Anthem MRX, or Keep What I Have??
scubalab
Posts: 3,101
in Electronics
Gathering thoughts/advice here...
We currently have a Home Theater setup consisting of the following:
- Epson Powerlite 8330
- Denon AVR-988
- Oppo BDP-83
- Boston Acoustics VR-M60 Fronts
- Boston Acoustics VR-920 Center
- Boston Acoustics VR-MX Surrounds
- Boston Acoustics VR-M50 Rears
- Boston Acoustics PV-600 (2) Subs
Currently have the 'itch' to upgrade and have come across an Anthem MRX500 for $650 with all original packaging, literature, and accessories (including the ARC kit).
Now, I know the subs are somewhat lacking, but they seem to do ok for us. The room size is approximately 10'x20' with 7'-4" ceiling.
Would the Receiver be a good upgrade? Or should we stick with what we have and either swap out the subs for something better, or invest in a multi-channel amplifier?
Recent upgrades (or changes) included the Oppo for Blu-ray and changing speakers from Polk RT800i fronts, CSi40 center, FXi50 surrounds, and RT35i rears. Love the Oppo, torn on the speaker swap... (there were pros to the Polks, and are pros to the Bostons, but that's a different thread!)
My holdback is what my Denon would be worth... Unfortunately, I think they're only getting $100-$150, and to me it's worth more than that. Would a $550 net investment in the Anthem be a worthy upgrade? I know that question is VERY subjective, but just looking for thoughts/advice.
Maybe I just need to be content with what we have, save the money, and stop obsessing about it! ... But, where's the fun in that?!?
As always, looking forward to what the fine folks here have to say.
-Al
We currently have a Home Theater setup consisting of the following:
- Epson Powerlite 8330
- Denon AVR-988
- Oppo BDP-83
- Boston Acoustics VR-M60 Fronts
- Boston Acoustics VR-920 Center
- Boston Acoustics VR-MX Surrounds
- Boston Acoustics VR-M50 Rears
- Boston Acoustics PV-600 (2) Subs
Currently have the 'itch' to upgrade and have come across an Anthem MRX500 for $650 with all original packaging, literature, and accessories (including the ARC kit).
Now, I know the subs are somewhat lacking, but they seem to do ok for us. The room size is approximately 10'x20' with 7'-4" ceiling.
Would the Receiver be a good upgrade? Or should we stick with what we have and either swap out the subs for something better, or invest in a multi-channel amplifier?
Recent upgrades (or changes) included the Oppo for Blu-ray and changing speakers from Polk RT800i fronts, CSi40 center, FXi50 surrounds, and RT35i rears. Love the Oppo, torn on the speaker swap... (there were pros to the Polks, and are pros to the Bostons, but that's a different thread!)
My holdback is what my Denon would be worth... Unfortunately, I think they're only getting $100-$150, and to me it's worth more than that. Would a $550 net investment in the Anthem be a worthy upgrade? I know that question is VERY subjective, but just looking for thoughts/advice.
Maybe I just need to be content with what we have, save the money, and stop obsessing about it! ... But, where's the fun in that?!?
As always, looking forward to what the fine folks here have to say.
-Al
Comments
-
Update - Spoke to the owner, the unit is like new, he upgraded to the 710. He'd be willing to sell the MRX-500 for $600. Tempting for sure, but looking for thoughts on whether this would be a "worthy" upgrade to my current setup.
Thanks - Al -
Its a fairly decent price on that and your going to get 2 more HDMI inputs, a VERY GOOD EQ (not that what you have is bad) that you can actually see how your room looks graphed out by speaker, and personally Anthem has a better rep than Denon by a fair margin.
I'd do it if it was me.
Part of me kicks myself for not buying Rich's SR7007 he sold for 200 a couple weeks back lol..."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
I have a mrx FS for $550, tell that to the guy and see if he will go to $525 or match my price and throw in free shipping... I'm shameless I know!!
-
The other thing holding me back is dealing with shipping an item unseen in person from Craigslist. Granted, I did speak to the seller and he sent me his contact number. Definitely seems legit, after speaking to the seller at length, but I'm still cautious. (Hey, PFB, don't you have some lessons learned from PayPal/CL...
)
Maybe I'll throw a lower offer and see if he bites...
Yeah, the ARC and the extra HDMI inputs would be nice (could finally lose the splitter!).
In that price range, would there be any better AVRs on the used market that would be an improvement over my Denon?
PFB - what MRX do you have for sale? Are they just the 300s? Or do you have some 500s as well? As I understand, the only difference is the power, internet radio, and USB input, correct? Was actually looking for a 300 when I came across this 500.
Thanks -Al -
Crap, I was thinking mrx 300. This guys giving you a 500, my bad..... reading skills. You have to jump on that right now as its a great deal.
-
I'd jump on that too, I almost bought a MRX-500 new for a similar price up here before deciding on the Onkyo I have now. I just didn't like the store salespeople's attitudes towards me based on how I looked.
Skinny jeans?
