Arcam 600 AVR
blueboxer
Posts: 621
I just finished demo'ing the Arcam for the last couple days and have to admit I am extremely impressed. I was shopping for a two channel option and went to initially demo a Musical Fidelity A5 and Simaudio. I ended up getting steered into a room with the Arcam and was really impressed with its ability to play two channel so well. The sound was very airy, three dimensional, and the sound field was wide as one could want. The Arcam was playing some Paradigm Studio 100's, which sounded lovely as well.
I was very leary on whether or not the Arcam would produce similiar results in my acoustically challenged home and Mytho ST's. The shop was more than willing to allow me to demo the unit for a few days, so I decided to compare it to the Pioneer SC-25. After calibrating both systems for movies I gave them both a run with Transformers, Shooter, and some Unplugged DVD's. I was very impressed with the performance of the Arcam, voices were smoother and there was added detail. However, the price difference was greater than the performance difference.
I then switched to two channel. This is where the difference was very evident. The Arcam gave everything I threw at it a much more live and natural sound that the Pioneer could not even come close to. Both provided ample bass and midrange, but the Arcam gave vocals and the little details the sound I had been looking for, I was even surprised that my Mythos were able to sound so sweet.
Some things that favored the Pioneer was the lack of any pops or sync issues. The Arcam continually failed to put out any sound during the first couple seconds whenever any track was forwarded, I have read it can be a common issue similiar to those that NAD had. The Arcam also ran considerably hotter despite it's class G amps. Might be an issue with someone without ample space to vent it.
Video quality appeared comparable with both units, no clear winner and both remotes are adequate, but not stellar.
At 5K retail, I am sure there are some stereo components that would best the Arcam, but the ability to get quality two channel with the ability to expand to HT was a plus in my mind. Any other experience with this brand or amp, I would love to hear additional feedback and recommend a listen to those who have not heard it.
I was very leary on whether or not the Arcam would produce similiar results in my acoustically challenged home and Mytho ST's. The shop was more than willing to allow me to demo the unit for a few days, so I decided to compare it to the Pioneer SC-25. After calibrating both systems for movies I gave them both a run with Transformers, Shooter, and some Unplugged DVD's. I was very impressed with the performance of the Arcam, voices were smoother and there was added detail. However, the price difference was greater than the performance difference.
I then switched to two channel. This is where the difference was very evident. The Arcam gave everything I threw at it a much more live and natural sound that the Pioneer could not even come close to. Both provided ample bass and midrange, but the Arcam gave vocals and the little details the sound I had been looking for, I was even surprised that my Mythos were able to sound so sweet.
Some things that favored the Pioneer was the lack of any pops or sync issues. The Arcam continually failed to put out any sound during the first couple seconds whenever any track was forwarded, I have read it can be a common issue similiar to those that NAD had. The Arcam also ran considerably hotter despite it's class G amps. Might be an issue with someone without ample space to vent it.
Video quality appeared comparable with both units, no clear winner and both remotes are adequate, but not stellar.
At 5K retail, I am sure there are some stereo components that would best the Arcam, but the ability to get quality two channel with the ability to expand to HT was a plus in my mind. Any other experience with this brand or amp, I would love to hear additional feedback and recommend a listen to those who have not heard it.
Post edited by blueboxer on
Comments
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I've heard some Arcam avr's and my observations were pretty much in line with yours. Great sound,great build quality,pricey, yet a few quirks still plague them. Not anything major,little things. Kinda bugs me at that price point,they can't eliminate some of these quirks. Of coarse the big question is...Is the price difference over the pioneer worth it ?
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