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You are once again, the only TH-camr, who is honest about fan noise, app compatibility, on-screen menus and slowness. Other people do not mention anything like this…so appreciate the honest user experience ❤
In other's defense, it's possible they can't hear it or it doesn't bother them - 13:37...or they could be omitting it...impossible to know! Regardless, we appreciate your comment and view.
The fan noise was shockingly loud to me when I bought this a couple of years ago and I thought I had gotten one with a faulty fan, until customer service said that it's normal. I couldn't consider it usable for quality sound because of it but since I liked the rest about it I solved the issue myself by swapping out the bigger fan for a quiet Noctua one, and the small one I just removed altogether since it wasn't necessary. Given that even Noctua fans, which are top of the line, don't cost that much money it's quite bad that they couldn't get a fan that's quiet.
you are right about that although the fan noise is inaudible while the system is playing. Menus are slow on some of the other receivers ie Marantz & Sony ES which I didn't hear mentioned
I just upgraded to an MRX 1140 and couldn’t be happier. I haven’t tried to use the iOS app. But from a sound quality perspective, it’s the best I’ve ever heard. It also has a phenomenal web gui with excellent responsiveness which is a rarity in devices that aren’t typically designed with network connectivity in mind. It’s super easy to reassign inputs or amplification channels so I find it very flexible and intuitive.
Hey Everyone, Wanted to jump in here and discuss the numerous questions about setting up the Anthem receiver re: your laptop and an Internet browser (setup over IP). As stated in my review here (01:55) the MRX has been designed to be setup via the unit's display or via a laptop. A lot of receivers have setup over IP nowadays so this isn't unique or AS UNIQUE to Anthem as many of you are claiming it to be. Both Sony's new ES and Onkyo's receivers also have similar setup functionality. This type of setup is routinely aimed at custom installers, and while I could've made a bigger deal about it in this review, I honestly don't think your typical consumer is going to sit on their couch with their laptop "open" just to fuss with everyday settings other receivers can carry out simply via the remote and a better on screen display. This is why I rarely make a big a deal about IP-based setup features, because outside of die-hard HT enthusiasts and custom installers, I've never ONCE run into a customer who used this type of feature set. Furthermore, at Anthem's more premium price point, customers have a reasonable expectation to get a user experience that is on par with a product's asking price --Denon, Marantz, Onkyo, hell, even Yamaha provide for this. As for the App, asking users to be "beta testers" or to use a special piece of software to use it while in a beta stage is not realistic and/or befitting of a premium product. On Anthem's own website they openly advertise support for the control App, which I screen shot and included in this review. To my disappointment the App is not yet functional, something I also noted in the review. My apologies to those who felt I missed the boat here but I stand by my review and critique of the MRX 740. Thanks! -Andrew
"while I could've made a bigger deal about it in this review, I honestly don't think your typical consumer is going to sit on their couch with their laptop "open" just to fuss with everyday settings other receivers can carry out simply via the remote and a better on screen display." This is why there's really no excuse for Anthem not having a good (hell, a usable) on-screen menu. ...unless they really want a needless niche market.
Thanks for the reply. Just want to point out you don’t need to use a laptop. Mobile device like a tablet, phone also works. It’s more convenient than an OSD IMO because you can adjust settings without interfering with viewing.
@@lilnape2604 - Bluetooth and Wifi won’t work on my receiver when I’m not connected to the Ethernet. So the phone app is a no-go. This is where I suggested above, Anthem needs to fix their wifi issues. …as one of their couple of their nagging problems.
The design was the #1 reason why I started to look at this brand. The big led screen was a very welcome change compared to my denon and marantz receivers.
So glad all our (friendly and respectful) pestering worked! I've been dying to hear an unbiased review of this unit, and really enjoyed this one. Maybe Paradigm would be open to sending you more stuff review? I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on the Founder series. The 100f is my dream speaker I'm saving pennies for.
That would be great! Im also a paradigm owner, persona b’s to be precise and I’ve been having some hdmi issues with many current receiver (arcam’s AVR850) and thats what brought me to this video. Looking forward to having paradigm speakers paired to an anthem product as a possible future review in this channel, MRX1140 maybe? ;)
I've been enjoying my Paradigm Monitor 11's (Series 7) for about 10 years now. So I also would love to hear Andrew & Kristi's thoughts on their sound and how it compares to what I hear.
SO glad to see an Anthem review on this channel. Hopefully this is the start of more Paradigm product reviews to come! (cough*Monitor SE 5.1 system*cough) Thank you both, Andrew and Kristi!
I am a professional recording engineer since the 1970's. FAN NOISE! Totally agree. When I've been in the mixer's chair in great recording studios, they are DEAD SILENT. (only the ringing in my ears). In some instances, I've been like "Get that Mac into the machine room." In great studios, any noisy gear is located in an acoustically isolated in a separate space; which includes multi-track tape machines. So, Andrew, I've got it on your "fan noise" bugga-boo. Me too.
Thanks for this review Andrew! The comments about the fan were super helpful. I was worried it would be noticeable on the MRX receivers and now I'm really glad I got the AVM 70 instead. The fan noise would have driven me crazy, so I'm very glad that I haven't heard the fan on the AVM 70 even turn on yet. Also, I think it would have been helpful if you had mentioned that the OSD sucks because they made a much better interface: their web UI. I've found it's much easier/faster to change settings using the web UI compared to any OSD I've used before. It's a little different from most receivers, but I think it's an awesome feature.
Good job! I know for me personally knowing how it handles CEC and HDMI commands/switches is just as important as how it "sounds" or how low its distortion spec is. Specifications are important but not to the exclusion of everything else. Some reviewers don't even take the time to test everything in the "description" block and rush to validate/invalidate the spec sheet. Your "every day use" reviews are very important to me. I actually delayed my purchase until you could do this review and I'm glad I did. I ordered a Denon and won't look back! (Kristi, you're correct, it DOES look awesome!)
Been loving my MRX 540 as an upgrade over the Onkyo 646 that I originally installed with the Paradigm Monitor v7 system that I've been rocking ( Paradigm Monitor 9v7, Monitor Center 3, Paradigm atom v7 rears and 2 monitor sub 8) Compared to the older Onkyo the speakers now sound so much larger and rich down low and less harsh in the highs and the subs and mains blend into each other much better and I honestly liked the way the Onkyo sounded in my room for many years. I haven't been having the cec lag you are talking about but In the more recent update the cec power has definitely not been working
completely agree with your assessment of the OSD, but I feel that you may have overlooked the impressive Web UI that Anthem offers. In my opinion, it's one of the best interfaces I've seen so far, and I think it deserves a mention in your review. An AVM70-8k owner. Thank you for the review.
I just have to say, I found your channel while I was getting together what I wanted to do for our basement move room. I am not an audiophile and do not plan to upgrade all the time or try new things as they come out, but I just love your videos. They are just so entertaining. I love the way they are formatted and love the banter between you and Kristi. Thank you! Just love them so much!
I must say I love ARC. It made a huge difference the first time I ran it. I have the 540 and it has no problem filling out my open living space. I have ran it in 5.1 and 7.1 with a separate Amp. It is clean...AF.😊
I too have the 540 8k receiver. I have an older Anthem 5 channel amp in a small room (10 x 15) so I use the pre outs for the front three speakers and the mid heights and the AVR the rears for a 5.1.2 system. Superb sound. A friend has the 740 and the sonic signature is the same. Fabulous fidelity. Fan noise not as issue for me as my electronics are in a closet. My unit is wired and is controlled by my iPad with no issues.
LOL, one-week too late. I just picked up the MRX 1140 last week, since Anthem is running a sale until the end of the month. I'm glad I didn't wait for your review. The MRX is so satisfying especially after running ARC Genesis. It complements my 7 Paradigm Studio Reference speakers and 4 Paradigm Elite ceiling speakers for a nice sounding 7.2.4 setup. So far, knock on wood, my fan has been dead silent. I'm not sure if it's because I have my fronts and center running through a separate external amp. BTW, Anthem just released a firmware update which is suppose to address the fan noise issue. I do wish the Anthem had Aura 3D
Great review to you both!! I am a longtime Anthem customer mostly due to the two channel listening experience (I find it second to none) and it was groovy hearing your experience. I had gone from the MRX 1120 to the 1140 and that fan drove me nuts as well, I moved to the AVM 70 8K and boy howdy I am over the moon. The CEC has been a problem for a long time now, wish they would fix it.
Did you notice much of an improvement in audio quality going from the MRX 1140 to AVM 70? I am thinking to upgrade to AVM 70 from my MRX 740, mainly for independent subwoofer outs & to use balanced XLR.
@@HumblePeon2 I did notice an upgrade in sound (sound stage especially) but I would attribute more due to moving the TW AD-7300 v2.0 AMP with XLR interconnects. I also didn't have the 1140 long (it died within 48 hours) so I didn't get to put it through as much and having freshly come from the 1120 before that, it may be colored more towards the 1120.
As an Anthem MRX owner I can relate to the fan noise issue, which drove me nuts. Having said that, I reached out to Anthem about the problem and they directed me to a new Beta Firmware that was designed in part to address the issue. After installing the firmware my fan noise is gone!!!! for now at least.
Hopefully Anthem takes your constructive criticism into consideration for future tweaking. Fan noise, grrrr. Having the AVM 70, I get that the OSD is plain, but it's because Anthem expects all the tweaking to be done through the web interface, which I find to be awesome. As for ARC, I love that it has virtual inputs allowing different ARC curves depending on the listening. I also appreciate that ARC allows custom curves from 15hz to 20khz. I personally love the minimalist Scandinavian inspired design. However, I would like to see future designs with the industry logos moved to the top plate for an even better look.
I agree, have a mrx 520 and now added a 540 with an external amp and atmos. Fan noise is non existent to me as the unit is hidden away and osd means nothing cause I use the web interface for anything besides volume and other simple tasks. Both have been great and love arc. Had a Marantz and went back to Anthem. Maybe the Marantz would have been better if it was the latest with Dirac instead of Audyssey. Kinda wish I went with the avm70 but a little late for that
To be frank, I am an amateur to the newest tech in audio but I am a huge fan of home audio and HT. I decided to bite the bullet and "invest" in the MRX740. It sounds AMAZING. Setup is challenging compared to other brands. eARC connection to TV's is atrocious. Fan noise is a real issue. Slow switching drives me nuts. The design and look is incredible! I decided all of this BEFORE I watched your vids. I stated many of these concerns and praises on Anthem groups and I got SAVAGED. I am done forever with the Facebook groups and will only trust Andrew and Kristy for my information and guidance. Thanks for being there with honest information with no drama.
