Arcam AVR500 - Owner feedback

Good idea cno,
I have had my 500 for 3 weeks now.It is fantastic.It is sublime with music and movies have never sounded so good.It has been completelyy trouble free.Had a long talk with Arcam technical dept and they have assured me all the problems have been sorted.I am running the latest firmware V 2.5 which sorted the remaing probs.I have no over heating issues and Arcam have again assured me that I wont.
It does run hot and needs space but it is supposed to.
It is on another level compared to my previous Denon 3310 and comes close to my old Lexicon DC2 processor and ADA power amp, not as powerful but smoother.
£1300 is a steal and it comes with a 5 year Arcam warranty.
If you don't need pre outs and the frills just serious audio and picture snap one up before they go.Would have been as happy if I had paid the normal £2500 for it.

Ric

Thank you for taking the time to reply.....as an AVR600 owner, I totally agree.

It's for the reasons that you've listed above, that I have been recommending this amp to various people. I'd read that the problems had been mostly sorted out, but wanted verification of this. The last thing I want to do, is promote a product that ends up as a nightmare to own....no matter how good it sounds.

Cno

Cno,Looking at other forums the issues do seem to have been resolved.
It would be good to hear other users views.
Ric

ooh, running hot is a potential issue for me! My (soon to be delivered) TV unit will allow slot which is 500mm wide, 650mm high, closed front and open back. Is that enough?

thanks

Are you sure you mean 650mm high (that's over 2 feet)?

Aaaaagggghhhh,
Fans coming on every 30 min.
Problem started last night.
Spoke to Arcam today and sending unit back tomorrow so they can see what is happening.
When I bought the amp I was assured by the dealer and Arcam that all probs were resolved.
Apart from this I have had 6 weeks of fantastic sound!

Now here's an interesting one: I've had mine 6(+) months without any problems and been very happy, but about ten days ago it's started to develop a fault(?) that is minor/insignificant but annoying and possibly a precursor for something else going wrong?

My routine tends to go like this: turn on virgin media box, turn on tv, turn on Arcam (all via remote) - wander off and do something else for a few minutes whilst they set themselves up.  Until recently I then walk back in and have picture and sound.  Not now.  I have picture but no sound. Turn off Arcam, let it clunk it's way through shut down/standby, turn Arcam back on, wait 30 seconds - now I have sound.

This happens pretty much every time.

Thoughts?

Hi Keith, sorry to hear of your problem..........Not properly locking on to the signal is a known fault.

You could try putting the amp on first, wait for it to settle, and then put on the media box.

It's worth checking you are on the latest firmware as well.

In my case, the problem got worse (AVR600), along with other glitches which meant it had to go back to Arcam.

You could also contact Matt at Arcam and get his advice......better done by phone, as email is a bit hit and miss.

Cno

Cno,

Thanks.

I've tried turning them on/off in multiple combinations; quite fun in an odd way!

That's the firmware that was installed when I bought it?  Likely to have been updated?

I would say the firmware is very likely to have been updated.......I think your next step is probably a call to Arcam.

(The fun of alternative start-ups soon wears thin!!)

So in a thread where two owners posted, they both have / had problems? However good this amp is I don't know why anyone would subject themselves to the risk and potential stress. Sure enough ric has moved onto a more reliable amp. 

The AVR500 was a very problematical amp, even more so than the AVR600....but boy does it sound good!

Yes I did jump ship. What a relief is all I can say. Yes the ARCAM does sound wonderful but my Anthem receiver is fantastic, reliable and no software issues. The ARC room EQ is phenomenal and as a receiver I preferred its sound over the ARCAM. Not just because of the the room EQ,it also has serioualy good amps. I have now added an Anthem power amp and it has blown the ARCAM out of the water in all areas IMO. 

The newer 3D ARCAM AVR 600's are supposed to be pretty stable and as always sound awesome. 

IMO the 500 is just too unreliable which is a shame as when it works its brilliant. 

I'm truly pleased that you have found what you were after - great job!

Cheers Cno. Your set up looks fab by the way and i bet it sounds wicked!!!