Where to after AVR600?
A pleasure Cno.FWIW i am not commenting on stereo performance as I only listen in multichannel but IMHO the processing/DSP and room EQ including SQ is better than my old Lexicon DC2 and ARCAM AVR 500. The amp stage is pretty good but obviously not as smooth or powerful as the Arcam. Having heard the MRX 300 used as a pre/pro hooked up to an Anthem Statement A5 amp it sounded better than most I have ever heard.
The game changer with the Anthem is ARC room EQ. Anthem pre/pro's start at over £6k and top line is £8k. With ever changing DSP for £1100 the MRX 300 is a bargain and has been stripped down for those that don't require all the frills. In my room the 300 is the best I have owned regardless of £. Add a stonkingly good power amp and you are good to go.
A pleasure Cno.FWIW i am not commenting on stereo performance as I only listen in multichannel but IMHO the processing/DSP and room EQ including SQ is better than my old Lexicon DC2 and ARCAM AVR 500. The amp stage is pretty good but obviously not as smooth or powerful as the Arcam. Having heard the MRX 300 used as a pre/pro hooked up to an Anthem Statement A5 amp it sounded better than most I have ever heard.
The game changer with the Anthem is ARC room EQ. Anthem pre/pro's start at over £6k and top line is £8k. With ever changing DSP for £1100 the MRX 300 is a bargain and has been stripped down for those that don't require all the frills. In my room the 300 is the best I have owned regardless of £. Add a stonkingly good power amp and you are good to go.
This should be of great interest to the OP if he heads in this direction. I have only heard the Statement pre/pro stuff and the D2V with Linn Power amps, and that was very impressive.
Exactly. Many people across the pond are using the MRX 300 for this very purpose including adding P777 amps. The D2V is awesome as is the AVM 50 but they cost a fortune and you have to have a mega £ high end system and deep pockets to warrant them IMO. I have spoken to Anthem and they have told me that the ARC EQ in the MRX range is very very close to the resolution in the D2V.
These are just my views and my room has really benifitted from the EQ to a spectacular level that has transformed it. I would not hesitate in bolting on a P777 if funds allowed and my speakers justified it!O
Well I had a listen to the Primare and it was very impressive, clean and nuetral sound reminded me a lot of classé. I will now try and get an audition of Anthem to compare, to be honest though I think the Primare will be hard to beat. All I need to do now is sell my AVR600.
Looking to upgrade from my AVR600, just wondered where to go next, I have a budget of around £6K more or less, should I go Pre & Power or all-in-one? Powering B&W 803s Fronts and B&W 805s rears.
Hi iainl2005
Audiolab's new 8200AP AV processor is worth a look. The 8200AP is a simple design but with an excellent level of all round performance. Well worth the wait 
Add five 8200MB's to the 8200AP and you should find a worthwhile upgrade in quality/quantity of power and overall performance.
All the best
Rick @ Musicraft
David, I have the Anthem MRX700, and was given to understand (by the dealer) when I bought it that the processing is pretty much identical for the MRX300 and the MRX700, just that the 700 is a somewhat more powerful beast than the 300.
David is well able to answer for himself, but I would expect the Pre-amp to be better in the MRX-700, even if the processing is the same. Nick from the Home Cinema Centre would know for definite, as he sells them.
It has been a while since I posted but thanks for thinking of me! As has been posted the pre stage is the same. To echo David's view though I am not convinced the pre-amp in the 300 would eclipse the AVR600. With a difficult room the Anthem EQ with a good power amp would deliver better results for AV no do doubt but for stereo the call would be closer. The Audiolab is a good call but again I am not 100% convinced it is a large step.
The D2V or the AV888 is the obvious step but Classe is also a consideration. Personally I would move on the PV1 and get a much higher specified subwoofer and a power amp for the 600.
The D2V or the AV888 is the obvious step but Classe is also a consideration. Personally I would move on the PV1 and get a much higher specified subwoofer and a power amp for the 600.
Agreed.
I can certainly vouch for Anthem, the D2v is the best sounding piece of kit that I have ever owned, and the ARC EQ system is truly breath taking in the way it tunes your surround system - it would certainly bring out the best of the OP's 800 series speakers.
I was very lucky in managing to pick up my D2v second hand, only a few months old, for considerably less than the retail price, so scanning the classified is always worthwhile - especially given that most D2v's end up in high end custom installs - so any second hand items are likely to be in mint condition (they've been in and out of a dedicated rack usually only once in their life) with very few miles on their clock.
Thats said, there are some very good retailers out there who offer some great deals, occasionally with the option of trade ins for your older kit.
I can thoroughly recommend Nick from the Home Cinema Centre who has posted above - contact him off thread and I'm sure he will be able to help you out.
I thought I saw a ex-dem AV888 for less than £3k which seemed a bargain to me
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The pre amp stage in the MRX 300 is identical to that of the 700. The only difference is USB/Internet radio, more power and a torridial power supply. As a pre/pro they are identical.
Cheers Ric for the clarification.
"Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again." André Gide