Great review as always, I have the 1140 and love everyrhing about it. My biggest annoyance was in all the advertising, they basically show the front panel as one big oled. Then you buy it, bring it home and turn it on, and boom its a much smaller brightly backlit display. If you didn't notice go back and look at almost every picture, it's jet black with a crisp white dB reading. Other than that, everyrhing is perfect and I love it
MRX 540 owner here - similar experience w/ the sound (only need/want 5.1). WAAY better than my previous mid-grade Denon. Running Golden Ear Triton 7's and a turn table w/ third party pre-amp. Top Gun II turned up to 11 is super fun. Never even heard the fans...now I'm worried I'll not be able to unhear them? Thanks for the validation review Andrew and Kristi!
Anthem receivers are so musical... I use the last generation MRX520 exclusively for stereo listening. One of the reasons to do so is how flexible the input setup is. I can assign a sources to multiple inputs but apply different EQ parameters to each input. So I can have my RPi Volumio setup both with and without ARC engaged right next to each other.
I'd very much interested in a new review of the Yamaha A8A and a new review of the A6A. I feel they'll knock Anthem out of the park in practicality and sound quality. Have been a Yamaha fan since 2013, and haven't looked back. Their build quality is just amazing! I still use the V675, and it is still able to rock my Polk Audio RTi A7 and matching centre speaker and JVC rear Omni surround speaker. It also doesn't overheat like the Denon and Marantz.
Thank-you for getting this review out before the end of the month! I've been wanting to go from stereo to 5.1 and the Anthem MRX 540 was on my short list but it's a long drive to the nearest dealer. Based on your review of its bigger brother, I'll be making the trip this weekend.
Great review! We are a residential AV installer in the UK and love Anthem. Not that this helps everyone, but pairing an Anthem AVR with a control system avoids the need for CEC. One product I’d love to see in your testing is a Kaleidescape (not cheap!) it will really push the audio/video capabilities of any equipment and with the ability to run scripts of predetermined scenes you’d find the testing process a real joy. Love your brand agnostic reviews!
You're not alone with the HDMI/CEC issues. I have the AVM 90 processor and I do have HDMI/CEC issues. Ive contacted Anthem about this and their response is well different manufacturers implement it differently. Using the apple tv was hit or miss with CEC. Thanks for the great in depth review!
That response should be illegal. Got something similar from Samsung. The funny thing is that it's them doing something terribly wrong as other brands interacted with each other flawlessly in my setups.
I’ve had my NAD T778 for quite some time now. Clunky on screen menu aside, it has been amazing for home theater and two channel. eARC has been reliable (ATV4K to TV to NAD), DIRAC with multiple presets, Roon ready, dead silent, runs cool and an elegant design with that glorious front display. An updated HDMI card would be nice, but not necessary until 8k is a thing and would only extend its life.
Thank you Andrew and Kristi for the excellent review. I own an MRX740. Want to bring out the most annoying item about this receiver. When streaming from Node 2i, via coax or optical, there is a lag of about 1/2 second when a new track starts. It is so unwelcomed. Anthem chose to introduce this delay for some reasons. If you still have the unit you can verify that yourself. On the other hand I have no problems with fan noise. I like the unit very much but at this price point it should be flawless. Thank again.
I have owned Anthem gear since the AVM 30, currently using the AVM70 8K Pre/Pro with Persona 3F, C and Bs. ARC Genesis has come a long way, now that they have worked out most of the bugs it is a very effective room correction solution.
@@Nikita-P ATI AT524nc & Parasound Halo A31/A51 Amps. I had all Parasound, but I was getting tweeter buzz with the 3Fs. The ATI is dead silent, no heat and sounded just as good so I use it for the front three. I am now a believer in Class D. Went ATI because the warranty is so good.
@@RobCos-io1tu I have Monolith 7x 7x200W A|B by ATI. I am thinking going Parasound A31 or Anthem MCA 325 and for other channels shorter Class D amp...or those bigger PuriFi for LCR. Good to hear about Class D on Personans LCR :)
Broken HDMI-CEC is absolutely a deal breaker in 2023. With how good modern CEC is on my Integra DRX-5.4 (same as RZ50), I'm NEVER going back to a Harmony remote, ever. I no longer have to use any other remote besides the AppleTV remote and an Xbox controller. The Integra not only turns the TV on (or off) with either the remote or the controller, but is also smart enough to automatically switch the input to whatever remote/controller I used. It's glorious, we are finally living in the future we were promised.
Thank you for the great review and thank you Kristi! I’ve been reading your reviews since Home Theater Review and always respected your opinion. I’ve been trying to decide between the Anthem MRX 740 and the Arcam AVR 11 for a while now, but I’m still on the fence. All I can say is Arcam, please send your AVR11 to Andrew and Kristi for review, I’ll pay the shipping 😂 Also, I know you can’t compare every receiver out there, but I did wonder why you didn’t mention the NAD T778. And last, you said sonically the Anthem is among your top three receivers, so I’m curious what the other two were. Thanks again for a great review.
Thanks for the review guys! I have the AVM70 which is one of the pre/pros in this family. Because the web GUI is so good, I never even think of using a OSD. It also works great on mobile. IMO its a better experience than even Denon/Marantz new GUI and you don't have to stop watching or listening to use it.
Glad you're enjoying your Anthem processor. For whatever reason the mobile interfaces and whatnot on the 740 8K appear to still be in beta, so I will have to take your word for it that the user experience gets even better with Anthem. Thanks for watching!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Hi Andrew. I am actually talking about the web interface which you can reach by entering the Anthems IP address into any web browser(including mobile). It's very user friendly and comprehensive. This is separate from the remote app and has a lot more functionality.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I have the mobile app on my Android device, thankfully for me it works fine on my MRX740. I assume your unit is running the latest firmware?
Great review Andrew and Kristi...this is the one I've been waiting for! I've been seriously considering an MRX-740 to replace my aging Denon AVR-4311 but even with it's great sound quality, I'm not sure I could tolerate the slow HDMi switching and fan noise. Hopefully Anthem can fix those issues via firmware updates. At any rate, that Sony 7000ES is looking better by the day!
I have the 740 in my system and you are bang on with the review the amp was designed for audio first and video second and ARK for me is the best out of all eq when a person has more time to understand it and the fan I never hear it , must be deaf…..lol “ great review from the both of you 2”
I’ve had an MRX540 since the 8K versions launched. The iOS app works on my iPhone, but I’m using the “TestFlight” beta version not a regular App Store release, so maybe that’s the issue. The app is buggy so I don’t use it much. Really agree with most of the rest of this. Have seen lots of talk about fan noise but I’ve never heard mine, despite listening for it many, many times, head behind the amp, nothing. In fact I’ve never even seen the fan spinning, in my admittedly cool temperature room. Honestly, I’ve been equally anticipating and dreading this review- I’ve really loved having this amp (replacing an old Denon AVR-1913), so I was really happy to hear that it’s so good sonically. Only things I would’ve mentioned that you didn’t would be how great it is to rename inputs and the level of customization available (compared to my old Denon), and maybe a mention of how the remote is a let down compared to the perfect chassis.
I appreciate the review and agree on the sound quality. I had a MRX540 8k and sadly had to return it. My personal experience was an array of bugs that made it impossible to use. The unit would randomly lose its ip address to connect to the web interface. Settings wouldn't hold. CEC controls worked incorrectly. The absolute killer for me was streaming my Sonos over coax connection, the Anthem cut off the first beat of every song and I mean every song. In one month I factory reset the device so many times I memorized the procedure. I re-watched your review of the Cinema 50 and decided to pick up the lower model Cinema 60. And that has brought me a lot of joy. So the story ends well. I'm very happy with the Marantz. It has zero problems. If people's use cases don't expose them to the types of bugs I encountered then I can see being happy with the Anthem. But I caution people to be very aware of the potential for bugs. You mentioned a few in your review; there are more.
i have the anthem mrx 1140 and had many bugs with the software. i was going to send the unit back but had the store i purchased it from hook it up and see if they could make any progress. as soon as they put the receiver on their network the receiver downloaded the latest firmware and all my issues disappeared . the network interface does not work well with certain modems so will not update latest firmware. now it does everything correctly and i am very happy with it but it was quite frustrating at the time
@@aaronrandolph261 when did this take place. I returned mine back in October, 2022. I found it shocking all the bugs because the basic mrx 8k models are a refresh of the prior non-8k ones. Everything but HDMI is the same. So at the point I got mine they've had over a year with something in consumer's hands to fix the bugs. As I used the coax connection with my Sonos I marveled at the notion that nobody tried this. Cause it was obvious. Or the CEC just flat out not operating properly. So maybe if I had hung on longer. But Anthem themselves took 21 days to respond to my support request. At that point I had returned the unit to avoid losing my return window. I grabbed that Marantz that same day I returned the Anthem and zero bugs. I'm really happy you like your unit. I just couldn't wait and risk it. But again, I'm very happy with the Marantz. So it worked out for both of us.
@@JoelDale this all occurred in 2022 also. i think anthem rushed the units to the market . people who bought these units unfortunately became beta testers for the software and because these units rely so heavily on being tied into a home network many people had issues. i was very frustrated with anthem and their customer service as it seemed they didnt have any idea how to address my issue. i told the anthem tech support i would be returning the unit and would buy a marantz receiver instead. they urged me not to do this and be patient and were confident the issue could be fixed. when i took the unit to an authorized dealer for either repair or return it literally took 20 minutes to get things worked out. i was that close to buying the marantz as it was my second choice but i am now quite happy that i was able to keep the anthem . your decision to go with marantz is a solid and sensible choice considering the issues you had as i understand the frustration with having a new piece of relatively expensive audio gear that dosent work properly. now that mine is working properly and i understand more about this receiver i am satisfied with my decision to keep it as it is the best receiver i have ever owned
@@aaronrandolph261 thanks for this response. Sounds like we think similarly. I know receiver brands have different sound signatures and people talk about proper pairing with the speakers, but this experience of switching through a couple receivers, from my original pioneer, really opened my mind to how different things can be. I'm glad we both ended up happy.
