Anthem vs. Marantz for Focal speakers

I'm not sure either option would be best for Focal.  The Anthem is very clean and high resolution, but this type of match with Focal is generally not a good thing.  The focal can be very bright/harsh with equipment that is too "solid state" sounding.  On the other hand, the Marantz would be a better match but it could turn out being too slow/warm with rolled off highs. 

I would actually pull that McIntosh MX-136 and Krell amp out and hook them up to the Focal.  That might be the best solution, unless you wanted to spend some good money.  For an alternative "new" receiver, maybe Pioneer Elite VSX-503 or even an Arcam HT receiver if you can find one in your budget.

I’m biased because I work for Anthem, but our new ARC Genesis Software will alleviate any issues you have in your room. Genesis will actually allow you to roll off your hi frequencies if the speakers are to aggressive for you.  Anyone without experience with ARC Genesis would not know that...

Just listening to the amp on its own without Room Correction is still incredibly good.  The idea with movies is to make things more intelligible so that you’re not going up and down on the volume 82 times over the duration of a two hour movie.  No two films are recorded the same and no two budgets for any movies are the same.  You can’t make the movies better than what they are, they’ve already been mixed, mastered, engineered, EQ’d, and produced.  Our products are just not trying to get in the way of what you hear.

the MRX520 is great performing Receiver for $1399.  The ARC Kit comes with it and you download the Genesis Software from our homepage.  It walks you through the setup.  Please don’t hesitate to direct message me if you have further questions.

Thanks,
Chris

I have a Marantz 8805 driving the HT side of our system and couldn't be happier.  I have always wanted to try out Anthem as well, both are good choices, so it's all about sound signature and features.  I haven't heard the Focals, if they tend to be on the brighter side, I would recommend Marantz.

I have even tried out the 8805 for 2ch music, while it isn't as precise and accurate as a dedicated DAC it is musical and has an immense soundstage.  Just a pleasant experience especially if you are used the even warmer McIntosh gear.  I was pretty impressed how much you get for the price with the 8805.  Their HEOS streaming interface is decent, but quality is great and supports native Tidal and Amazon streaming.  

Depending on high up you go in their respective lines, build quality and upgradeability is something to look at.  I know Marantz's higher end gear is upgradeable to HDMI 2.1 and are built like tanks.  Some of their processors/receiver support recently got updates to support movie/sound formats like IMAX etc.

ARC is better regarded, though I wouldn't count on it to change the sound signature dramatically.  From what I have heard, it should fine tune and balance things better than Marantz's Audyssey, especially in a less than ideal room.