Anthem MRX 300 vs Anthem avm 40 vs Pioneer Elite vsx01 thx
polkfarmboy
Posts: 5,703
For my mini evaluation I will keep this simple and stick to the , PS3 bluray, laptop, Sqeezebox
Speaker wires are all MIT exp and IC's used will be all MIT exp1
Speakers will be Martin Logan Stage center, Vista mains and Source se surround ....no sub
Here is a link to some pics of the unboxing of the MRX 300 I did last night
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?132462-Unboxing-the-Anthem-MRX300
Well Last night and today I have been rewiring everything and have it all laid out on the floor so it will be easy to switch between components. Right now I just hooked the MRX 300 back up after disconnecting the pioneer elite. I have decideded to stick to spotify for now for the music tests as I am really familiar with the quality of it from my laptop using an hdmi connection. I think people who buy these products use mainly for the digital performance and not analog as most of us have different setups for that.I may later if I have time try testing out the analog using MIT exp1's coming from a squeezebox.
My first impression of the MRX without the ARC engaged is the bass is nothing great thus far. I just played LMFAO "sorry for party rocking" and hear a digital cymbals coming through too much but the midrange vocals and clarity are really transparent vocals were on another level compared to the pioneer so this might be a great thing for movies. Bass on the pioneer had slightly more thump but I ran a cal for all of my listening on it and vocals were shrill and did not have the air or gusto! like the MRX. The pioneer did not have sharp cymbals but it also never had the level of detail either. When I have listened to the party rocking tune on the AVM40 with ARC the bass is really full and vibes the floor at low decibels and the mids are sweet, details are present but with a lower distorted sound that blends everything together yet keeps individual sounds separated. Without ARC on the 40 the bass is about 20% better than the MRX but it does not have the highs like the MRX and vocals are the same. I think this might have something to do with the Emotiva upa5 amps versus the MRX's Anthem amps?
Playing "Neil Young" and the song.. "Look out for my love" the unplugged mtv version. There is great backing vocals as the female singer echo's the lyrics on the track. The pioneer had lacked the silky backing vocals but the MRX did not. On the AVM 40 with ARC however there was amazing decay as she sings "was I hurt to baaaaddd" this came through as a separate entity on the MRX and AVM 40 but not the pioneer so much as it was a little more smooshed into each other.
The guitar on this particular track was really forward on the pioneer and not to bash pioneer but for music it just does not work well with the logans on music. On the MRX this track was not what I would call bright but more of a forward sound. Strings were all there in great detail and there was alot of air present. I suppose if you have to hear all notes of the guitar you may like this this. On the AVM40 you really get more of what the studio enviroment sounds like. There was a part in the song were neil sings ' Hydrolic wipers bumping" and then the band makes the sound. On the MRX this was harder to catch and was not as separated from the band playing instead of being very clear and distinct like the 40
For now I have to say the MRX is very forward but not bright and a little sterile so far but given the source, my speakers and the bad shape of my room with not treatments it comes as no surprise. AVR's are not made for music but I think when I run ARC shortly it should give me a 40% improvement like the avm40 does when I ran ARC.
Still to come will be ARC on the MRX and also hooking this up to the AMP to even the the playing field more and flesh out the diffs
Speaker wires are all MIT exp and IC's used will be all MIT exp1
Speakers will be Martin Logan Stage center, Vista mains and Source se surround ....no sub
Here is a link to some pics of the unboxing of the MRX 300 I did last night
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?132462-Unboxing-the-Anthem-MRX300
Well Last night and today I have been rewiring everything and have it all laid out on the floor so it will be easy to switch between components. Right now I just hooked the MRX 300 back up after disconnecting the pioneer elite. I have decideded to stick to spotify for now for the music tests as I am really familiar with the quality of it from my laptop using an hdmi connection. I think people who buy these products use mainly for the digital performance and not analog as most of us have different setups for that.I may later if I have time try testing out the analog using MIT exp1's coming from a squeezebox.
My first impression of the MRX without the ARC engaged is the bass is nothing great thus far. I just played LMFAO "sorry for party rocking" and hear a digital cymbals coming through too much but the midrange vocals and clarity are really transparent vocals were on another level compared to the pioneer so this might be a great thing for movies. Bass on the pioneer had slightly more thump but I ran a cal for all of my listening on it and vocals were shrill and did not have the air or gusto! like the MRX. The pioneer did not have sharp cymbals but it also never had the level of detail either. When I have listened to the party rocking tune on the AVM40 with ARC the bass is really full and vibes the floor at low decibels and the mids are sweet, details are present but with a lower distorted sound that blends everything together yet keeps individual sounds separated. Without ARC on the 40 the bass is about 20% better than the MRX but it does not have the highs like the MRX and vocals are the same. I think this might have something to do with the Emotiva upa5 amps versus the MRX's Anthem amps?