Have been waiting for a review on the Anthem 740 from someone willing to give their opinions, specifically to do with the fans. I've listened to this unit with Paradigm speakers and the sound is amazing. I find it amazingly disappointing that a receiver that cost 1000s of dollars would put the cheapest fans on the planet into this. And that's the problem to be noted... it's not the fact it has fans that is the problem, it's that the fans are garbage. Self mods that have opened the unit and replaced the fans with just better fans say the fan noise problem is solved. Anthem can fix this, they just need to be willing to.
Great review. I love my AVM60 and ARC Genesis. It’s been rock solid, a great replacement for my previous Emo processors. Surprised it doesn’t have a better OSD - the AVM has basically the same as the front panel display. One thing you didn’t mention is the power of Anthem’s virtual inputs. Really handy to create 4 speaker profiles and easily recallable inputs that can jump from surround to stereo from the same source.
Also the fact that I can still use the most current version of ARC with my AVM60 that is how many years old? Pretty incredible for long-term investment.
Great review. TY. Watched this to reaffirm my 1140 mrx purchase over the summer. I do love it. (matched with a parasound halo 31 and klipsch rf7iii) I use it in a movie room and have just one input (fire cube) so I haven't had issues with hdmi switching lag. My only complaint is the remote control feels a bit cheap as the buttons are squishy and not backlit and so require more attention making sure I'm pressing in the right place. Otherwise, no complaints. (haven't noticed the fan noise, and hopefully I'll forget that part of your review before I use it again)
Hey Andrew and Kristi, I love my Mrx1140. I'm surprised that you had issues with the 740 being slow. I can only guess to why that might be. I've never had any issues like that with my 1140. Everything's been lightning quick to respond. I'm about to add a bryston 4B3 cubed amp to my setup with my mrx1140, Forte iv's and dual JL E112's It's been a while, I hope you both are doing great!
I have the same experience with HDMI switching and CEC with my recently acquired AVM 70 8K. I have to turn it on with the remote, whereas my old Denon X3700H would turn on when I turned on my Nvidia Shield. Hopefully, Anthem will fix in a future firmware update. Very happy you finally reviewed an Anthem product as it’s highly regarded in the AV community!
the fact companies wanna charge thousands for something which has bugs. and is noisy is beyond ridiculous. u wanna charge that much money, it better be perfect, quiet and can do 4ohms no problem
I've had the 1140MX for a while now and I love it. I don't have any issues with slow switching. My biggest complaint is the bright blue light of the on button when watching movies in a dark room.
i'm still on an MRX 1120 setup 5.4.3. really enjoy it. the one thing with anthem's ARC is that while you can't use a parametric EQ like for yamaha, you really can dig into the shape of your preferred room curve to alter its slope and push sub bass frequencies if you want to. i find that to be an adequate trade off in letting the receiver then try to hit those targets.
I've had Yamaha, Denon, and most recently a Pioneer Elite receiver in my theatre, and i have to save I love the power and clarity this beast gives my movies! No fatigue even after a lazy day watching movies. Yes, the HDMI stinks, it's very slow, to the point may Samsung TV will switch off saying it has nothing to display, but the osd doesn't matter at all to me, as I use the mobile software either on my phone or tablet to switch things.
My after-purchase review on Crutchfield. Replaced an aging Denon AVR-5803 that was starting to have problems after 20 years of loyal service with this MRX 740 8K. The sound is amazing. One of my favorite things about this receiver is the virtual inputs. When you combine virtual inputs with different speaker profiles during setup it opens a lot of doors on how it allows you to use and listen to your speaker system. Maybe that's a common option now but, wow. I love how I can choose to listen to the turntable from one set of input jacks where the large fronts and sub are included in one profile, then change the input, which uses the same input jacks, but with a different speaker profile that has only the large fronts. I personally thought the ARC Genesis software was easy to use, especially after watching the Crutchfield video on the product page. Oh yeah, the wife immediately noticed the much-improved surround sound quality. I can now disable subtitles while watching TV. Kristi was 100% correct when she mentioned that the musicality and intelligibility of this receiver is number one. Oh yeah,, the app works perfectly now.
@ Andrew . I hope you still have this in house just yesterday we were blessed with a new beta update and guess what : Network Module Version: 2.2.203 Host firmware 78 - Optimized fan profile - Fixed volume sensitivity for analog direct on AVM's (was too low) - Other minor bug fixes and improvements I have been asking and hoping you guys got this units since I bought it at launch, great Review wished you would have shown the Web UI more as that is where I want it.
Hi A&K - just wanted to follow up my live chat request about simultaneous output to bluetooth headphones & speakers. I don't want a review of such functionality, just a mention of if the receiver does it or not. The feature is rare but so helpful for watching/listening in group situations where someone is hard of hearing (they wear the headphones). Documentation on this feature is tough to find and seeing a mention of it on your channel will hopefully encourage manufacturers to add it to their receivers. I know time matters in your videos, so I was only hoping for 3-5 seconds on "receiver has it / receiver doesn't have it." Thank you! I always enjoy your videos and watch them start to finish. Great reviews, great video, great audio (naturally). A pleasure to watch.
This receiver is Bluetooth capable (as mentioned in the review). As for the various ways it transmits and/or receives and what products it may or may not be compatible with, please consult the product's manual. I tested the Bluetooth on this receiver with an iPhone and our Alva TT turntable but when it comes to sending out (transmit) a signal via Bluetooth, I'm can't help you there. As someone who doesn't use headphones, this is not something I routinely test.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Thank you for your consideration and reply. The only manufacturers that offer this capability - as far as I know - are Denon and Marantz but I'm (selfishly) hoping it catches on. Looking forward to the next review, whatever it is!
A most excellent review. I couldn't wait any longer for this once you teased you had the 740 8K in house, and just jumped into the Anthem family with both feet two weeks ago - I grabbed the MRX 540 8K ($1,615 USD on sale at Crutchfield) over the Arcam AVR5. So far, I have a silent fan - fingers crossed it stays that way. If it choses to act up, I'm buying a Fractal Design PC fan for $15 USD, and installing that in place of Anthem's fan. I have my 540 8K paired with two Revel M106 speakers up front, a pair of Revel onwall M8 speakers for surround, and a REL HT1003 for the sub. ...our space isn't huge, so this little 4.1 is perfect for us. We're only running AppleTV 4K - we're not gaming, so literally, no HDMI switching. Because of that, I can't speak of the HDMI switching lag. For us? Not an issue. The 540 8K has 5 channels all rated at 100 watts. Which played into the deciding factor. When the Arcam had all channels driven, it dipped to 60 watts per channel. ...and I know with the Denon and Marantz, when you add more channels to the receiver, watts per channel also dip. So I really wanted to know what my speakers sounded like when all channels were being driven at receiver's full power. It's glorious. The onscreen menu isn't just atrocious - it's like...completely not there. LOL Using the web-app via the Anthem's IP address certainly helps get the receiver up and running - have to run software/firmware updates straight away, restart the unit, and let updates run for 10 minutes or so. Then if feels like you're on the right track for finishing the set-up. Until the software update, it was rather frustrating to get wifi or bluetooth working. ...the Apple App for Anthem? Yeah no. Not working. ...don't care though. Any changes made to the Anthem with the web-app is instantly updated in the receiver. Which is nice. ...I just hate the fact you need a laptop hardwired into an in-home network to make this work (last thought on that in a moment). Sound-wise, once I had my measurements input into the web-app and got the receiver up and running, the sound was outstanding. ...in two channel mode, it really sings. The clarity is surprising. We're hearing details we hadn't heard in movies before. ...and we don't listen at reference levels. We rarely go above 70db. ...usually hover around 65db for movies and music. Two notable moments were: Captain Marvel - when Carol Danvers if falling of the Kree spaceship into the California desert, just before she goes binary, she closes her eyes... and she takes a breath.... we never heard that with our old Denon AVR3805 with Polk LSi15 speakers, nor the Denon x2600H and the Revel M16. Now that I know what to listen for, I can hear with the Revel M16. Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry is leaving the Dursley's house, his breathing is really pronounced with the Anthem, and much more subdued with the x2600H. The rain drops hitting the train car, as they ride to Hogwarts. All so much more clear with the Anthem. ...Dialogue clarity is just exceptional. ...no more looking at each other, "what did they say"? Then rewind the movie, and play it over again... I share the same sentiment in that if Anthem fixes a few things, this would be a chart topper for the masses. This is what I've come up with... 1) The Fan issue with the 740 and 1140 just needs to go away. This shouldn't be a problem with a product family starting at $1,900 USD. 2) Develop on user friendly on-TV-screen menu that's just "plug and play" - all the features they have available on the web browser app, can be done on a TVscreen once HDMI is plugged in. Make this product "easier to use". I shouldn't have to jump through hoops. 3) Wifi connection should be easier to set up. You shouldn't have to connect via ethernet to download firmware updates. If an iPhone and iPad can connect to wifi signal, then this should as well. It should be THAT easy - refer to #2. ...AH! One more thing. I shouldn't need Google Home to set up Anthem's Wifi connection. ...there is absolutely ZERO reason Google should be involved at all. This isn't a Google product. 4) The remote does not have "movies and music" (Read multi-channel and stereo) buttons. On the Denon remote, if I want to listen to music in 2-channel stereo I should be able to push one button on the remote, and poof, I'm in 2-channel mode. There should even be a "direct" mode button, that shuts off all DSP or ARC adjustment features. Like...Denon. Instead, if I don't want to listen to Christine and the Queens "Tilted" in Atmos Lossless, I should be able to push one button and I'm in stereo. That feature is NOT present on the Anthem remote. Instead, I have to go through AppleTV 4K set-up and change from "surround sound" to "Stereo"... Fix those little things, and Anthem becomes infinitely better, because the stellar sound quality is all there, and they probably own the upper-end ($2,000 - $4,500) HT receiver market. The only thing that would make me look elsewhere, is if I needed over 11 channels of processing, and/or 4 subs. From there, you could go with the Anthem AVM 70 8K and get 15.2 channel processing - and use separate amps. But then you're getting into gobs of money, when a Denon 6700H or 8500H will fit the bill... Anyway, that's my story with my new Anthem. I still don't have ARC set-up, and not really sure if I'm going to do, as it sounds damn awesome as it is in a smallish (14'w x 12'd x 8'h) simple viewing and listening space.
