ARCAM AVR600 Reliability Issues

I bought one 4 years ago and have had it in the shop twice now. In fact Arcam has it right now and my retailer sent me email saying it would be back next week. The first time it was the internal cooling fan. It was running all the time, winter or summer, hot or cool. It is a very loud running fan. Then a couple of months ago my right rear speaker began to output static. The one month ago the front right speaker began to do the same thing. I agree that when it works it sounds great but my experience is that it is no where near the money we all paid to have these ongoing issues and like the other fellow that is just posting what he experiences, well I am doing the same. I want my money back so I can get a piece that actually works well. Another note is that the dealer I bought it from has dropped all Arcam products as well because of what we all are complaining of.

Anthem is the way to go.

Also, those comments about how any brand and type of products will have issues -- you forgot about Yamaha.  They're the only ones that show it's possible to make essentially bullet proof receivers.

I'm probably a bit late to the party here, but I own an A/V integration company in Atlanta and sell a lot of Arcam products, so I thought I'd chime in to share my experiences with the brand. To start off with, I'll just cut right to it: the AVR600 platform did, unfortunately, have a lot of problems, and people who were new to the brand at that time were understandably turned off after the terrible ownership experience that some of them had with this particular model.

However, I think it's important to remind everyone that virtually every company in every industry has had issues with at least one of their products at one time or another, and anyone who is familiar with the brand will know that outside of this unfortunate blip in their history, Arcam has an excellent track record and in general makes an outstanding product. I have personally owned several models over the years - many of which were purchased as a consumer before starting my own company and selling the brand, and I have always had great experiences with them.

While I don't expect this to persuade a former AVR600 owner to consider purchasing another Arcam unit after their experiences with the brand, I would strongly urge anyone new to the brand to not make the mistake of assuming that because they had one troubled model that everything they make is therefor a poor quality product because that is simply not the case. Furthermore, their current platform (AVR390, AVR550, AVR850) is extremely well-reviewed and features the best room correction software on the market right now (Dirac Live).

So in closing, I would like to say to those who have owned the AVR600 and had a poor experience with the brand that I'm genuinely sorry for the frustrations you have incurred, and you have every right to feel the way that you do. However, I would encourage you to try to be open minded about the brand going forward and to remember that your experiences are not an accurate representation of the brand as a whole and will not be shared by the majority of their customer base.

Kind regards,

David Campbell
President - Southern A/V Direct, LLC
404-948-8585
www.SouthernAVDirect.com

Thanks! for sharing- David.

Firstly, as an Authorized Service Center only, let me clarify that I have no incentive to sell anything. I provide only Service.

I have serviced many hundreds of these AVR models over the years, and the problem areas are as predictable in each and every unit as summer follows winter, and in 99% of cases, very clear to repair, PROVIDED that the service technician doing the work does not try to cut corners to make a quick buck.

There is a solid and comprehensive work schedule to transfer these well-designed (but populated by iffy components) machines into the built-like-a-tank"s they were supposed to be.

If the technician skimps on anything, you are guaranteed to have continual problems.
If the technician does ALL the work conscientiously, you will enjoy many years of trouble-free satisfaction.

There is NO short-cut to reliability.

With absolute confidence, I recommend to any potential owner who is looking at these AVR's to pick up a used unit, if he really wants it, do the comprehensive overhaul even if it's still "working", and sit back and enjoy.

Menahem Yachad
CondorAudio
Jerusalem Israel