Review and Measurements of Anthem MRX 520 AVR

[amirm]

@amirm is Monoprice planning on sending their unit in before release like they did with the THX HA. That one is supposed to have AK4493 with all the bells & whistles, so curious for how it would perform.

I just asked about it.

 

[Ron Texas]

I would be interested in measurments of 80s "end-game" amps. I have a feeling we could find excpetional performance there. At least the data sheets suggest better performance than today. A lot of components were still discrete, and I think that could certinaly contribute to less cross-talk and good SNR.

The problem is finding one in good condition. An amp that old is likely to be in bad shape unless it has been recapped.

 

[eycatcher]

Well, the RX A20xx/A30xx are considered the real high-end with both of those being quite similar, just the A30xx having a slightly beefier amp stage (10W extra output power 2ch driven, so no big difference), a slighly better DAC and 2 XLR Pre-Outs and 2 XLR inputs.

I have the A2070 myself as the A30xx just wasn't worth the extra cost to me.

But I think measuring the A1080 should give a good enough indication of how Yamaha's higher-end stuff performs.

On the 3080 and their prepro you can also change the roll off filter characteristics of the DAC and utilize a Ultra Low Jitter PLL Mode

 

[peng]

Well, the RX A20xx/A30xx are considered the real high-end with both of those being quite similar, just the A30xx having a slightly beefier amp stage (10W extra output power 2ch driven, so no big difference), a slighly better DAC and 2 XLR Pre-Outs and 2 XLR inputs.

I have the A2070 myself as the A30xx just wasn't worth the extra cost to me.

But I think measuring the A1080 should give a good enough indication of how Yamaha's higher-end stuff performs.

The preamp section, including the DAC, should be as good as the RX-A2080/3080. It should measure better than the NAD for sure and may better the Anthem too in cross talk and DNR. I would bet 2:1 I will be right.

 

[LuckyLuke575]

The performance of these AVR's is scandalous imo.

It's like they have just been relying on the fact no one will look under the hood and examine the mess they've made and they are all in on it by the looks of things

I can completely echo this view; they hide behind high prices, brands and 'distributors' that treat consumers with arrogance. It's a total joke.

At this rate, I'll never want to own an AVR lol

 

[LuckyLuke575]

That's up to you guys to spread the news. It has been a lot of work and expense and will continue through the rest of the reviews. We need to make sure it is not just heard in our corner of the Internet.

This is the kind of thing that deserves to end up on Consumer Reports lol

 

[Thomas savage]

The performance of these AVR's is scandalous imo.

It's like they have just been relying on the fact no one will look under the hood and examine the mess they've made and they are all in on it by the looks of things .

That said there's a huge gap that maybe one of the excellent Chinese electronic manufacturers could fill , bringing great performance to this market sector.

Ahhhh push it ..... Push it real good
... Ooo baby baby baby baby push it real good

 

[LuckyLuke575]

I don't have a room that is big enough to justify an AVR, but thanks for this! Are there 2-channel amps in the queue as well? Holding my breath for an affordable knock-out integrated amp.

I'm a fan of stereo integrated amplifiers in terms of value and versatility (and space saving). I love my Sony F470 integrated amp. I have my DX3 Pro connected to it as a digital receiver / DAC and pre amp, and I actually use the headphone out on the integrated amp to listen to my headphones.

 

[LuckyLuke575]

it's one of my biggest disappointment because I really had a blind trust with this brand...all this letting go in audio processing to make micro-savings leaves me perplexed...but why are they shooting themselves in the foot!!??

Blind trust is a disaster my friend. This is especially the fault of the fault of fancy brochures and websites and bullshit audio shop salesmen.

 

[LuckyLuke575]

I’m glad I only pay $300 or so for slightly dated and highly discounted AVRs. If the companies are going to charge $1300 and play the minimally acceptable engineering game I’ll just buy in at the lower price range where perhaps I am getting what I am paying for, and just be glad I’m too technically oblivious to know the difference. It seems like charging that much for such mediocre performance under the hood borders on dishonesty. For that kind of money it should just clean knock it out of the park. IMHO, etc.