Eish! Now my head is spinning. I’m looking at getting the MRX740, however with all the issues you’ve listed above and more, I’m beginning to have doubts. As much as sound is touted as stellar, it’s the ease-of-use that makes me fall in love with a product. The fact that you have to navigate through the Apple TV menu just to get to “movie” or “Stereo” is rather concerning. Even on my dying Onkyo TX-NR686 I could just press a button to toggle between the two. I was set on the Monolith 7x True-200 or Emotiva XPA Gen 3 before I came to Anthem, all because the aforementioned are not available in my country… South Africa🇿🇦 I also hear that there’s no phono-stage on the anthem?🙆🏻♂️
@@Turtleback8024 - Yup. totally get it. That crap is annoying. Switching from Stereo to surround is annoying (unless I'm missing something someone else can tell me), I do it so infrequently it's not a biggie. I don't end a movie part way through, throw on music, then two songs in, switch back to movies. I get my movie or music groove on, and just let it go. And if I switch from one to the other, it's a long session switch. It's never back and forth and back again. So that's not really a big issue for me, definitely not a deal breaker for me - more like a stupid annoyance that just shouldn't be there. The wifi thing irritates me. It shouldn't be that damn difficult. ...but that's only to update firmware and software. Mine is now updated - so again, I don't really care now. The onscreen menu - while I get people love the web-interface app thingy, there's nothing special about it, it's just dumb to have use a computer to do this, when it can be done on-screen the exact same way. Seriously, all those web-interface menu items (individual speaker distances and adjustments) can be seen and accessed with the remote on their front panel display - which shows up as a singular line item on the TV. It feels like Anthem is being lazy, cheap, or both here. Ever worse, once I'm set, I'm likely not ever going to dig in through those menus and futz with stuff again - I just hate that aggravation up front. Some of this could be fixed with a firmware update. They could add a "movies to music" audio setting as a "primary level" menu option. So yeah. If you're all about "easiest to use", then the Anthem (and Arcam for that matter) aren't the way to go. They're not necessarily "plug and play". Once they're set up, then it's "easy-peasy" with one little ding: the "movie mode to music mode". Just a dumb detail they missed, and really, could be so easy to fix. However, the sound quality, for me, makes that initial annoyance worth it. YMMV
You may be able to accomplish the stereo/surround on the remote with the DYN button. It controls the Dolby Audio post processing, which I believe you can toggle to music, movie, or night. The other option is the Mode Preset for Stereo source in the input in the app. You can toggle that between None for stereo and several other options including Dolby. I am assuming you’re talking about a stereo source though. If you want it to down mix a Dolby source to stereo, I haven’t seen that option.
@@xbloneeightseven I was referring to the stereo. It’s good to have this kind’o info before you buy the product. I’ll be more confident to setup my 740 when it arrives. Thanks for the advice.👍🏼
Soooooo glad to see Anthem get reviewed on my favorite audio review channel!! ❤️📺🎧 Always great content and very detailed reviews. Every product I have heard live in a audio/video retail store, they Andrew has reviewed I have agreed 95% with!! And then Kristi brings in another perspective or something I had missed while listening to a product in store. Well done you both!! Alway an absolute pleasure and always excited to see new videos released. Now that Anthem has made it to the channel can y’all please try get a hold of a ARCAM? I have a AVR30 and absolutely love and would so much value both of your thoughts on ARCAM. Everyone have a great weekend…. Thanks again from Dallas, Texas 🤓🤙
Thank you so much for watching. We would love to bring you an Arcam review. I've asked so many times that I've lost count. According to the brand, they don't have samples to send for review which is pretty much the story for all Harmon Kardon owned subsidiaries.
For liability reasons, we do not accept viewer units for review. Not to mention, if we were critical of a product, that could be awkward for everyone. ;-)
I just got the 740. I got the app working no problem. You don't need an on screen display because you can do all that from the app or a web page. Mine has zero fan noise. The HDMI inputs are slow. I haven't had time to run ARC yet, so the Jury is still out. Without Arc, it still sounds good, but no better than a Pioneer 505, Demon 4800, Arcam AVR11 or Sony 5000es, which I've had all of them.
My understanding is that the Anthem is more focused on setup using a browser on the computer - computer access of the receiver on one's network. I have owned the 720, a NAD T775 as well as a Denon 4700H. Of all of these I liked the Anthem best for its room correction. As for the fan there are relatively simple ways to reduce the noise. The sticking point for me is the lack of independently calibrated sub outs. Denon offers that. For this price this is inexcusable. Dirac pricing for current Denons and Marantzs is offensive. It's approaching the price of decent reciever for the room correction, bass management and the microphone. I like your take on the Sony receivers with 360, but would go with a cheaper model and possibly consider MiniDSP for independent sub calibration.
Here in Finland the MRX 740 8K retails for a cool ~90% more than the Cinema 50 (3749e vs 2000e) so in the end it was an easy choice, even with the Dirac Added Tax of the Marantz.
Thank you. I’ve been waiting for this review. I was definitely leaning towards buying Anthem until I saw the Sony ES review. The slow switching and fan noise would drive me nuts. So for me it’s Sony for the win. Appreciate your efforts-great presentation. I’ll will use affiliate links when I make my purchase.
Appreciate you tuning in! Kristi comments about her experience with the fan noise in our conversation - be sure to give it a watch before you make your final decision.
Hi Andrew and Kristi! Thanks for another great review! Btw. Have you tried the “advance settings” on ARC Genesis and make your own adjustments to the target curves ? If you haven’t, highly recommended. It’s how you’ll get the best out of ARC Genesis . You can turn it on by going to ARC preference on the left uppermost corner of the main page . Take care and God bless to you both !
Hi everybody, the latest firmware update fixes the fan noise. Do the update and you will see for your self. I have MRX 540 and the fan was very audible and use to come on regularly but all that has gone away. I was even thinking of changing the internal fans but no more. 👍
I have the 740 and barely notice the fan noise and the hdmi “lag” a few examples would have been nice.Anyway, bar none the best receiver I have ever owned.
I met the then presidents of Anthem & Paradigm in an audio store back in the 90s. I was heavy into McIntosh, but we spent a few hours chatting about everything from technical to justification for spending.
Yes, thank you for comparing the Yamaha as well. The Yamaha YPAO is not quite as sophisticated as ARC, but it works well and does what its supposed to. Yamaha has their own sound modes of which a few of them are really good. Regarding the Anthem and other higher end audio receivers, your usually not going to get all the fancy features but you'll usually get great sound.
I know the NAD t778 is a few years old now but how do you feel it holds up to these newer models? What does it need to compete if anything other than maybe 8k?
Great review as always. Love the ML's, you and Kristi have terrific style. Some notes to folks considering Anthem, I am a home theater guy, so it's from that perspective. First, I have the MRX 740 and zero fan noise. Not sure why not or why, but maybe I got lucky. Second, if you go Anthem, your installer or "you" will probably be in a beta mode for room correction. Our installer needed to do that, but once we got that worked around, ARC is superb. On the interface, I see a post below too but the best way to interact with the receiver is thru it's UI. Said another way, make the Anthem receiver a static IP address in your home network, then log into it, and there is a super clean set of menu's to play with. I do agree though, the rotary dial thing isn't great, but I don't think Anthem intends for that to be the driver for settings, they appear to want that thru it's UI access or probably it's app if that ever gets sorted out eventually. One other thing too, which is really a pleasant surprise, is AnthemLogic Cinema. This is my default setting, unless a higher level is broadcast (atmos or THX etc) and it takes a blah sounding anything, and walks it amazingly close to a real 5.1+ level of surround. Again, my ears are not yours, but the punch this receiver has across our 7.2.4 system, is worth every dime. And while I'm sure other receivers are just as good, or maybe better, but you only buy one receiver at a time as an end user, and so it goes, well done Anthem!
Swapped the fans in my 740 with Noctua's rather than putting up with them any longer. The OSD is awful, the remote is awful, but mine lives hooked to PC so that web interface is fine. Still a high recommend, I love the thing over all.
Thanks for the review guys, I've had the MRX1140 for close to a year and am loving it so far. Unfortunate about the fan noise, luckily I rarely hear it but I wish they'd engineered that better. Have to say I don't care for the OSD, any minor adjustments I look at the receivers screen but anything more major I use the website or app (no problems on Android) which is faster than it'd be going through OSD menus and doesn't interfere with viewing. I do wish they'd make more use of the front screen, album art, channels active, etc. Not sure if it's my Spotify setup/network or the Anthem but I don't find the Chromecast streaming reliable, sound sometimes drops out for a few seconds, skips or stops playing, hopefully just me with a unique problem :/
Love my 540, only complaint is the fan as you mentioned. Whenever accessing the menu I use either the app on my phone or my laptop. Have zero issues with HDMI/ CEC. Thank you for mentioning 2 channel !!!
As always, another great, unbiased review, and brilliant to have both your opinions for a balanced perspective. I wish you could get hold of some of Arcam’s theatre kit as I think you would be impressed. I have their pre/power set up with B & W main/surround and Atmos speakers and 4 Rel subs and using Dirac Live and Dirac bass control it sounds amazing. It’s always the one comparison company that I wish you could include but assume it’s because they don’t send you any of their equipment. The Arcam/B & W pairing is popular here in the UK but doesn’t seem to be elsewhere but would love to be able to hear your thoughts considering how great your reviews are. Here’s hoping for the future and thanks again for all your work 👍🏻
I have the mrx540, i agee with all the things you mention. I do 50/50 music movies. And it really is a great sounding receiver. And, the pre amp is extremly good! Really good!
