What Surround Receiver Also Has Amazing Stereo

in favor of SR8012 is that it has direct DSD by hdmi

 

Thank you fairaintfair for your reviews! We armchair audiophiles, newbies, and others here along for the ride can glean a lot of information from your insight and observations. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with us. I’m kind of jealous and wish I was in your shoes. Good luck on your search and please keep us informed with your final choice. Inquiring minds like mine would like to know.

 

Yes I’m curious how the Anthem 720 stacks up to the Yamaha 3080.

 

I don't see any point of going the AV receiver route.

You buy an AV receiver and new standards come into play, and the entire thing is obsolete.

Since 2012, I have been using a separate processor, specifically, so that I can use the surround sound processor just like any other source component in my stereo system, with the addition of a center and rear channel power amps.

Why buy anything that represents a compromise when you clearly do not have to do so.

Why not buy what ever pieces of stereo gear you want and then add a separate processor, center channel and rear channel amps.

This way, you have made no compromises with your system, you will have just added surround sound to your stereo.

 

do you know if Yamaha 3080 can use pure DSD without any convertion to PCM?

 

Happy to share! It's fun

 

Space is a major factor for me. I have zero room for more components.

I'm not really interested in new HT standards, and I will only update this box when it dies.

I don't need a crazy good stereo system (already have one) just one that's very good. My research has already shown me that very good stereo is possible with one box. I've also dispelled a personal bias about HT receivers (that they are crap for stereo) which I'm always happy to do.

I don't feel I'm compromising all that much, to be honest.

 

And as fate would have it, Wasabi sent me a killer deal for an Anthem 720 and I pulled the trigger!

Thanks sir!

Done!

 

You know you have to give us a review now.
And congratulations upon the arrival of your new AVR! Whatcha gonna name it?

 

Thanks!

Name it?
Hmmmm..

Monsanto!
Steve!
Chicken Lips!

I had better not name it.

 

Understand.

Fair enough. I look at two components which have changing technology that someone might want to upgrade, a DAC and a surround sound processor.

So to upgrade either or both of these components, you don't have to make any other changes in your system.

I agree with you in the AVR being OK for stereo.

A few years back my processor died and I was going to buy another one off of eBay, but there were none listed. So I bought a $900 retail Marantz AVR that was only a few years old for $300. The unit arrived in perfect condition, in the original box with everything included.

I used it for a very short time. But it did not integrate into my system, which was designed around having a processor as a source, rather than a final amplifier.

So I ended up gifting it to a friend.

During the time it was in the system, it sounded excellent with Blu-Ray's and DVD's, really sounded like just about any ordinary SS stereo amplifier.

And, this is coming from someone who really has no real love for AVR's.

After this, for most individuals use, a modern AVR with ample power would be fine.

I agree, I just wanted to suggest keeping all options open.

 

Denon I had was pretty excellent.

 

Why do you care? Let me explain, if you're not going to put umpteen speakers all over, then you don't need an Atmos receiver. If you can wire direct to your display, you don't need 4k switching. Really once you get to Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio, the rest may not matter much. So you might save ridiculous money getting a couple-year-old "obsolete" receiver. I saved my buddy literally over $1000 finding him a Denon AVR-2312 on Craigslist; he was about to drop $1300 and instead spent $100 cash.

As for stereo, I find my AVR-1312 and his -2312 sound quite fine in stereo. To me they don't sound like anything at all, which is ideal. Would a PrimaLuna tube amp sound sweeter? Well, maybe, they sure sound sweet, but I've never A/B compared them.

 

Because I feel the money I spent on my Anthem 720 was well worth it (in both sound, features and potential useages).

We all have our own standards of "good"(for example: I can comfortably say my PrimaLuna Dialogue will sound better than any AVR) and I'm happy that you and your pal saved some cash and landed with gear that works for you. Nothing wrong with that.

But my (now fairly extensive) research has shown me that I would be far from happy if I went with your advice.

 

Thanks!

I was actually stunned at the stereo sound improvement of HT recivers when I hit the $2000 mark. It was pretty impressive.

 

I have a Sunfire (Bob Carver) TGR-401 that I recently retired when I went to 4k in my home theater. It’s crazy powerful. I’m guessing it would do 2 channel nicely?

 

Yea that’s a sweet unit.

 

Yamaha RXV1 $3000 MSRP.Yamaha RXZ9 $4800 MSRP.These power my main systems.

 

I don't really care about every new feature they constantly come out with. I replaced my two generation old Emotive surround sound processor a year ago when the LFE channel went out, so I upgraded to a 4k processor, to go with the new 4k TV (and later an Oppo UDP-203 player).

Having an all around excellent 5.1 channel HT system to me is far more important than having all of the do-dads that they are constantly coming up with.

Home Atmos sound, consisting of a couple of inexpensive speakers bouncing off of the ceiling is not even close to the sound in an Atmos theater with 64-separate discrete ceiling mounted speakers.

My HT's sound sounds better than the average theater by a large margin.

I thought of doing that and did try it with my KT88 based PrimaLuna power amp and the Zu Omen Definitions.

I found that I prefer my Polk LSiM707's as front mains better than the Zu's. Besides the Polk's being better paired with a powerful 250-Watt power amp and a 250-Watt mono center channel amp, I don't see the need for a tube amp for HT.

Also, most modern movie sound, is geared toward SS amps, and I don't use the Altec's for HT, as they are positioned at a 90° angle to the regular HT speakers.

If I were to listen to only "classic" movies where the vocals and the midrange was everything, then I would most certainly use a tube power amp for HT.

