Arcam AVR600 ex dem £1500

I can only give you my slightly biassed advice (as I own the AVR 600).......I wouldn't change mine for anything less than an Arcam AV888/P777. IMO. It is easily the best integrated AVR for 2 channel, and up there with the best for AV. 

It has had its problems, so make sure that you've registered it to get the 5 year warranty, and that it has the latest firmware. It would be icing on the cake (at that price) if you have the 3D board fitted as well.

Cno

I didn't know any receiver could do passthrough in standby.

Thanks for the comments the fiware on the box is 2.5do i need to upateif so to whatand what would be the benefits ?

the 3d board is not fitted as far as i know on another point supposidly a fair few amps passthrough in standby please correct me if i am wrong Regards Garry

The firmware updates are often about fixing problems, so if your amp is working fine then there is no need to worry.

I suspect your system is sounding better than ever on 2 channel (preferably on Stereo Direct and bi-amping front L&R).

thanks Cnoevil havent had the  amp that long so have not noticed any probs yes 2 channel is excellent dont know what you mean by biamping front left and right sorry please enlighten me  do you recall any problems running the auto set up as when i ran mine it said i complete error so dont even think its set up right for movies thanks again Garry

Hi Garry

If you are only using the amp for 5.1, the two spare rear channels can be used for helping power the front left and right speakers.....provided the speakers have the extra connections on the back to allow this. 

There is a setting in the menu of the amp that splits the treble and bass, using a separate amp to send each separately to the speaker.....this means another set of cables to each speaker ie. There are now two amps driving each front (L&R) speaker, one sending the bass and one sending the treble.

The effect is (imo) a better, more controlled sound.....well worth doing unless your speaker cable costs a fortune.

CnoEvl did you have any problems with auto setup or did you do it manually as mine is saying incomplete error

Yes, I kept getting speaker not present. The dealer kindly came out to have a go, and I think it only worked when they ran the auto set up on an input with nothing plugged into it.

Place the microphone face up at your seating position....and double check it's pushed fully into the correct place at the front of the amp (sorry if it sounds obvious, but it's happened before).

If you continue having problems, give Arcam Technical a ring, as they're very helpful.

Also, I find Dolby Volume makes a big difference for listening to movies at lower volumes.....if confused about how to do this, let me know. It's all a bit of a minefield for those not brought up in the computer generation (like me).

Thanks CnoEvil for the helpfull advice Regards Garry

You're very welcome.

It's well worth figuring out  the set-up of this amp, as it makes a surprising improvement in both AV and 2 Channel.....after all, you want to make the most of this remarkable bit of kit.

Thanks again the problem is i am not technically minded so with the setup i dont suppose ive even got it anywhere near correct so probably missing out on loads at present if im being honest i would say it doesnt sound a lot better than my trusted denon avca1d for movies but it excells in 2 channel

You are not wrong. My Yamaha RX-V671 and RX-V1067 both passthrough in standby, so I assume that any Yamaha surround-sound receiver at or above the level of the RX-V671 will also do so. I can't speak for other manufacturers.

Can you get the dealer to come out and set it up for you....not only should they get it sounding right, but you will learn a lot (just avoid the person who misled you).

Agree a price before hand, and try to get a favorable rate, given that you're a customer; and leverage the fact that they misled you.

They should be able to advise on speaker positioning/levels/distances, as well as setting up the EQ, which tailors the sound to your room and explain how Dolby Volume works:

- Go to the main menu (Press "amp" then "menu") under "Input Config"

- Scroll down to "Dolby Volume" and select "Cinema Mode"

- Scroll down one more to"Dolby Leveller" and switch off.

- Scroll down again to "DV Calib Offset" and try -6dB (Nb. The less the dBs, the greater the effect)

Once this is set up, you can access it with your remote by pressing the "Effect" button, which will scroll through Off -> Music Mode -> Cinema Mode......This makes a remarkable difference to the way it sounds over sensible volumes.

CnoEvl the person who mislead me was the manager many yearsago this shophad great knowledge about there products but in more recent years have been more like currys or comet but a lot more helpful so would not trust or want to pay them to set up amp thanks Gary

That's not so good.

My suggestion would then be to have a good chat with Matt, from Arcam. Tell him your situation, and if he can't talk you through the procedure, he should be able to make an introduction to one of their dealers (and recommend the right person), who live within driving distance of you.

A good specialist dealer will often be happy to help (at a cost), as (imo) selling hifi is often about making relationships with potential customers.