Playing "Neil Young" and the song.. "Look out for my love" the unplugged mtv version. There is great backing vocals as the female singer echo's the lyrics on the track. The pioneer had lacked the silky backing vocals but the MRX did not. On the AVM 40 with ARC however there was amazing decay as she sings "was I hurt to baaaaddd" this came through as a separate entity on the MRX and AVM 40 but not the pioneer so much as it was a little more smooshed into each other.
The guitar on this particular track was really forward on the pioneer and not to bash pioneer but for music it just does not work well with the logans on music. On the MRX this track was not what I would call bright but more of a forward sound. Strings were all there in great detail and there was alot of air present. I suppose if you have to hear all notes of the guitar you may like this this. On the AVM40 you really get more of what the studio enviroment sounds like. There was a part in the song were neil sings ' Hydrolic wipers bumping" and then the band makes the sound. On the MRX this was harder to catch and was not as separated from the band playing instead of being very clear and distinct like the 40
For now I have to say the MRX is very forward but not bright and a little sterile so far but given the source, my speakers and the bad shape of my room with not treatments it comes as no surprise. AVR's are not made for music but I think when I run ARC shortly it should give me a 40% improvement like the avm40 does when I ran ARC.
Still to come will be ARC on the MRX and also hooking this up to the AMP to even the the playing field more and flesh out the diffs
Post edited by polkfarmboy on
Comments
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AVR's are not made for music...interesting comment. Nice review so far & once you get everything tweaked to perform at it's best the new review should be informative. The Anthem AVR's have caught my eye also."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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pearsall001 wrote: »AVR's are not made for music...interesting comment. Nice review so far & once you get everything tweaked to perform at it's best the new review should be informative. The Anthem AVR's have caught my eye also.
All things considered, I would probably agree, especially if the statement was "receivers are not primarily made for music". On any piece of equipment meeting a price point, compromises have to be made. Obviously the inclusion of features & firmware for video processing, multi-channel sound, volume leveling, compressed music procession, etc. are NOT directed at pristine music reproduction.
While receivers can do decent job (some, anyway) with music but let's face it, they are compromise devices for those who need or want both audio, video, amplification, and source switching in a single box. Nothing at all wrong with that.Sony 60'' SXRD 1080p
Amp = Carver AV-705THX 5-Channel
Processor = NAD T747
Panasonic BD35 Blu-Ray
Main = SDA-1C Studio with RD0s, spikes, XO rebuild, rings, I/C upgrade
Center=Polk CS10, Surround = Athena Dipoles, Sub= Boston 12HO
Music/Video Streaming = Netgear NEO550
TT = Audio Technica -
Quick update
I decided to just skip the taking notes and doing the comparison for now, the reason for this was I just had great fun listening to it. This is hands down the best receiver I have ever had the pleasure of owning. I watched a whole bunch of movies and cant believe the power this thing has for being rated so low in the wattage department. My speakers aint easy to drive and it really takes quality amplification to get them going good as opposed to quantity.
The MRX after a calibration with ARC (Anthem Room Correction) has a serious effect in my room as far as bass response is concerned. My Vista's sounded great. The receiver really puts out a punishing effect that is so much fun especially during Underworld. At the start of the movie all of the bells and whistles were ringing out during gunshots, stabbings and glass shattering all over my room. This thing has a great sound processor inside it especially when it came to panning the effects back and forth. Cowboys and Aliens was another movie I watched again and there is a part in the movie where a guy goes to drop some dumpage in the river and a space ship explodes, I honestly lept out of my seat to grab the volume on the remote and I knew it was coming but holy sh**. You would swear I had a subwoofer because the floor just rumbled and it was quick and very detailed
If some one was to take my AVM40 away tomorrow then I can say that I would not be devastated after listening to the MRX300. One though on my mind right now knowing ( being told) that the MRX is not as powerful at number crunching is that I have to get a new amp. I hooked up the Emotiva UPA5 and I noticed a drop in quality watts and this was totally unexpected!!. How can the dedicated amp not sound as good as a receiver. One thing that stood out was on TRON at the start where the he rides his motor bike through a tunnel and gets chased by the cops sounded like there was bass lacking and the highs were not as sweet as the bikes engine really revs up. I also put some music on and again the Emo was not up to the task as the highs did not have as much information and the bass was not as extended
After tuning in ARC some things stayed the same for music but had me thinking is this the source? .. spotify/laptop and the MRX was letting me hear the mistakes more than the EMO and AVM40?