Wow. Based on Kristi's follow-up you weren't kidding about the slow operation, Andrew. Damn. I REALLY liked the design and I've been giving the side-eye to the MRX540 for a while now. I'm scared of complicated setups and it is so rare these days to see any piece of home electronics that one can just appreciate looking at, especially an A/V Receiver. I cannot claim a 'favorite' receiver. I'm one of those sticklers who won't give up my component amplifiers so I was really only interested in this from a Preamp-operation point of view. But I would have liked Anthem to be my favorite just because of its poster-on-the-wall good looks, lol. I'd read about the MRX line's slow operations, lack of real OSD, and other issues. The fan noise I was on the fence about depending how often it cycles on/off. I have a pretty well-developed ability to adjust to ambient noise (which I attribute to growing up in a house with always-ticking antique clocks). Oh well. Thanks for possibly saving me from a regrettable decision! 😁
I was really hell bent on getting the Anthem MRX1140. No usb port for hi-res file to play music; the fan; and neither 1140 or 540 employ Quick Media Switching, even if it does have VRR. I traded my RX-A2080 just a few weeks ago because it was very slow to switch media. So slow, that LG displays 3 to 10 seconds of screensaver in between the black out. Too long a wait for me wondering exactly how long it will take. Even if it is images of finest artwork in the world
Thanks for this great review, I upgraded from a NAD T778 to the MRX 740 8k and have been pleasantly surprised, the ARC Genesis room correction (on auto) is better than the NAD, dialog is much clearer, thankfully I didn't have the same issues as you with the Android app, it just worked first time. CEC is also not bad, video updates fairly quickly, audio takes a bit longer than the NAD. Fan noise isn't noticeable, however I only have a 3.1 setup. All in all, very happy.
I owned anthem 1120, using in 5.4.2 system, it is solid AVR. 40 series anthem have assignable outputs and 8k. Arc genesis is very good room correction. I saw very few reviews on anthem when I bought mine, Good that not only you have done a solid review but also have good comparison. If one has good floor standing speakers this can be used a very good stereo listening source as well.
I recently sent back my 540 due to a number of issues. Fan noise was the final nail in the coffin. After spending a solid 6-7 hours over two days after work trying to get it on WiFi and IP, I could not get the ARC app to see the receiver on the network. I used multiple phones and tablets all loaded with the app, but none could see the receiver. Crutchfield was great to deal with returning the receiver.
By default, ARC Genesis doesn't try to correct any frequencies above 5 kHz, so I don't think that's what reduced any brightness/harshness in the treble (unless you changed it from the default). The black "target" line does dip after 10 kHz, but you can see that the red "measured" line and the green "adjusted" line converge just above 5 kHz, so this means that it's not altering the sound of the speakers above 5 kHz.
I don't have an Anthem receiver but I have an Anthem STR preamp and an Anthem P2 power amp and they sound great. I have had the power amp since 2006, its been very reliable, good build quality. The prices sure have gone up though. I paid $2,500 CAD for the power amp and at the time there was nothing that came close at that price point, but now the P2 power amp is $6,000 CAD!
Would you choose this (if it was the 4k version)over the rz50, given its double the price? How much ofba reliability/sound quality difference would there be?
Thanks so much for dropping this early before the sale ended. Another awesome video. I didn’t think it was coming so I bit the bullet on an 1140 8K last week. Crutchfield’s 60 day return policy made the choice much easier. I love the sound of this receiver. ARC Genesis is fantastic. Maybe the additional processing power of the 1140 enables faster switching as I haven’t noticed the speed. The CEC integration is not smooth though. I’m willing to pick up an additional remote to power things on and switch inputs to enjoy the sound from this receiver. At least the volume control over CEC has worked flawlessly so far. I’m extremely happily with my purchase.
It sounds as if the higher end model performs better than those below it. For those interested, you can get one on sale here bit.ly/3Ycvx3E ! So glad you are happy with yours.
@@frostman9661 Just went and double checked and I guess it is a little slow switching inputs compared to my LG tv. Like a full 1-2 count instead of pretty much instantaneous. Maybe my HDMI switching perception was like Kristi’s with the fan noise. Just didn’t bother me that much.
@@xbloneeightseven a couple seconds to me isn't a deal breaker honestly, and I don't think it's too big of a deal. I only switch between sources occasionally. But I appreciate you letting me know!
I have this unit. Good job on the review! Fan noise is definitely noticeable. I didn't have the same problem using the phone app as a remote control. It connected quickly, for me, after download.
Well this receiver will not accomodate a 13.2.4 setup even with separate amplifiers. You likely need to step up to the larger Anthem or go with a totally different receiver like this one bit.ly/3DyHEjb
Good review. A big deal breaker on some of these lower Anthem models to watch out for is that the two subwoofer outs are not discrete, so ARC will not calibrate the subs independently. Disappointing at this price level. I agree on the OSD, but if you're buying this level, you're probably going to use the web interface for configuration. I considered the AVM70/90, but I ended up choosing the JBL SDP-58 for my theater as I wanted Dirac with 4 independent sub outs.
There is nothing on the Anthem MRX line's web interface that can't be done on a TV screen - the way Denon and Marantz do it. If Anthem fixes this, and allows for an on-screen display menu, Anthem becomes far more user friendly, and infinitely better overall.
So the Anthem doesn’t have an on screen display but it does have a web GUI that gives you access to all the settings. Once the Anthem in connect to the internet all you have to do is look what the ip is and type that into the bar at the top of your browser on a laptop, desktop or even your phone.
Andrew, what do you think of older receivers compared to new ones these days. I have old school one Sony STR D1015 and I love it. I bought it brand new back in 95 and still works like new. Is there a huge sound difference in sound between new receivers and old school ones.
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You are once again, the only TH-camr, who is honest about fan noise, app compatibility, on-screen menus and slowness. Other people do not mention anything like this…so appreciate the honest user experience ❤
In other's defense, it's possible they can't hear it or it doesn't bother them - 13:37...or they could be omitting it...impossible to know! Regardless, we appreciate your comment and view.
@@KristiWright Trudat. My wife doesn’t care and but this drives me nuts 🥜 😂 and thanks for asking about Yamaha!
The fan noise was shockingly loud to me when I bought this a couple of years ago and I thought I had gotten one with a faulty fan, until customer service said that it's normal. I couldn't consider it usable for quality sound because of it but since I liked the rest about it I solved the issue myself by swapping out the bigger fan for a quiet Noctua one, and the small one I just removed altogether since it wasn't necessary.
Given that even Noctua fans, which are top of the line, don't cost that much money it's quite bad that they couldn't get a fan that's quiet.
Definitely one of the greats out there. Lots of decisions were made based off this mans awesome reviews.
you are right about that although the fan noise is inaudible while the system is playing. Menus are slow on some of the other receivers ie Marantz & Sony ES which I didn't hear mentioned
I just upgraded to an MRX 1140 and couldn’t be happier. I haven’t tried to use the iOS app. But from a sound quality perspective, it’s the best I’ve ever heard. It also has a phenomenal web gui with excellent responsiveness which is a rarity in devices that aren’t typically designed with network connectivity in mind. It’s super easy to reassign inputs or amplification channels so I find it very flexible and intuitive.
Hey Everyone,
Wanted to jump in here and discuss the numerous questions about setting up the Anthem receiver re: your laptop and an Internet browser (setup over IP). As stated in my review here (01:55) the MRX has been designed to be setup via the unit's display or via a laptop. A lot of receivers have setup over IP nowadays so this isn't unique or AS UNIQUE to Anthem as many of you are claiming it to be.
Both Sony's new ES and Onkyo's receivers also have similar setup functionality. This type of setup is routinely aimed at custom installers, and while I could've made a bigger deal about it in this review, I honestly don't think your typical consumer is going to sit on their couch with their laptop "open" just to fuss with everyday settings other receivers can carry out simply via the remote and a better on screen display. This is why I rarely make a big a deal about IP-based setup features, because outside of die-hard HT enthusiasts and custom installers, I've never ONCE run into a customer who used this type of feature set.
Furthermore, at Anthem's more premium price point, customers have a reasonable expectation to get a user experience that is on par with a product's asking price --Denon, Marantz, Onkyo, hell, even Yamaha provide for this.
As for the App, asking users to be "beta testers" or to use a special piece of software to use it while in a beta stage is not realistic and/or befitting of a premium product. On Anthem's own website they openly advertise support for the control App, which I screen shot and included in this review. To my disappointment the App is not yet functional, something I also noted in the review.
My apologies to those who felt I missed the boat here but I stand by my review and critique of the MRX 740. Thanks! -Andrew
I appreciate the honesty and keeping it real!
We still like it though! 😂
"while I could've made a bigger deal about it in this review, I honestly don't think your typical consumer is going to sit on their couch with their laptop "open" just to fuss with everyday settings other receivers can carry out simply via the remote and a better on screen display."
This is why there's really no excuse for Anthem not having a good (hell, a usable) on-screen menu. ...unless they really want a needless niche market.
Thanks for the reply. Just want to point out you don’t need to use a laptop. Mobile device like a tablet, phone also works. It’s more convenient than an OSD IMO because you can adjust settings without interfering with viewing.
@@lilnape2604 - Bluetooth and Wifi won’t work on my receiver when I’m not connected to the Ethernet. So the phone app is a no-go.
This is where I suggested above, Anthem needs to fix their wifi issues. …as one of their couple of their nagging problems.
The design was the #1 reason why I started to look at this brand. The big led screen was a very welcome change compared to my denon and marantz receivers.
So glad all our (friendly and respectful) pestering worked! I've been dying to hear an unbiased review of this unit, and really enjoyed this one.
Maybe Paradigm would be open to sending you more stuff review? I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on the Founder series. The 100f is my dream speaker I'm saving pennies for.
Thank you for helping get the brand on the channel!
I completely agree. As a paradigm owner, and as a friend of one of their head designers I would live it.
That would be great! Im also a paradigm owner, persona b’s to be precise and I’ve been having some hdmi issues with many current receiver (arcam’s AVR850) and thats what brought me to this video. Looking forward to having paradigm speakers paired to an anthem product as a possible future review in this channel, MRX1140 maybe? ;)
I've been enjoying my Paradigm Monitor 11's (Series 7) for about 10 years now. So I also would love to hear Andrew & Kristi's thoughts on their sound and how it compares to what I hear.
Would love to know if software updates have changed the usability of this receiver.
Anyone able to shed some light?
SO glad to see an Anthem review on this channel. Hopefully this is the start of more Paradigm product reviews to come! (cough*Monitor SE 5.1 system*cough) Thank you both, Andrew and Kristi!
I am a professional recording engineer since the 1970's. FAN NOISE! Totally agree. When I've been in the mixer's chair in great recording studios, they are DEAD SILENT. (only the ringing in my ears). In some instances, I've been like "Get that Mac into the machine room." In great studios, any noisy gear is located in an acoustically isolated in a separate space; which includes multi-track tape machines. So, Andrew, I've got it on your "fan noise" bugga-boo. Me too.
