted prices? If we based on list price, I believe the MRX1140 would then cost almost $1,500 more, but Amthem is currently offering a nearly 20-21% off for limited time and in that case, the two are at about the same price point. If compared based on sales price, the price gap is still significant based on the AVR-X6800H's recent sales prices reported by ASR members.
Regardless, the OP's question isn't really about price difference, or "values". It was about "overrated" or not. In that sense, it is somewhat subjective, opinion based.., for me the hardware of Anthem's are good and is hard to say if Anthem is overrated as a general statement because it depends on what we would focus on. For example, they do have better DAC ICs in their AVRs vs D+M's midrange models, but are just comparable to the AVR-X6800H and Cinema 30's.
- D+M's also offer Auro 3D, Roon ready/or Roon tested? (DTS:X Pro was done via update for the X6700H, SR8015 but not sure if the X6800H/C30 got rid of that)
- 4 discrete subwoofer outputs vs Anthem's 2
- DLBC/likely ART paid upgradable.
You are right about Anthem came with ARC G but D+M, Onkyo, Yamaha also comes with their own RC/EQ as well so that's sort of a wash, though Anthem's include mic and mic stand is superior, imo worth at least $100-$150 more.
So, I am not going to judge if any of those are "overrated" on the hardware side as it clearly depends.
I would however, say in terms of RC/EQ, ARC G is somewhat overrated, not by a mile, but overrated probably not by Anthem, but the Anthem fans (I wouldn't go as far as post#61) who clearly expressed their opinions, but rarely post any measurements that support their rave reviews. Anyway, we have had compare notes many times on the ARC G performance, so I think we know each other's opinions based on our own use experience, suffice to say it is not totally clear cut even on this.
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I would love to hear from other users on their specific use cases/conditions when they got those loud pops and crackles/distorted sound. In my case, I only got them during pause, fast backward/forward, and then un pause, and/or change formats in between but it was contents specific and it is hard to remember exactly which movie, videos though if I remember right, only when streaming, such as Amazon video, Netfix, Youtube, probably less so for Netflix. Again, since the last two FW update, I don't recall getting it any more, though I am scared of triggering such loud noises so I don't do anything that I know might trigger the events. I could try triggering it, but...may be just let the sleeping dogs lie lol.
By the way, I also don't recall the FW update logs mention anything about fixing those forum reported loud noise, but will check again in case I missed.
Found it, I think it does mean the (hopefully all) those loud noise issues are behind us.
Looks like FW80 update is a must!
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Deleted member 58670
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I bought my Anthem AVM70 solely based on the review here at ASR. Did ASR overrate it? I don't think so when you look at the measurements.
Pros:
Balanced analog I/O, good SINAD, remote control app for iOS and Android, tone controls that are actually usable. Sound quality is superb. Stable operation with no hiccups or noises.
Cons:
On-screen menus is a joke. Web GUI as well. No proper direct streaming support (Tidal/Apple). A bit expensive.
Pros:
Balanced analog I/O, good SINAD, remote control app for iOS and Android, tone controls that are actually usable. Sound quality is superb. Stable operation with no hiccups or noises.
Cons:
On-screen menus is a joke. Web GUI as well. No proper direct streaming support (Tidal/Apple). A bit expensive.
Based on the objective part, i.e. measurements, I would go further and say underrate! If you read the >1000 pages on AVSF, then that's something else.
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Deleted member 58670
Guest
... 'tis a silly placeIf you read the >1000 pages on AVSF, then that's something else.
Reading the AVS owner’s forum from the start of the AVM 70/90 roll out was embarrassing to the company. It was a clumsy roll out with over promises and very little effective QA. I was originally going to buy the 90 and I waited and waited and waited and then finally gave up and bought the trinnov. So Anthem’s slow roll out and QA problems probably saved me money of buying the 90 as an interim upgrade.
I haven't experienced those issues at all when pausing or playing media or switching between surround sound formats. So I can second that those specific issues are fixed.
And if you read their(AVSF) last/newest few posts, then read post#61, @Descartes’s, it almost seems hilarious.
Thank you for confirming that,
I saw a YT vid of a dude setting up a Sony AZ7000ES.
The set up process looked so user friendly and refined. The menus were well thought out the steps were easy to follow. Everything needed was in the box and there was no esoteric knowledge needed.
If I was in the market for an AVR I think I would just buy the Sony rather than an Anthem and be watching movies with the family later that afternoon.
The last time I was in a high end av store the very mention of Sony was enough to make the salesman convulse but sometimes there is beauty in running with the masses.
The set up process looked so user friendly and refined. The menus were well thought out the steps were easy to follow. Everything needed was in the box and there was no esoteric knowledge needed.
If I was in the market for an AVR I think I would just buy the Sony rather than an Anthem and be watching movies with the family later that afternoon.
The last time I was in a high end av store the very mention of Sony was enough to make the salesman convulse but sometimes there is beauty in running with the masses.
IMO yes Anthem and several other boutique brands are overrated as they don't have any particular advantage over the big boys currently. Now, if Denon/Marantz and Pionkyo suffer due what parent organizations are possibly forced to do per current sales/results....maybe it could shift or take down the whole scene?
There are measured differences and there is also support and upgradability. I was able to upgrade my Anthem HDMI board and they push out firmware updates. My older Denon is great but it was obsolete the year after I bought it because the HDMI board didn't support hdcp 2.2. and I got maybe one software update. And the audeyssey system was never updated. ARC gets updates and improvements as well like subwoofer phase integration. So those are advantages. Denon and team are great products and they have made some generational improvements, but not the same as the support I have got with my Anthem.
1.Did you upgrade the board yourself or did you have to send it in?
2. Did you pay for shipping or did they?
3. How long did it take?
4. Was it free of charge to upgrade the board?
Just curious. I get the anthem allure. I still have my mrx500.
