Looking for some advice, Anthem/Denon

[zb1080p]

Hey guys, im new to these forums, but i have been in the consumer electronics industry for roughly 4 years now. Im also quite the avid junkie. I was hoping to get some advice regarding my up-coming upgrade. I currently own the following.

42" Hitachi HDX 99
Arcam AVR 300
Wharfedale Diamond 8.4 fronts
Wharfedale Diamond 8 center
Wharfedale Diamond DFS rears
Rel 12" Subwoofer

So, my system sounds great at the moment, My Arcam is providing great power to my fronts, 240 watts per channel, bi-amping. But honestly I am unhappy with my sound and im looking to upgrade the entire system. '

I have found a buyer for my Arcam avr300, so im in the process of selling it off for a hefty price point.

I have the ability to purchase Anthem product at a great price so i have decided to do just that. Here is what I am looking at.

Anthem MCA 20 - 2 Channel Power Amp (drive my fronts)
Anthem MCA 30 - 3 Channel Power Amp (drive my rears, and center)

both of these amps provide 235watts per channel, and to my understanding are 2ohm stable, they are solid.

Now here is where i am having a little trouble. Do i go ahead and purchase the Anthem AVM preamp/processor or not. I really only have enough to afford the AVM 30 which is a solid piece, it has balanced outputs, a few balance inputs, Component switching, and powered IR. If i make the jump to the AVM 40 i get HDMI, If i jump to the AVM 50 i get HDMI with a video scaler.

We are talking $3500.00 cnd (retail) for the AVM 30

Now, since i am also in the industry i have the ability to purchase Denon product at a great price. I was looking at using the Denon 3808ci as my preamp/processor, I lose the balanced inputs, and outputs, but i gain the HDMI, DCDI scaler, and all the other great toys the 3808 comes with. I will not be using the internal power amps, I will use the Denon 3808ci as a preamp and my anthem poweramps to drive my speakers. Which i will upgrade a few months from now.

Give me some advice, what would you guys recommend, and if you are currently using a receiver as a preamp/processor with similar power amps please let me know how it is.

Im looking at using this system for quite some time, the Arcam is great, but i want bigger better sound, I want separate sound, but im not 100% sold on the pre/amp processor route, it just seems way too expensive... I dont mind spending $3,000.00 on power amps and just over 1100.00 on the denon 3808ci, but the anthem processor seems a little too much, considering it dosn't even support Dolby HD and DTS HD.

What do you guys think....

lemme know....

Signing off,

Zoltan Balla

 

[ParadigmDawg]

A lot of us including me use AVRs as the pre/pro.

 

[PENG]

I hate to discourage you but I think your speakers, room acoustics, or both are the weak links, not the receiver. The AVR300 is known for sound quality. I doubt the Anthem will make much difference for you.

Wharfedale makes nice speakers and I am sure their fans may think they are the best but if I had the AVR300 I would shop for speakers in the $3,000 a pair range.

 

[adk highlander]

If you are willing to be patient take a look at the Integra 9.8 or the Onkyo pro 885. Both have everything you are looking for and are about half the price of the Anthem. The avsforum site has a thread dedicated to both of these and there have been many comments from people who have moved to these models from Anthem, Arcam and Integra Research.

That said the Denon or any of the new Onkyo and Yamaha receivers would work well too and you will not have to wait a few months to get one.

 

[zb1080p]

I understand that my speakers are currently the "weak" link. I am just not ready to purchase new ones at this moment, I am waiting for a few reasons, but mostly because i have yet to see anything I like atm..

I am looking at picking up the Paradigm Studio 100's, ADP rears and the larger studio center.

No doubt, the arcam is great, but im looking for more.... so your saying to me that the arcam will sound about the same as a 3808, one anthem mca 20 and and one mca 30?

 

[Davemcc]

Here's a couple of options.

Look at the Integra DTC-9.8 that adk suggested. I looked into it's Canadian pricing, and although the Cdn retail is about $2,200, it can be had under $2K. Couple that to an Anthem MCA 50 and you are good to go.

Alternatively, if you want to use a reciever you could look instead at the Denon 2808 or even the 2308 depending on which features you absolutely need. There's no point in paying for amplifiers or features you don't need. In this case, you can go with the MCA 30 to power the three fronts and let the reciever power the surrounds, where more power is not going to make that much difference.

I'm using a Denon 2307 with a Rotel RMB-1075. If I were to start over again, I would probably do things a bit different, like start off with separates from the start.

 

[3db]

I understand that my speakers are currently the "weak" link. I am just not ready to purchase new ones at this moment, I am waiting for a few reasons, but mostly because i have yet to see anything I like atm..

I am looking at picking up the Paradigm Studio 100's, ADP rears and the larger studio center.

No doubt, the arcam is great, but im looking for more.... so your saying to me that the arcam will sound about the same as a 3808, one anthem mca 20 and and one mca 30?

This makes no sense. If you feel the weakest link in the chain is the speakers, why are you selling your amp? It makes no sense. Secondly, have you considered treating your room acoustically? Leave the expensive options to the last possible point. If I were you, I would rethink your game plan.

 

[PENG]

I am looking at picking up the Paradigm Studio 100's, ADP rears and the larger studio center.

No doubt, the arcam is great, but im looking for more.... so your saying to me that the arcam will sound about the same as a 3808, one anthem mca 20 and and one mca 30?

Again, your speakers are good, but they can't compare with something like the Studio 100. I didn't say the Arcam will sound the same as a 3808+MCA30. Since you asked, I will now say that I bet (not for sure) they will sound the same, through your current speakers.

I will also bet (almost guarantee) that your AVR300 will sound great with the Studio 100, or the Energy Veritas 2.2i (or higher models). You will still have hard time telling the difference between the MCA30 and the AVR300, even with the Studios. You may have to upgrade to Paradigm's Signature series or BMW800 series before you will appreciate the Anthem more. I am not saying all amps sound the same, but I know speakers sound quite different. There are always exceptions, so some speakers may sound similar, but most of the time they just don't.

By the way, if you manage to find any PROFESSIONAL review(s) that do not rate/rank the AVR300 top notch, please post a link. Lastly, fyi my H.T. system is powered by a 3805+Adcom GFA555, I have had no chance to AB it with an Arcam but I bought the Veritas only because it sounded so good in the store where they demo it with the AVR300.