Thanks for this review Andrew! The comments about the fan were super helpful. I was worried it would be noticeable on the MRX receivers and now I'm really glad I got the AVM 70 instead. The fan noise would have driven me crazy, so I'm very glad that I haven't heard the fan on the AVM 70 even turn on yet.
Also, I think it would have been helpful if you had mentioned that the OSD sucks because they made a much better interface: their web UI. I've found it's much easier/faster to change settings using the web UI compared to any OSD I've used before. It's a little different from most receivers, but I think it's an awesome feature.
I just run the web UI form my cell phone. It's basically the best remote control for any AVR I've ever used.
These reviews ARE JUST SO GOOD!! From details and comparisons to visuals and editing you guys are really amazing!🥂
Thank you so much!
Good job! I know for me personally knowing how it handles CEC and HDMI commands/switches is just as important as how it "sounds" or how low its distortion spec is. Specifications are important but not to the exclusion of everything else. Some reviewers don't even take the time to test everything in the "description" block and rush to validate/invalidate the spec sheet. Your "every day use" reviews are very important to me. I actually delayed my purchase until you could do this review and I'm glad I did. I ordered a Denon and won't look back! (Kristi, you're correct, it DOES look awesome!)
Thank you Kristi and Andrew for all that you do. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated.
😍
Thank you so much Bill!
Anthem stays clear at high output volumes highlights its amplifier capabilities. That makes my ears happy!
Been loving my MRX 540 as an upgrade over the Onkyo 646 that I originally installed with the Paradigm Monitor v7 system that I've been rocking ( Paradigm Monitor 9v7, Monitor Center 3, Paradigm atom v7 rears and 2 monitor sub 8)
Compared to the older Onkyo the speakers now sound so much larger and rich down low and less harsh in the highs and the subs and mains blend into each other much better and I honestly liked the way the Onkyo sounded in my room for many years.
I haven't been having the cec lag you are talking about but In the more recent update the cec power has definitely not been working
completely agree with your assessment of the OSD, but I feel that you may have overlooked the impressive Web UI that Anthem offers. In my opinion, it's one of the best interfaces I've seen so far, and I think it deserves a mention in your review. An AVM70-8k owner. Thank you for the review.
Exactly that's the way you operate this reciever. No OSD can compete with this.
I just have to say, I found your channel while I was getting together what I wanted to do for our basement move room. I am not an audiophile and do not plan to upgrade all the time or try new things as they come out, but I just love your videos. They are just so entertaining. I love the way they are formatted and love the banter between you and Kristi. Thank you! Just love them so much!
That is awesome! We are so happy to hear that you enjoy the videos!
Keep them coming! 😂👍🏻
I must say I love ARC. It made a huge difference the first time I ran it. I have the 540 and it has no problem filling out my open living space. I have ran it in 5.1 and 7.1 with a separate Amp. It is clean...AF.😊
What are you running for the separate amp?
I was using a Niles 100 w for the heights. Seemless integration. Got on sale.
I too have the 540 8k receiver. I have an older Anthem 5 channel amp in a small room (10 x 15) so I use the pre outs for the front three speakers and the mid heights and the AVR the rears for a 5.1.2 system. Superb sound. A friend has the 740 and the sonic signature is the same. Fabulous fidelity. Fan noise not as issue for me as my electronics are in a closet. My unit is wired and is controlled by my iPad with no issues.
LOL, one-week too late. I just picked up the MRX 1140 last week, since Anthem is running a sale until the end of the month. I'm glad I didn't wait for your review. The MRX is so satisfying especially after running ARC Genesis. It complements my 7 Paradigm Studio Reference speakers and 4 Paradigm Elite ceiling speakers for a nice sounding 7.2.4 setup.
So far, knock on wood, my fan has been dead silent. I'm not sure if it's because I have my fronts and center running through a separate external amp.
BTW, Anthem just released a firmware update which is suppose to address the fan noise issue.
I do wish the Anthem had Aura 3D
Great review to you both!! I am a longtime Anthem customer mostly due to the two channel listening experience (I find it second to none) and it was groovy hearing your experience. I had gone from the MRX 1120 to the 1140 and that fan drove me nuts as well, I moved to the AVM 70 8K and boy howdy I am over the moon. The CEC has been a problem for a long time now, wish they would fix it.
now they have. No problem here, at all
Did you notice much of an improvement in audio quality going from the MRX 1140 to AVM 70? I am thinking to upgrade to AVM 70 from my MRX 740, mainly for independent subwoofer outs & to use balanced XLR.
@@HumblePeon2 I did notice an upgrade in sound (sound stage especially) but I would attribute more due to moving the TW AD-7300 v2.0 AMP with XLR interconnects. I also didn't have the 1140 long (it died within 48 hours) so I didn't get to put it through as much and having freshly come from the 1120 before that, it may be colored more towards the 1120.
As an Anthem MRX owner I can relate to the fan noise issue, which drove me nuts. Having said that, I reached out to Anthem about the problem and they directed me to a new Beta Firmware that was designed in part to address the issue. After installing the firmware my fan noise is gone!!!! for now at least.
edit: fan noise came back rather quickly unfortunately. its not present as often as before but still noticeable when it does turn on.
Hopefully Anthem takes your constructive criticism into consideration for future tweaking. Fan noise, grrrr. Having the AVM 70, I get that the OSD is plain, but it's because Anthem expects all the tweaking to be done through the web interface, which I find to be awesome. As for ARC, I love that it has virtual inputs allowing different ARC curves depending on the listening. I also appreciate that ARC allows custom curves from 15hz to 20khz. I personally love the minimalist Scandinavian inspired design. However, I would like to see future designs with the industry logos moved to the top plate for an even better look.
I agree, have a mrx 520 and now added a 540 with an external amp and atmos. Fan noise is non existent to me as the unit is hidden away and osd means nothing cause I use the web interface for anything besides volume and other simple tasks. Both have been great and love arc. Had a Marantz and went back to Anthem. Maybe the Marantz would have been better if it was the latest with Dirac instead of Audyssey. Kinda wish I went with the avm70 but a little late for that
Totally agree about the logos. They really ruin the look for me. Leave them on the box.
I’m seriously thinking about the AVM 70. But it has fans?? Do you hear them ?
@@hpschreck07 Truthfully I have never heard the fans on my AVM 70.
To be frank, I am an amateur to the newest tech in audio but I am a huge fan of home audio and HT. I decided to bite the bullet and "invest" in the MRX740. It sounds AMAZING. Setup is challenging compared to other brands. eARC connection to TV's is atrocious. Fan noise is a real issue. Slow switching drives me nuts. The design and look is incredible! I decided all of this BEFORE I watched your vids. I stated many of these concerns and praises on Anthem groups and I got SAVAGED. I am done forever with the Facebook groups and will only trust Andrew and Kristy for my information and guidance. Thanks for being there with honest information with no drama.
Great review as always, I have the 1140 and love everyrhing about it. My biggest annoyance was in all the advertising, they basically show the front panel as one big oled. Then you buy it, bring it home and turn it on, and boom its a much smaller brightly backlit display. If you didn't notice go back and look at almost every picture, it's jet black with a crisp white dB reading.
Other than that, everyrhing is perfect and I love it
MRX 540 owner here - similar experience w/ the sound (only need/want 5.1). WAAY better than my previous mid-grade Denon. Running Golden Ear Triton 7's and a turn table w/ third party pre-amp. Top Gun II turned up to 11 is super fun. Never even heard the fans...now I'm worried I'll not be able to unhear them? Thanks for the validation review Andrew and Kristi!
Anthem receivers are so musical... I use the last generation MRX520 exclusively for stereo listening. One of the reasons to do so is how flexible the input setup is. I can assign a sources to multiple inputs but apply different EQ parameters to each input. So I can have my RPi Volumio setup both with and without ARC engaged right next to each other.
I'd very much interested in a new review of the Yamaha A8A and a new review of the A6A. I feel they'll knock Anthem out of the park in practicality and sound quality. Have been a Yamaha fan since 2013, and haven't looked back. Their build quality is just amazing! I still use the V675, and it is still able to rock my Polk Audio RTi A7 and matching centre speaker and JVC rear Omni surround speaker. It also doesn't overheat like the Denon and Marantz.
Thank-you for getting this review out before the end of the month! I've been wanting to go from stereo to 5.1 and the Anthem MRX 540 was on my short list but it's a long drive to the nearest dealer. Based on your review of its bigger brother, I'll be making the trip this weekend.
You can always save yourself the gas money and time and get one through the link in the description or pinned comment!
Great review! We are a residential AV installer in the UK and love Anthem. Not that this helps everyone, but pairing an Anthem AVR with a control system avoids the need for CEC. One product I’d love to see in your testing is a Kaleidescape (not cheap!) it will really push the audio/video capabilities of any equipment and with the ability to run scripts of predetermined scenes you’d find the testing process a real joy. Love your brand agnostic reviews!
You're not alone with the HDMI/CEC issues. I have the AVM 90 processor and I do have HDMI/CEC issues. Ive contacted Anthem about this and their response is well different manufacturers implement it differently. Using the apple tv was hit or miss with CEC. Thanks for the great in depth review!
Yikes. That's an embarrassing response.
That response should be illegal.
Got something similar from Samsung. The funny thing is that it's them doing something terribly wrong as other brands interacted with each other flawlessly in my setups.
Yeah. Ive had Denon and their hdmi/cec works great
I’ve had my NAD T778 for quite some time now. Clunky on screen menu aside, it has been amazing for home theater and two channel. eARC has been reliable (ATV4K to TV to NAD), DIRAC with multiple presets, Roon ready, dead silent, runs cool and an elegant design with that glorious front display. An updated HDMI card would be nice, but not necessary until 8k is a thing and would only extend its life.
@@owisun85 Bummer. I’d be pretty mental with withdrawals. Heh.
ohhh been looking at that one, it has great reviews. really the other brand except anthem i looked at. are u happy with it?
Thank you Andrew and Kristi for the excellent review. I own an MRX740. Want to bring out the most annoying item about this receiver. When streaming from Node 2i, via coax or optical, there is a lag of about 1/2 second when a new track starts. It is so unwelcomed. Anthem chose to introduce this delay for some reasons. If you still have the unit you can verify that yourself. On the other hand I have no problems with fan noise. I like the unit very much but at this price point it should be flawless. Thank again.
