Reality is, people spent much more on their Arcam choice than others who spent on their Yamaha or Denon who it is not surprising that they would tell others the likes of Arcam, NAD, Anthem, Audio Control... etc., sound better. If you put them through a blind test, you will most likely find that when the test is conducted in an apples to apples way, preference will be evenly split, that's even if they really all sound different, let alone the strong possibility that comparable models between those brands likely sound the same or almost the same to ordinary humans.
So in my opinion, rather than believing what other's subjective views, it is better to go with specifications and bench test measurements that are science based and is objective. I stopped chasing the myths about boutique brand's have better build and sound quality a long time ago, and focus on acquiring media contents and loudspeakers, REQ that offers real return on investment, but its your money so if you believe in it, go for it. Between the two though, I would still have more faith in Arcam that Audio Control.
ASR measured quite a few Arcams, none did too well, iirc they measured the AVR850, 390, 10 and the AV40. Take a look if you are interested, just for reference.