If you go for highly discounted, it's harder for you to lose. The problem is price being used as a proxy for quality; they use that to mislead the public. Now I can appreciate why my father called all those manufacturers and brands 'crooks and thieves' and refused to even go into those 'high end' stores to buy expensive gear. He bought all his equipment from contacts and flea markets where he picked up high quality pieces for cents on the dollar.

 

[DubbyMcDubs]

This review could not have come at a better time, thanks @amirm . I was just about to purchase an MRX1120 for my theater room, and I believe its built on the same design. No idea what a better option is for 11 channels?

 

[starfly]

This review could not have come at a better time, thanks @amirm . I was just about to purchase an MRX1120 for my theater room, and I believe its built on the same design. No idea what a better option is for 11 channels?

At that price, get a Yamaha CX-A5200 pre-pro and then a separate amp. It's predecessor, the A5100, measured really well on Audioholics (so you could also go the used route). Yamaha also sells an 11ch power amp to go along with that pre-pro (definitely get that used, the 5000 instead of 5100/5200 should be just as good)

I know many people hate on Yamaha's YPAO, but if your room isn't too challenging, you can get a very flat response with YPAO, and the generated PEQ can be fully edited. I know I did, and I confirmed after running YPAO by taking measurements in REW.

Hell, and if you're going the separates route and just must have the best ever room EQ software, buy a separate minidsp DDRC88 (or something like that), which has Dirac, and put that in between the pre-pro and amp.

 

[GrimSurfer]

A prepro seems like the way to go.

I wouldn't trust a multi channel amp out there unless it was independently reviewed. Even then, my trust would be inversely proportional to the number of channels (for obvious reasons).

 

[DubbyMcDubs]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I am trying to avoid separates to keep it simple and keep my rack small. I am not the biggest Yamaha fan, but I should be more open minded. The JBL speakers going into my room are sensitive so I dont need much power either (4722's and SCS8's).

 

[temujin44]

How about Outlaw Model 976 7.2 HDMI AV Surround Processor? Is it any good?

 

[amirm]

How about Outlaw Model 976 7.2 HDMI AV Surround Processor? Is it any good?

It is a nice compact unit. Alas, like most products in this category, it has no useful specifications when I just looked it up. So until I test it, the answer is we don't know how good it is. Drop them a line and ask them to send one in for review .

 

[temujin44]

Done!

 

[amirm]

I think the peak power graphs are both labelled 8 ohm, the first should be labeled 4 ohm.

As I suspected, I had the wrong project file when running that test. Re-ran it and it is now fine at 4 ohm, producing nearly 2X more power this way. Review is corrected. Thanks for catching this.

 

[laidick]

It's a shame that Anthem MRX produces this result.
I wonder if anyone would give amir an AVM60 for testing....

 

[Rja4000]

@amirm
Hi
As I said in previous review, I still think putting the preamp out SINAD measurement in front for this kind of device is misleading.

That is NOT what's most relevant for those devices.
The most relevant measurements, IMHO, is from TosLink or HDMI to 5W power @4 ohm (Ideally in a 5.1 config, but 2.0 is a good start)
This is on that SINAD value + SINAD vs power (with lot of other factors, of course) that I'd select a product, so that's also on this one that I'd build the ranking. And that should be the top-level measurement, since this is likely what's most relevant for 90% of the users.
This measurement is anyway bad enough, at less than 70dB SINAD, to be shocking.

And, of course, in-depth, detailed measurement still have their place. But not in the top high-light.
Doing it in the way you currently do is just adding drama... and as such is calling for critics. And, in that very case, I think they would be justified.
At least they would be to my eyes.

Please, keep the AVR review to the same top-level we see for DAC and headphones/power amps!