Time to upgrade AV Receiver


Hi All,

It’s time to upgrade, so let’s start with my current setup:

B&W CM10’s front left and right
B&W Center 2 front
B&W 685’s rear left and right
B&W PV1 sub
Yamaha CX-A5000 AV Receiver

Monolith 7X Amp
Panasonic DP-UB820 Blu-ray Player
Sony 65” X900H TV

At the time the Yamaha CX-A5000 was a budget pick based on financials as I was moving from a receiver with built in amp to separates, so I feel this is by far the weakest link in my system and so considering an upgrade and would to hear some expert advice. My budget is ~$2k - $2.5k and I’m going to buy 2nd hand.

The main use of this system is watching TV & Movies, though I’m also building a collection of HD music. If there’s one characteristic of the sound I’d like to adjust with this upgrade is that the sound can become a bit harsh when watching movies (Blu-ray source mostly) and so this is leading me towards Marantz as a brand but I’m open to anything so long as it’s compatible with the latest 4k HD video capabilities and also I use XLR cables.

 

Kevin

kdochert

Hi Soix, thanks for the advice. I see the Anthem products getting lots of glowing reviews, but which would you say has a less bright sound generally between Anthem and say Marantz or Arcam?

Marantz definitely has the least bright sound if that’s what you’re looking for IMHO.

I have the Anthem..  It isn’t bright, but agree that Marantz will probably fit your taste better

Thanks guys, I'm still keeping an open mind as Anthem would still be less bright vs the Yamaha I currently have from what I can read. What about Anthem vs Arcam? I'm mainly seeing thumbs up for Anthem in this regard?

Anthem all day.  You can tailor the sound to your liking BTW using their excellent ARC software.  I’d note both Anthem and Yamaha have excellent reliability records where Marantz and Arcam do not, so that may be a consideration as well.  Go with Anthem — you’ll be thrilled.