I have owned Anthem gear since the AVM 30, currently using the AVM70 8K Pre/Pro with Persona 3F, C and Bs. ARC Genesis has come a long way, now that they have worked out most of the bugs it is a very effective room correction solution.
What are you powering this with? I also have Persona 3F & Center for LCR. I’m using MRX1140
@@Nikita-P ATI AT524nc & Parasound Halo A31/A51 Amps. I had all Parasound, but I was getting tweeter buzz with the 3Fs. The ATI is dead silent, no heat and sounded just as good so I use it for the front three. I am now a believer in Class D. Went ATI because the warranty is so good.
@@RobCos-io1tu I have Monolith 7x 7x200W A|B by ATI. I am thinking going Parasound A31 or Anthem MCA 325 and for other channels shorter Class D amp...or those bigger PuriFi for LCR. Good to hear about Class D on Personans LCR :)
Broken HDMI-CEC is absolutely a deal breaker in 2023. With how good modern CEC is on my Integra DRX-5.4 (same as RZ50), I'm NEVER going back to a Harmony remote, ever. I no longer have to use any other remote besides the AppleTV remote and an Xbox controller. The Integra not only turns the TV on (or off) with either the remote or the controller, but is also smart enough to automatically switch the input to whatever remote/controller I used. It's glorious, we are finally living in the future we were promised.
Thank you for the great review and thank you Kristi! I’ve been reading your reviews since Home Theater Review and always respected your opinion. I’ve been trying to decide between the Anthem MRX 740 and the Arcam AVR 11 for a while now, but I’m still on the fence. All I can say is Arcam, please send your AVR11 to Andrew and Kristi for review, I’ll pay the shipping 😂 Also, I know you can’t compare every receiver out there, but I did wonder why you didn’t mention the NAD T778. And last, you said sonically the Anthem is among your top three receivers, so I’m curious what the other two were. Thanks again for a great review.
Thanks for the review guys! I have the AVM70 which is one of the pre/pros in this family. Because the web GUI is so good, I never even think of using a OSD. It also works great on mobile. IMO its a better experience than even Denon/Marantz new GUI and you don't have to stop watching or listening to use it.
Glad you're enjoying your Anthem processor. For whatever reason the mobile interfaces and whatnot on the 740 8K appear to still be in beta, so I will have to take your word for it that the user experience gets even better with Anthem. Thanks for watching!
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Hi Andrew. I am actually talking about the web interface which you can reach by entering the Anthems IP address into any web browser(including mobile). It's very user friendly and comprehensive. This is separate from the remote app and has a lot more functionality.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews I have the mobile app on my Android device, thankfully for me it works fine on my MRX740. I assume your unit is running the latest firmware?
Yes.
Great review Andrew and Kristi...this is the one I've been waiting for! I've been seriously considering an MRX-740 to replace my aging Denon AVR-4311 but even with it's great sound quality, I'm not sure I could tolerate the slow HDMi switching and fan noise. Hopefully Anthem can fix those issues via firmware updates. At any rate, that Sony 7000ES is looking better by the day!
I have the 740 in my system and you are bang on with the review the amp was designed for audio first and video second and ARK for me is the best out of all eq when a person has more time to understand it and the fan I never hear it , must be deaf…..lol “ great review from the both of you 2”
I’ve had an MRX540 since the 8K versions launched. The iOS app works on my iPhone, but I’m using the “TestFlight” beta version not a regular App Store release, so maybe that’s the issue. The app is buggy so I don’t use it much. Really agree with most of the rest of this. Have seen lots of talk about fan noise but I’ve never heard mine, despite listening for it many, many times, head behind the amp, nothing. In fact I’ve never even seen the fan spinning, in my admittedly cool temperature room.
Honestly, I’ve been equally anticipating and dreading this review- I’ve really loved having this amp (replacing an old Denon AVR-1913), so I was really happy to hear that it’s so good sonically.
Only things I would’ve mentioned that you didn’t would be how great it is to rename inputs and the level of customization available (compared to my old Denon), and maybe a mention of how the remote is a let down compared to the perfect chassis.
I LOVE the sound of this receiver! Glad you're happy with yours!
I appreciate the review and agree on the sound quality. I had a MRX540 8k and sadly had to return it. My personal experience was an array of bugs that made it impossible to use. The unit would randomly lose its ip address to connect to the web interface. Settings wouldn't hold. CEC controls worked incorrectly. The absolute killer for me was streaming my Sonos over coax connection, the Anthem cut off the first beat of every song and I mean every song. In one month I factory reset the device so many times I memorized the procedure.
I re-watched your review of the Cinema 50 and decided to pick up the lower model Cinema 60. And that has brought me a lot of joy. So the story ends well. I'm very happy with the Marantz. It has zero problems.
If people's use cases don't expose them to the types of bugs I encountered then I can see being happy with the Anthem. But I caution people to be very aware of the potential for bugs. You mentioned a few in your review; there are more.
i have the anthem mrx 1140 and had many bugs with the software. i was going to send the unit back but had the store i purchased it from hook it up and see if they could make any progress. as soon as they put the receiver on their network the receiver downloaded the latest firmware and all my issues disappeared . the network interface does not work well with certain modems so will not update latest firmware. now it does everything correctly and i am very happy with it but it was quite frustrating at the time
@@aaronrandolph261 when did this take place. I returned mine back in October, 2022. I found it shocking all the bugs because the basic mrx 8k models are a refresh of the prior non-8k ones. Everything but HDMI is the same. So at the point I got mine they've had over a year with something in consumer's hands to fix the bugs. As I used the coax connection with my Sonos I marveled at the notion that nobody tried this. Cause it was obvious. Or the CEC just flat out not operating properly. So maybe if I had hung on longer. But Anthem themselves took 21 days to respond to my support request. At that point I had returned the unit to avoid losing my return window. I grabbed that Marantz that same day I returned the Anthem and zero bugs. I'm really happy you like your unit. I just couldn't wait and risk it. But again, I'm very happy with the Marantz. So it worked out for both of us.
@@JoelDale this all occurred in 2022 also. i think anthem rushed the units to the market . people who bought these units unfortunately became beta testers for the software and because these units rely so heavily on being tied into a home network many people had issues. i was very frustrated with anthem and their customer service as it seemed they didnt have any idea how to address my issue. i told the anthem tech support i would be returning the unit and would buy a marantz receiver instead. they urged me not to do this and be patient and were confident the issue could be fixed. when i took the unit to an authorized dealer for either repair or return it literally took 20 minutes to get things worked out. i was that close to buying the marantz as it was my second choice but i am now quite happy that i was able to keep the anthem . your decision to go with marantz is a solid and sensible choice considering the issues you had as i understand the frustration with having a new piece of relatively expensive audio gear that dosent work properly. now that mine is working properly and i understand more about this receiver i am satisfied with my decision to keep it as it is the best receiver i have ever owned
@@aaronrandolph261 thanks for this response. Sounds like we think similarly. I know receiver brands have different sound signatures and people talk about proper pairing with the speakers, but this experience of switching through a couple receivers, from my original pioneer, really opened my mind to how different things can be. I'm glad we both ended up happy.
Have been waiting for a review on the Anthem 740 from someone willing to give their opinions, specifically to do with the fans. I've listened to this unit with Paradigm speakers and the sound is amazing. I find it amazingly disappointing that a receiver that cost 1000s of dollars would put the cheapest fans on the planet into this. And that's the problem to be noted... it's not the fact it has fans that is the problem, it's that the fans are garbage. Self mods that have opened the unit and replaced the fans with just better fans say the fan noise problem is solved. Anthem can fix this, they just need to be willing to.
Great and honest as always! I've always questioned receivers with fans. You and your wife hit another home run!!!!
Great review. I love my AVM60 and ARC Genesis. It’s been rock solid, a great replacement for my previous Emo processors. Surprised it doesn’t have a better OSD - the AVM has basically the same as the front panel display. One thing you didn’t mention is the power of Anthem’s virtual inputs. Really handy to create 4 speaker profiles and easily recallable inputs that can jump from surround to stereo from the same source.
Also the fact that I can still use the most current version of ARC with my AVM60 that is how many years old? Pretty incredible for long-term investment.
Great review. TY. Watched this to reaffirm my 1140 mrx purchase over the summer. I do love it. (matched with a parasound halo 31 and klipsch rf7iii) I use it in a movie room and have just one input (fire cube) so I haven't had issues with hdmi switching lag. My only complaint is the remote control feels a bit cheap as the buttons are squishy and not backlit and so require more attention making sure I'm pressing in the right place. Otherwise, no complaints. (haven't noticed the fan noise, and hopefully I'll forget that part of your review before I use it again)
Hey Andrew and Kristi,
I love my Mrx1140. I'm surprised that you had issues with the 740 being slow. I can only guess to why that might be. I've never had any issues like that with my 1140. Everything's been lightning quick to respond.
I'm about to add a bryston 4B3 cubed amp to my setup with my mrx1140, Forte iv's and dual JL E112's
It's been a while, I hope you both are doing great!
Great to see you in the comments! I'm glad to hear your unit doesn't have this issue. Hopefully it is something Anthem can resolve with an update.
I have the same experience with HDMI switching and CEC with my recently acquired AVM 70 8K. I have to turn it on with the remote, whereas my old Denon X3700H would turn on when I turned on my Nvidia Shield. Hopefully, Anthem will fix in a future firmware update. Very happy you finally reviewed an Anthem product as it’s highly regarded in the AV community!
Appreciate the feedback and you sharing your personal Anthem experiences.
the fact companies wanna charge thousands for something which has bugs. and is noisy is beyond ridiculous. u wanna charge that much money, it better be perfect, quiet and can do 4ohms no problem
I've had the 1140MX for a while now and I love it. I don't have any issues with slow switching. My biggest complaint is the bright blue light of the on button when watching movies in a dark room.
i'm still on an MRX 1120 setup 5.4.3. really enjoy it. the one thing with anthem's ARC is that while you can't use a parametric EQ like for yamaha, you really can dig into the shape of your preferred room curve to alter its slope and push sub bass frequencies if you want to. i find that to be an adequate trade off in letting the receiver then try to hit those targets.
Is this receiver at a disadvantage compared to the newer Denon and Marantz AVRs that support 4 independent subs?
