RE: Arcam - Going for a song?

["Neil Ball" <neilball@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The AVR350 does sound much better than most AVRs when playing music.
It doe=
s
have a few shortcomings when compared to the current specifications on
current AVRs though =96 it has a built-in 2 input HDMI switch but will not
upconvert analogue video to HDMI so you need to wire both analogue and
digital video connections to your screen if you have a mix of sources. It
does not have on-board decoding for HD audio either although it does have
analogue multi-channel inputs =96 again not a problem if you have a BR
play=
er
with decoding and multi-channel analogue output. Not tested a unit to see
i=
f
it can accept LPCM over HDMI. Bit of a pain if you have more than one HD
audio source I suppose.

=20

The AVR600 is the first of their new models to launch although with an SRP
over =A32k it is not really the replacement for the AVR350. It may even be
that Arcam are simply deciding to let the Japanese brands take the lower
priced market as there is little way to compete on price and keep the
quality that Arcam is renowned for. The 600 does all of the usual onboard
H=
D
decoding, video conversion etc that is expected of current AVRs.

=20

So if you want great sound and can live without the onboard HD audio and
video conversion then the 350 is a bargain! Likewise the 280 for another
fe=
w
hundred less.

=20

Neil B.

=20

_____=20=20

From: ukha_d@xxxxxxx [mailto:ukha_d@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
rb_ziggy
Sent: 07 November 2008 22:31
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] Arcam - Going for a song?

=20

Just thought I'd pass this on. I've been looking to upgrade my AV
receiver for a couple of years and just spotted this week that the
Arcam AVR350 is currently available for =A3599 from a number of places.
Considering that this is a pretty high quality =A31500 7.1 amp this is
a bit of a bargain.=20

Clearly it's just about to be superseded by a new model but this one
does exactly what I need and the new model is probably going to be
back up at the =A31500 mark. Nevertheless, its a very good bit of kit,
especially if (as I am) you want to use the amp as much for decent
quality audio as well as AV.=20

Posting here as this is a very HA friendly bit of kit with serial
interface and documented IR (and discrete) codes.=20

I'll be playing with my new one over the weekend. I'll be able to now:
- Bi-amp the main speakers for music
- Play only stereo for the stereo sources with ease
- Switch sources easily (at the moment its a manual kludge)

With luck it should sound a bit better too. Once upon a time I was a
purist, with separates, no other speakers in the room etc. Now I just
want a decent quality, look good (or better, be hidden) and one touch
convenience and total integration in the house.=20

I'll be ebaying my Arcam Alpha 9 amp and Denon 2802!

Richard

=20



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