-
Yeah, customer service and dealer knowledge is crucial. Our local audio store has been in business for nearly 30 years, but I feel the owners have gotten lazy. The last several times I've gone in there I've been more knowledgeable than them on the specs of some of their equipment (and I'm by no means a guru).
Well, now you guys have pushed me... I may have to pull the trigger if he still has it. Will let you know... How to sneak this purchase past the wife... -
I have an sc37 and think the Anthem MRX sounds better.
-
I'm about to pull the trigger on the Anthem (and sell my Denon). Net cost to me = around $450.
But have other option that recently became a tempting offer...
Keep the Denon and use it as a pre for an Emotive LPA-7 amp. Net cost to me = $300.
What would you guys do...? I'm currently leaning towards the Anthem since it's a great AVR, and would help me eliminate my HDMI switcher. I know there's mixed feelings on Emotiva in general around here, but I'm trying to get unbiased thoughts on best bang for the buck.
Again, appreciate any thoughts!! Need to make a decision by tomorrow evening.
-
Better EQ would be my bet. Wattage is nice, but EQ and removing the switches simplifies things.
The Emotiva amp is a nice option, but honestly go for the AVR and dial in your setup with ARC, then decide if you really need more wattage."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
EndersShadow wrote: »Better EQ would be my bet. Wattage is nice, but EQ and removing the switches simplifies things.
The Emotiva amp is a nice option, but honestly go for the AVR and dial in your setup with ARC, then decide if you really need more wattage.
Thanks again for the quick advice Enders! I did see Rich's Marantz he sold a few weeks ago. That WAS a great deal... I just wasn't thinking about upgrading at the time.
Wattage doesn't seem to be an issue in our small theater room. I think the Anthem wins... If I had the coin, getting both and using the Anthem as a pre might be nice. -
EndersShadow wrote: »Better EQ would be my bet. Wattage is nice, but EQ and removing the switches simplifies things.
The Emotiva amp is a nice option, but honestly go for the AVR and dial in your setup with ARC, then decide if you really need more wattage.
Thanks again for the quick advice Enders! I did see Rich's Marantz he sold a few weeks ago. That WAS a great deal... I just wasn't thinking about upgrading at the time.
Wattage doesn't seem to be an issue in our small theater room. I think the Anthem wins... If I had the coin, getting both and using the Anthem as a pre might be nice.
You can always add more power if you need it, but you may not and can enjoy a very nicely dialed in system in the meantime.
Plus its less HDMI cables, one less powercable, etc....."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
I did a review a while back with the an emotiva amp hooked up to an MRX and AVM 40 both dialed in with ARC. Believe me when I say more power on those combo's did not equal better sound. If a 300 can drive my full Martin Logan setup then a 500 can drive almost any setup in a smaller room.
-
Thanks guys! You've been a tremendous help. Will let you know how things go with the 'upgrade'. I may not be as technically savvy as some who have written some fantastic reviews, but do know when something 'wows' me!
-
That's a good deal
The MRX by itself will smoke the Denon + Emotiva combo any day of the week. Anthem's ARC is much more accurate than Audyssey, MCACC, YPAO, etc.polkfarmboy wrote: »I did a review a while back with the an emotiva amp hooked up to an MRX and AVM 40 both dialed in with ARC. Believe me when I say more power on those combo's did not equal better sound. If a 300 can drive my full Martin Logan setup then a 500 can drive almost any setup in a smaller room.
-
Yeah, you folks sold me on the Anthem. That's pretty much how I was leaning to begin with. It was shipped yesterday and I should have it tomorrow night! Looking forward to swapping it out this weekend.
Thanks again for giving me the nudge! -
You wont be disappointed and should notice the diff right of the bat. If you need help with ARC then post back when you get it.
-
i messaged you. I went to Portland the next day. Hope it all works out good. Nice unit BTWYeah, you folks sold me on the Anthem. That's pretty much how I was leaning to begin with. It was shipped yesterday and I should have it tomorrow night! Looking forward to swapping it out this weekend.
Thanks again for giving me the nudge!
.. -
Hey Randy, Yeah, I did get your message and replied. I had already sent payment I think. The unit is scheduled for delivery later today. Looking forward to it. Again, I want to thank you for your offer to help. You and cnh were VERY gracious in your offers!
PFB - thanks for all the help, tips and advice as well! I know you've had a few MRX's, and appreciate you sharing your experience with them. I may take you up on the offer to help with the ARC setup. I'm assuming I can set up the receiver first (in order to get my video) and then run ARC. If so, I can then use my HTPC (desktop) to run the ARC software, right? If I understand correctly, I should be able to connect right to the HTPC with the supplied RS-232 cable without the need for a USB to Serial adapter (think my HTPC has a serial port...) I'll give the ARC setup a try and will PM you if I have any questions. I've run Audyssey several times on the Denon (with 8 or 9 listening points, it can take up to 25 minutes), and MCACC on our Pioneer in the bedroom. I understand ARC is a little more, but hopefully I'll be able to figure it out. Will keep you posted!
Have a great weekend all! I plan to watch a few BRs and listen to some tunes...
