ottscay Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Since falling in love with my Klipsch rf-35 surround system, I have also fallen out of love with my Yamaha reciever. I spent the last month auditioning recievers in stores, but because the closest highend AV stores are at least an hours drive, I did not really have the option of bringing them back to try on my Klipschs. I was blown away by the Arcam avr300 (as some of you probably know) in the store, and I couldn't find a bad review, so I ordered one. It came in today, and I spent the last hour or so hooking it up. I was a little nervous that the wonderous sound I'd heard wouldn't "synergize" with my speakers, and furthermore the shop owner said that the units often need a week or two break-in period, and that especially the first hour or two can result in inconsistent sound. I'm pleased to report that if this is true, I will be astonded in a few hours. The first hour of Matrix Reloaded (good sound mix, regardless of what you think about the movie) sounds phenominal. Far more detailed sound than I've heard from my or other systems I've listend to. And the rc-35, which used to ocassionally provide muddy dialogue, now sounds crisp and clear all the time. I'll do a full review once I've had a chance to put the unit through its paces, but I am incredibly impressed in the opening hours of ownership. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottscay Posted February 25, 2005 Author Share Posted February 25, 2005 One quick question to everyone: I see very little mention of Arcam products on these boards. I know that B&K and Rotel and even NAD are mentioned, but why so little interest in Arcam? I know their recievers aren't the most affordable, but so far inee sounds fantastic. Is there something I don't know? Thanks! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 ---------------- On 2/25/2005 10:40:04 AM ottscay wrote: One quick question to everyone: I see very little mention of Arcam products on these boards. I know that B&K and Rotel and even NAD are mentioned, but why so little interest in Arcam? I know their recievers aren't the most affordable, but so far inee sounds fantastic. Is there something I don't know? Thanks! Scott ---------------- the reason that you don't see alot of people using arcam receivers is that the price is high and the features that we have come to expect in a receiver in this price range are not there... -no firewire (i-link) input for jitter free playback of ALL digital sources including SACD, DVD-audio, CD, and DVD's -no auto eq/room correction feature (probably the best way to improve the sound in your room short of buying new speakers) and people who don't want those features are usually opting for separates.... for a few dollars more you can get some very nice separates with better sound and more power... (and yes i have read the pdf on arcam's site about their power ratings and how they are so much better than other receivers.... they still are pretty weak compared to a separate outboard amplifier) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 Arcam is not available to me locally. Hence, I have no interest in the brand. If it is sparce on features, there would be no reason for me to buy one. The other side of the coin is that if it sounds good and does a good job with your speakers, then it is a good receiver. Enjoy the new receiver. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottscay Posted February 25, 2005 Author Share Posted February 25, 2005 Ok, that makes sense, although both Rotel and Sunfire get a lot of "love" on the boards, and I don't think their recievers are any more feature rich (in fact, Rotel recievers are quite under-speced IMHO, although the 1056 sounds fantastic). I don't have firewire equiped players, and I don't want to use EQ (if possible), so those weren't factors for me, but I can see why those would be important to others. Really, sound quality coupled with ease of use and space (i.e. a reciever) was what I was going for, and I'm not sure it can be beat for those two things alone. But everyone has different buying agendas. Thanks for clearing that up! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted February 25, 2005 Share Posted February 25, 2005 I have two Sunfire amps, but would not buy their receiver. The noise floor is a bit high as is the price. I went with a Pioneer receiver as a processor for the i.link and advanced room correction features. SACD sounds good via i.link, but SACD and DVD-A seem to be very slow to take off. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelerFan Posted February 26, 2005 Share Posted February 26, 2005 ---------------- On 2/25/2005 12:41:36 PM MrMcGoo wrote: Arcam is not available to me locally. Hence, I have no interest in the brand. If it is sparce on features, there would be no reason for me to buy one. ---------------- Same here. I've think I've seen Arcam in The Audio Advisor catalog, but never in a store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottscay Posted February 26, 2005 Author Share Posted February 26, 2005 So market penetration is another issue? Intersting...there is an authorized dealer within an hour of me, and since I live in Wyoming, I sort of assumed that if there was one in driving distance from me everyone must have them... Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underhanded Penguin Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 I like the sound of all the new Arcam units. It's definitely sound quality over features. In my personal listening tests comparing integrated 2ch amps from Rotel and Arcam, I preferred Arcam because of it's smoothness. Rotel was a bit harsh in comparison in the upper frequencies. Sure they are a bit expensive, but I could not get the same sound quality from a receiver with the same price that I paid for my integrated. Also, I like the simplicity of its design and button layout. If I were to buy receiver again I'd put Arcam on the short list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 If you don't mind me asking, what is the price range that AVR300 is in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 ---------------- On 2/27/2005 12:49:13 PM jacksonbart wrote: If you don't mind me asking, what is the price range that AVR300 is in? ---------------- list price is $1999 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottscay Posted February 27, 2005 Author Share Posted February 27, 2005 The Arcam AVR300 is now $1,999. It used to be $2,100. I got a hundred dollar discount when I purchased mine. It's little borther, the AVR250 has also been getting good reviews, but I wanted the extra power overhead and the preouts for possible use with amps in the future. The AVR250 MSRP is $1,600 I think. I've now been playing it for a few days, and I really love how incredibly well it does playing music. I didn't know my RF-35s could sound that good! I am getting two more rb-35s so that I can use it in 7.1 configuration (from people I've talked to, even skeptics of 7.1 have been saying that their DD PLIIx implimentation finally makes 7.1 worth doing), so I am probably going to wait to write my review until I can try that out. It'll at least give me a chance to compare 5.1 to 7.1 directly, with all variables held the same. It sounds awesome. I'm sure you guys can squeeze out a bit more sound from highend seperates, but I bet the difference is a lot smaller than you think. Scott "no I don't work for Arcam" Hartman Edit: Minnmale seems to have just beat me; he's totally correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 The Arcam is a very nice. In Australia it sells for $3500 compared to $2500 for the Denon 3805. Both receivers have great sound but the Arcam, although it lacks some features, seems to be more tailored for the audiophile. It definitely has a smoother (sound) presentation than the Denon. If dollars weren't an issue, I'd buy the Arcam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyattearp Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 I looked at the Arcam at a high-end dealer when shopping for my first AVR, but it was a little too pricey for the intro receiver. (need more Klipsch first) I was sold on the feature that bypasses all the 7 channel .... stuff, to a 2 channel for dedicated music. Supposedly for the audiophile that wants 7.1. You bi-wire the speakers. Will be looking strongly at it as I build up my system. I thought the price at this dealer was $1700. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottscay Posted February 28, 2005 Author Share Posted February 28, 2005 Well, here's a pic of my baby. Please excuse the ghetto media center it's in; I'm going to build a replacement in a few weeks. Anyway, after a few days of listening, I can only say that I am totally thrilled with the sound quality. I used to go 60-40 with movies and music, but now it's nearly 20-80. How about that, a reciever that made me want to listen to music far more often! I hope that I will be able to get a pair of RBs to set up a 7.1 system to fully utilize the surround processing, and to be fair there is another week and a half in my "break in" period (if there is really is such a thing). After that I'll post a more thorough review. But if some of you guys want a reciever that doesn't skimp on music quality, I have recommend that this be on your shortlist (unless you need i.link)! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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