 

I backed into a version of the system several folks have talked about: The Anthem MRX-720 for 7.2 Home Theater and The Parasound HINT 6 for the mains and subs for stereo sound. I had been a long time owner of Yamaha AVRs 30 years. Typically from their top end lines. The last time I bought the Avantage 1070. I had become less enamored with the sound over time. More channels shared between the power supply and other tweaks to help keep the cost down was beginning to disillusion me. When I added new speakers to my home theater the sound was very good but I found after an hour or so of high level listening I tended to start turning the volume down. At first I didn't think of it as listening fatigue, but that is exactly what it was. I had listening to these same speakers at my dealer at equally high, or higher volumes for longer time periods. So in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't the speakers, but my electronics.

About 18 months ago I added vinyl back into the mix after 30 years away and I was frankly blown away at how good it could sound. It left me curious about how much better it could sound. I added the Parasound Hint 6 and the answer was significant better. My wife noticed the difference right away and she is not a critical listener. Meanwhile there was an update to the software to the Yamaha and my Apple TV which left me unable to process 4K + HDR. This got me thinking: What was I missing out on in terms of Home Theater sound? A modern high end AVR would have a newer flavor of HDMI and Spending more should get me better sound. I put it to my dealer: How much more would I have to spend to realize a tangible improvement in multi-channel sound. I came home with the Anthem-720. I had planned on the a high end Marantz receiver, but my dealer suggested I try Anthem due to it's excellent room correction software. It also had a lot of flexibility in the setup.

I got the 720 home and out of the box, there was an improvement. It was definitely cleaner and I could listen for long periods of time with no signs of listener fatigue. I was busy with work and really didn't have the quality time needed to set up the various menus and configurations to customize the experience to my needs. More importantly I did not have the time to run the ARC room correction. I finally devoted a quiet Sunday to the task of getting the receiver set up and the ARC run. All I can say is WOW. ARC blew Yamahas YPAO out of the water!! I really never expected to notice this much of a difference. The 7.2 surround sound was cleaner, more detailed and had amazingly precise spacial placement. There was no doubt in my mind the 720 was a keeper. My Yamaha was moved out to drive the system in the Living Room. Now I am using the Parasound for the mains and subs, but based on what I hear from the 720 I can't imagine it not doing a stellar job in 2 channel sound.

For those of you who had some questions about things you could do with the 720 let me describe some of the flexibility. You have a total of 30 inputs. These are virtual inputs you set up which selects various physical inputs and how they are configured. You have 4 different ARC profiles you can assign to the 30 inputs. These four profiles can represent different speaker configurations: 2.0 or 2.1, 5,1, 7.2 etc. They can also represent different seating locations. You can have one ARC profile where the measurements are taken at your seat-the sweet spot. If you are feeling generous, you can make another profile where you take measurements at various seats around your listening room and ARC comes up with the best average setting for all of these locations. You can create sets of Speaker's Configurations which includes which speakers are used (2.1 vs 7.2), there size, location, distance, crossover frequencies and ARC profile. When you create one of these 30 inputs, you name it, select the source jack for audio, the source jack for video, the Speaker Configuration, mode for stereo sources, mode for multi channels (limited choice of DSPs or none) and lip synch delay. There are several other geeky settings that can be stored with the virtual inputs.

So you can create an input "LPs-Solo" for when you are alone. It selects the phono jacks as the audio source, selects the Speaker Configuration which has the mains or mains plus sub(s) active using the ARC setting you stored for listening alone from your sweet spot. You create a second input "LPs-Group" which changes the Speaker Configuration to a version with the ARC for multiple listening locations. You create additional virtual inputs for the other sources you have and the variations in how you want to drive them. For example I have two versions for my Apple TV for 2-channel and multichannel sources. This setup is a bit time consuming and seems complex at first, but once you get the hang of it , things go quickly.

Some comments/considerations if you are considering the Anthem-720.

• If you bring one home for a home audition you MUST take the time to properly set up the ARC room correction. This is the ace in the hole this receiver has which helps set it apart from it's competitors.
• If you are not good at wading through multi-level set up menus you should consider buying it locally (vs mail order) from a dealer you is willing to assist you through the setup process.

 

Seconded. Anthem is so much better for Stereo and for music than the Yamahas, the Marantz, the Denon, the Onkyo, and the Pioneers that it is many times superior. Anthem is music first, even in 5.1 and not compromised to be cheap. If you must have surround but want great Stereo, this is the closest you get for excelling at both

 

1990 TOTL PIONEER VSX-D1S a 130w gorgeous-sounding powerhouse of a stereo receiver
that just so happens to have DOLBY PRO LOGIC-based surround provisions hung upon it;

 

Wonderful thoughts. Thanks for sharing...I'm still in deep with my new 720 and am working out some speaker pairing issues. I'm not convinced that my speakers are a best fit. BUT I have to try ARC.

 

My Primare SPA 21 is in the shop and it looks like they are about to pull the plug as irreparable, so this thread was a godsend as fairaintfair's questions and exploration were the very same ones I was going through. As such, I'm leaning heavily towards buying an Anthem, although perhaps leaning towards the mrx 520 rather than the 720 just because I only have 5 speakers and no plans to do more than that. I see I'd be giving up on Dolby Atmos and DTS-X (assuming my Oppo doesn't handle those otherwise) and the 520 is 100 watts per channel vs. 140 for the 720. I'm wondering if fairaintfair considered the "lesser unit," and if I should consider the difference in wattage as a deal breaker from a sound quality perspective (driving my Thiel 150 w maximum cs1.5s as my main 2 speakers). Otherwise, I'm checking to see if you remain happy with your purchase a few months down the road....

 

Bonus question- I'm used to an all in one unit with my Primare. In browsing ebay, I see you can buy used Anthem pre-amps and amps, and the pricing is at least competitive with buying an all in one system like the 520 or 720. Is there a benefit from a sound quality perspective to having the pre-amp and amp in separate components assuming you have space for both?