-
Got the Anthem yesterday. Spent several hours disconnecting the Denon, decluttering wires, installing the new-to-me AVR, and beginning the setup. Got most of it working as I want, but still need to run ARC (I do in fact need to get a serial-USB adapter).
First impressions - Dang, the thing could have passed for BRAND NEW! The ARC kit looked like it was NEVER used, as did the remotes (they even had the original batteries in the shrink wrap). There was not a speck of dust on or in it, no smudges or fingerprints, and not a nick or scratch anywhere to be found. The seller was fantastic, and gave me one great deal!
My only complaint is the lack of detail in the instructions. I think the entire manual is around 30 pages, and at least half of those are standard disclaimers, a couple pages of the panel layouts, warranty info, etc. It leaves a LOT to the user to figure out on their own. Hence it taking me so long to set up. But, I think once I'm done, it'll do great!
More to come once the room correction is done and we try a good flick tonight. -
We want to hear so impressions of the sound my friend.....speak up. lolHT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
OK, finally got the room correction done. Picked up a serial-usb adapter Saturday, but sadly, it did not work. As a last resort, I had an old desktop pc that had long been retired and it had a serial port. Dusted it off, fired it up, downloaded the ARC software, connected everything, and it worked like a charm!
Here are my impressions:
Once the room correction was done, the sound definitely came alive (not that it was that bad with the default settings, but the little tweaks, really improved things. I will say that I'm not a seasoned veteran at hearing the subtle nuances of different equipment, and have not written many reviews. I can say that there was enough of a difference that I did notice though! It is a big improvement over the Denon, which, in itself, was a pretty good AVR. The sound is more enveloping is the only way I can describe it. I still notice a little harshness, but I attribute that more to my smaller speakers (Boston Acoustic VR series), which, even with the Denon, sounded a little too bright with the highs. I can probably adjust that, but haven't done so yet.
The ARC ran beautifully, and the kids really enjoyed quietly listening to the test tones and seeing the graphs with the corrected curves. I'm thrilled that they showed an interest! I even spent some priceless time listening to some music with my 9-year old daughter. We listened to some strong vocal songs, instrumentals (George Winston, Eric Johnson), opera (Andrea Boccelli & Sara Brightman), rock, and pop. It was a song-for-song with my daughter. Most of what she played was Katy Perry, who actually had a song or two that weren't too bad! After the music session, we dropped in Madagascar 3 and popped some popcorn. It was a great lazy Sunday afternoon!
Design of the unit is great. It's got a little bit of a retro (90s/early 2000s) look to it, but I'm fine with it. The aluminum faceplate is very angular, but made very nice. The simplicity of the rear panel is a welcome sight. The on-screen menus are clean and very easy to navigate. My only complaint is the labeling of the direct input buttons on the front. You can rename the inputs in the setup, but the buttons obviously cannot be relabeled. With the limited number of inputs (9 total, but only 6 can really be assigned), I had to get creative to get all of my connections to work as I wanted them to. The remote is very basic, but does what it needs to do, and the backlight works great.
So, overall, I really like it. It's a definite big step up, and I think it'll be around for a long time in our theater. It's a strong performer, that I'd definitely recommend as a standalone AVR.
On a final note, I can't thank the forum members who offered help and advice enough. You all were great! -
Man!....I've had my 300 for 2 years and still haven't run ARC yet. Sounds like it could be a positive approach.
Glad you're happy!!Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!! -
mrbiron - I laugh every time I see your avatar - CLASSIC! turbolax
Yeah, the ARC definitely helped even things out! It was also a lot easier than expected too. Once hooked up to the computer and running, I actually thought it was easier than the Denon's Audyssey. The toughest part was finding a computer with a serial input since the X00 series don't use usb... -
One teaspoon of turbolax for fast, effective relief......*evil laugh*
I bought the serial adapter but like most things, they get lost by the wayside. I'll get to it during winter...Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!! -
I bought the serial adapter but like most things, they get lost by the wayside. I'll get to it during winter...
Did you buy the one Anthem recommends? I think it's the Keyspan high speed adapter. I tried buying a generic one from Staples, but it did not work - would not find the AVR... I think the Keyspan adapters are around $25-$30 online.
On another note, an old roommate and I used to watch Dumb and Dumber regularly with a few beers. Laughed just as hard every time. Love stupid comedies. Looking forward to the REAL sequel this November! Kathleen Turner as Fraida ****... -
I think one movie that comes to mind for knocking my socks of when I first got the MRX was inception and underworld. I watched need for speed the other day hooked up to a little Martin Logan motion 8 and 4 setup and it made them small speakers sound huge!!
-
Most of our blu-rays are Disney! Although, Cars is an awesome movie for sound...
-
Most of our blu-rays are Disney! Although, Cars is an awesome movie for sound...
Pickup How to Train your Dragon (both of them), Kung Fu Panda, Kung Fu Panda 2 as well.
Those are pretty good!"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Keyspan
Dan is right, how to train your dragon is one to test your full range.....check it out.Where’s the KABOOM?!?! There’s supposed to be an Earth shattering KABOOM!!!