For now I have been listening to alot of European techno such as Vitalic and tracks like " Poison Lips" and " Station" have so much more detail its truly great to hear it all come through the receiver that was not there with the AVM40/UPA5. It seems like there is some things the MRX can do that the AVM40/UPA5 cant -
pearsall001 wrote: »AVR's are not made for music...interesting comment. Nice review so far & once you get everything tweaked to perform at it's best the new review should be informative. The Anthem AVR's have caught my eye also.
You are going to hitch your train to something PFB does? That's dangerous territory. His review and set-up reads very haphazzard and it sounds like there is very little consistency from one component to another. Without consistency the conclusions really don't mean much beyond PFB's ears.
Maybe I read it wrong but it sounds like the calibration for each AVR is set differently, if that is the case, then it's apples to oranges.
I hope PFB finds the one he likes best, but his methods taken on face value have inconsistencies all over. IMO, I would do the comparo much differently but then this isn't for me.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
The bold and insightful wisdom contained within this thread is truly staggering. I am awed and humbled beyond words.:rolleyes:The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD
“When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson -
I think his candid comments could be beneficial to people searching the web for these types of comparisons. Is it scientific? no. But it doesn't need to be. It's a fair assessment of his interpretations, and as he has laid out his methodology, the reader can make a fair contextual judgement as to how they want to interpret his findings. Lighten up.design is where science and art break even.
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You are going to hitch your train to something PFB does? That's dangerous territory. His review and set-up reads very haphazzard and it sounds like there is very little consistency from one component to another. Without consistency the conclusions really don't mean much beyond PFB's ears.
Maybe I read it wrong but it sounds like the calibration for each AVR is set differently, if that is the case, then it's apples to oranges.
I hope PFB finds the one he likes best, but his methods taken on face value have inconsistencies all over. IMO, I would do the comparo much differently but then this isn't for me.
H9
I'm just curious to hear what others have to say about their findings. I always find them interesting & may or may not be what I'm looking for. But needless to say they are fun to read & usually count for something."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
I should have made clear that all speakers have not been moved from Original positioning. With Electrostats placement is key to getting them sounding good. my comments above are not the comparison as I said I never got round to that as I was having fun with it. Comparison will be done soon with fair testing but I might have to scrap the pioneer as its a pain and I don't want to trash it because it just does not sound good to my ears with electrostats or the ones I have
I think when you try finding a used one of these its quite hard and now I can see why people hang onto them. Most of the music listening done is with material I am very familiar with -
nooshinjohn wrote: »The bold and insightful wisdom contained within this thread is truly staggering. I am awed and humbled beyond words.:rolleyes:
Whats so insightful about your posts? I think nothing because its the same stuff in every thread ... "your a this and your a that" Is pretty much your opening line of every thread you reply in. It obvious you scour the polk forum picking on who you think is the least favorable
Who cares if you don't think I have used enough male bovine excrement audiophile terminology? Anyone care? -
I found PFB's review very interesting,But i do get H9's point on the review.I think some of us younger Audio Enthuseist try too read into more then what the OleTimers are trying too get accross to us.Lets face it younglings,they do know a lot more than some of us.Good post H9.You are going to hitch your train to something PFB does? That's dangerous territory. His review and set-up reads very haphazzard and it sounds like there is very little consistency from one component to another. Without consistency the conclusions really don't mean much beyond PFB's ears.
Maybe I read it wrong but it sounds like the calibration for each AVR is set differently, if that is the case, then it's apples to oranges.
I hope PFB finds the one he likes best, but his methods taken on face value have inconsistencies all over. IMO, I would do the comparo much differently but then this isn't for me.
H9 -
nooshinjohn wrote: »The bold and insightful wisdom contained within this thread is truly staggering. I am awed and humbled beyond words.:rolleyes:
I think the "meds" have finally gotten to you. Any visions of the Apocalypse yet? Any Oxy? I had some myself for a couple of days after the Achilles surgery--nowhere near as painful as a hernia though. About two weeks ago would be right for me too. Now I have a 20 pound Darth Vader boot on my leg for most of the rest of this summer. FUN, FUN, FUN!
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
@cnh..Best of luck with your recovery.I am do too have a total knee replacement at the end of June.Won't be on Oxy..lolo,but will have my fair share of Loritab 10's which i seem too like too much.Achilles syrgery i hear takes a long time too heal from good luck with the rehab.Nooshinjohn post i thought was funny too.
