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Marantz AV8802A vs Anthem AVM60 vs Emotiva XMC-1


SemperFiAg08

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Later this year I'm planning on upgrading my AV setup by adding a pre/pro. I've read as much as I can find on here about these amps, and I'm looking for honest feedback on each from people that have owned them or looked at buying them (and why they did or didn't go with that model). My current setup is a 6.1 channel setup with heritage (Forte 2s and Heresy 2) for the fronts and surround L/R, with a Cinema F20, and it's 90% movies/TV and about 10% music. I replaced my Harman Kardon Receiver with an OPPO UDP-203 as a decoder and a Rotel RMB-1077 amplifier.

 

I have read many reviews on each pre/pro and have seen that they are all roughly in the same level of quality. I plan on using a universal remote to control it all, so ideally I'd like something that works with a Harmony remote with relative ease. I'm not looking for bashing a manufacturer, but just likes and dislikes for each (user interface, audio quality, set up simplicity, etc). I am leaning more towards the Marantz, but have a killer deal for a XMC-1 available to me. Thanks for any advice in advance.

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Just now, willland said:

Of the ones you mention, Anthem would be my top choice, then Marantz.  Never even considered Emotiva and most likely won't.

 

Bill

I've seen this response many times on this forum and other places and many who would put the Emotiva right up there with them.

 

Is there any reason why you put those two ahead of the Emotiva and why you wouldn't consider it?

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20 minutes ago, willland said:

Yes, their long standing track records.

Also, Anthem has ARC.

 

Bill

They all have their own versions of room correction, and I can't find anyone to say anything bad about any of them. Is ARC more rubust than Dirac (Emotiva) and Audyssey (Marantz)? I've read their marketing materials, but would appreciate any feedback on experience with them.

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Just now, SemperFiAg08 said:

They all have their own versions of room correction, and I can't find anyone to say anything bad about any of them. Is ARC more rubust than Dirac (Emotiva) and Audyssey (Marantz)? I've read their marketing materials, but would appreciate any feedback on experience with them.

Not sure which is "best" between the three top EQ implementations.  I am sure you would get many votes for all three.

 

Bill

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3 minutes ago, SemperFiAg08 said:

They all have their own versions of room correction, and I can't find anyone to say anything bad about any of them. Is ARC more rubust than Dirac (Emotiva) and Audyssey (Marantz)? I've read their marketing materials, but would appreciate any feedback on experience with them.

You've heard an Anthem with ARC.

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Just now, SemperFiAg08 said:

I have, and from what I gather, I don't think I could go wrong with any of the three compared to what I was and currently am using. I already know your suggestion...lol.

I've been trying to stay out of this conversation but HAD to point out that you had the requested "experience" with at least one of these.;)

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Stay faaar away from Emotiva pre/pro! <— Coming from a long time Emotiva AMPLIFIER fan.

 

I have no experience with pre/pro’s from Marantz or Anthem (have owned some top model Marantz receivers, for reference), so I will bow out. 

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11 hours ago, K5SS said:

Stay faaar away from Emotiva pre/pro! <— Coming from a long time Emotiva AMPLIFIER fan.

I know that they were extremely buggy early on but never followed the brand to see if they worked things out.

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Thank you all for the feedback.

 

15 hours ago, K5SS said:

Stay faaar away from Emotiva pre/pro! <— Coming from a long time Emotiva AMPLIFIER fan.

 

I have no experience with pre/pro’s from Marantz or Anthem (have owned some top model Marantz receivers, for reference), so I will bow out. 

 

This says a lot, but why would you say to steer clear of them? I've also heard they had some bugs initially, but haven't seen any recent complaints (last 12 months).

 

3 hours ago, Khornukopia said:

I have a Marantz AV8801. If I got the urge for something new, I would get an AV8802A.

 

What do you like about your Marantz compared to the others (if you have any experience with them)?

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20 hours ago, Boilermaker86 said:

 

Found this while reading this thread and thought I would share....

 

I was planning on locating an Anthem dealer near me to see it in action, but this video really helped. It might be a little more technical than I would have liked, but I think I've got someone that can give me a hand with that.

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13 hours ago, AHall said:

I’m loving the avm60 with my jubilees. It rivals my krell preamp for 2ch for sure. 

When Anthem got into pre-pros, they put their emphasis on the audio side as that's where they came from.  The video side was always a half step behind everyone else who was rushing to get their "state of the art" electronics on the shelves before the other brands did.  They spent more time de-bugging so that when theirs finally came out they were virtually trouble free.  I've had my D2 for 10 or 12 years.  It's never needed a software update or even a reboot for that matter.  I have an Anthem 2 channel preamp that's been trouble free for that long as well.

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