I've had Yamaha, Denon, and most recently a Pioneer Elite receiver in my theatre, and i have to save I love the power and clarity this beast gives my movies! No fatigue even after a lazy day watching movies. Yes, the HDMI stinks, it's very slow, to the point may Samsung TV will switch off saying it has nothing to display, but the osd doesn't matter at all to me, as I use the mobile software either on my phone or tablet to switch things.
My after-purchase review on Crutchfield.
Replaced an aging Denon AVR-5803 that was starting to have problems after 20 years of loyal service with this MRX 740 8K. The sound is amazing. One of my favorite things about this receiver is the virtual inputs. When you combine virtual inputs with different speaker profiles during setup it opens a lot of doors on how it allows you to use and listen to your speaker system. Maybe that's a common option now but, wow. I love how I can choose to listen to the turntable from one set of input jacks where the large fronts and sub are included in one profile, then change the input, which uses the same input jacks, but with a different speaker profile that has only the large fronts. I personally thought the ARC Genesis software was easy to use, especially after watching the Crutchfield video on the product page. Oh yeah, the wife immediately noticed the much-improved surround sound quality. I can now disable subtitles while watching TV.
Kristi was 100% correct when she mentioned that the musicality and intelligibility of this receiver is number one.
Oh yeah,, the app works perfectly now.
I took the athem off my shopping list. Thanks, actually many thanks, for heads-up on the hdmi and on-screen issues.
@ Andrew . I hope you still have this in house just yesterday we were blessed with a new beta update and guess what :
Network Module Version: 2.2.203
Host firmware 78
- Optimized fan profile
- Fixed volume sensitivity for analog direct on AVM's (was too low)
- Other minor bug fixes and improvements
I have been asking and hoping you guys got this units since I bought it at launch, great Review wished you would have shown the Web UI more as that is where I want it.
Hi A&K - just wanted to follow up my live chat request about simultaneous output to bluetooth headphones & speakers. I don't want a review of such functionality, just a mention of if the receiver does it or not. The feature is rare but so helpful for watching/listening in group situations where someone is hard of hearing (they wear the headphones). Documentation on this feature is tough to find and seeing a mention of it on your channel will hopefully encourage manufacturers to add it to their receivers. I know time matters in your videos, so I was only hoping for 3-5 seconds on "receiver has it / receiver doesn't have it." Thank you! I always enjoy your videos and watch them start to finish. Great reviews, great video, great audio (naturally). A pleasure to watch.
This receiver is Bluetooth capable (as mentioned in the review). As for the various ways it transmits and/or receives and what products it may or may not be compatible with, please consult the product's manual. I tested the Bluetooth on this receiver with an iPhone and our Alva TT turntable but when it comes to sending out (transmit) a signal via Bluetooth, I'm can't help you there. As someone who doesn't use headphones, this is not something I routinely test.
@@andrewrobinsonreviews Thank you for your consideration and reply. The only manufacturers that offer this capability - as far as I know - are Denon and Marantz but I'm (selfishly) hoping it catches on. Looking forward to the next review, whatever it is!
A most excellent review. I couldn't wait any longer for this once you teased you had the 740 8K in house, and just jumped into the Anthem family with both feet two weeks ago - I grabbed the MRX 540 8K ($1,615 USD on sale at Crutchfield) over the Arcam AVR5. So far, I have a silent fan - fingers crossed it stays that way. If it choses to act up, I'm buying a Fractal Design PC fan for $15 USD, and installing that in place of Anthem's fan.
I have my 540 8K paired with two Revel M106 speakers up front, a pair of Revel onwall M8 speakers for surround, and a REL HT1003 for the sub. ...our space isn't huge, so this little 4.1 is perfect for us. We're only running AppleTV 4K - we're not gaming, so literally, no HDMI switching. Because of that, I can't speak of the HDMI switching lag. For us? Not an issue.
The 540 8K has 5 channels all rated at 100 watts. Which played into the deciding factor. When the Arcam had all channels driven, it dipped to 60 watts per channel. ...and I know with the Denon and Marantz, when you add more channels to the receiver, watts per channel also dip. So I really wanted to know what my speakers sounded like when all channels were being driven at receiver's full power. It's glorious.
The onscreen menu isn't just atrocious - it's like...completely not there. LOL Using the web-app via the Anthem's IP address certainly helps get the receiver up and running - have to run software/firmware updates straight away, restart the unit, and let updates run for 10 minutes or so. Then if feels like you're on the right track for finishing the set-up. Until the software update, it was rather frustrating to get wifi or bluetooth working. ...the Apple App for Anthem? Yeah no. Not working. ...don't care though. Any changes made to the Anthem with the web-app is instantly updated in the receiver. Which is nice. ...I just hate the fact you need a laptop hardwired into an in-home network to make this work (last thought on that in a moment).
Sound-wise, once I had my measurements input into the web-app and got the receiver up and running, the sound was outstanding. ...in two channel mode, it really sings. The clarity is surprising. We're hearing details we hadn't heard in movies before. ...and we don't listen at reference levels. We rarely go above 70db. ...usually hover around 65db for movies and music. Two notable moments were: Captain Marvel - when Carol Danvers if falling of the Kree spaceship into the California desert, just before she goes binary, she closes her eyes... and she takes a breath.... we never heard that with our old Denon AVR3805 with Polk LSi15 speakers, nor the Denon x2600H and the Revel M16. Now that I know what to listen for, I can hear with the Revel M16.
Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry is leaving the Dursley's house, his breathing is really pronounced with the Anthem, and much more subdued with the x2600H. The rain drops hitting the train car, as they ride to Hogwarts. All so much more clear with the Anthem. ...Dialogue clarity is just exceptional. ...no more looking at each other, "what did they say"? Then rewind the movie, and play it over again...
I share the same sentiment in that if Anthem fixes a few things, this would be a chart topper for the masses. This is what I've come up with...
1) The Fan issue with the 740 and 1140 just needs to go away. This shouldn't be a problem with a product family starting at $1,900 USD.
2) Develop on user friendly on-TV-screen menu that's just "plug and play" - all the features they have available on the web browser app, can be done on a TVscreen once HDMI is plugged in. Make this product "easier to use". I shouldn't have to jump through hoops.
3) Wifi connection should be easier to set up. You shouldn't have to connect via ethernet to download firmware updates. If an iPhone and iPad can connect to wifi signal, then this should as well. It should be THAT easy - refer to #2. ...AH! One more thing. I shouldn't need Google Home to set up Anthem's Wifi connection. ...there is absolutely ZERO reason Google should be involved at all. This isn't a Google product.
4) The remote does not have "movies and music" (Read multi-channel and stereo) buttons. On the Denon remote, if I want to listen to music in 2-channel stereo I should be able to push one button on the remote, and poof, I'm in 2-channel mode. There should even be a "direct" mode button, that shuts off all DSP or ARC adjustment features. Like...Denon. Instead, if I don't want to listen to Christine and the Queens "Tilted" in Atmos Lossless, I should be able to push one button and I'm in stereo. That feature is NOT present on the Anthem remote. Instead, I have to go through AppleTV 4K set-up and change from "surround sound" to "Stereo"...
Fix those little things, and Anthem becomes infinitely better, because the stellar sound quality is all there, and they probably own the upper-end ($2,000 - $4,500) HT receiver market. The only thing that would make me look elsewhere, is if I needed over 11 channels of processing, and/or 4 subs. From there, you could go with the Anthem AVM 70 8K and get 15.2 channel processing - and use separate amps. But then you're getting into gobs of money, when a Denon 6700H or 8500H will fit the bill...
Anyway, that's my story with my new Anthem. I still don't have ARC set-up, and not really sure if I'm going to do, as it sounds damn awesome as it is in a smallish (14'w x 12'd x 8'h) simple viewing and listening space.
Eish! Now my head is spinning. I’m looking at getting the MRX740, however with all the issues you’ve listed above and more, I’m beginning to have doubts. As much as sound is touted as stellar, it’s the ease-of-use that makes me fall in love with a product. The fact that you have to navigate through the Apple TV menu just to get to “movie” or “Stereo” is rather concerning. Even on my dying Onkyo TX-NR686 I could just press a button to toggle between the two. I was set on the Monolith 7x True-200 or Emotiva XPA Gen 3 before I came to Anthem, all because the aforementioned are not available in my country… South Africa🇿🇦 I also hear that there’s no phono-stage on the anthem?🙆🏻♂️
@@Turtleback8024 - Yup. totally get it. That crap is annoying. Switching from Stereo to surround is annoying (unless I'm missing something someone else can tell me), I do it so infrequently it's not a biggie. I don't end a movie part way through, throw on music, then two songs in, switch back to movies. I get my movie or music groove on, and just let it go. And if I switch from one to the other, it's a long session switch. It's never back and forth and back again. So that's not really a big issue for me, definitely not a deal breaker for me - more like a stupid annoyance that just shouldn't be there.
The wifi thing irritates me. It shouldn't be that damn difficult. ...but that's only to update firmware and software. Mine is now updated - so again, I don't really care now.
The onscreen menu - while I get people love the web-interface app thingy, there's nothing special about it, it's just dumb to have use a computer to do this, when it can be done on-screen the exact same way. Seriously, all those web-interface menu items (individual speaker distances and adjustments) can be seen and accessed with the remote on their front panel display - which shows up as a singular line item on the TV. It feels like Anthem is being lazy, cheap, or both here. Ever worse, once I'm set, I'm likely not ever going to dig in through those menus and futz with stuff again - I just hate that aggravation up front.
Some of this could be fixed with a firmware update. They could add a "movies to music" audio setting as a "primary level" menu option.
So yeah. If you're all about "easiest to use", then the Anthem (and Arcam for that matter) aren't the way to go. They're not necessarily "plug and play". Once they're set up, then it's "easy-peasy" with one little ding: the "movie mode to music mode". Just a dumb detail they missed, and really, could be so easy to fix. However, the sound quality, for me, makes that initial annoyance worth it.
YMMV
You may be able to accomplish the stereo/surround on the remote with the DYN button. It controls the Dolby Audio post processing, which I believe you can toggle to music, movie, or night. The other option is the Mode Preset for Stereo source in the input in the app. You can toggle that between None for stereo and several other options including Dolby. I am assuming you’re talking about a stereo source though. If you want it to down mix a Dolby source to stereo, I haven’t seen that option.
@@craigjohnchronicles2504 I’ll take sound quality over all those annoyances.🤓👍🏼 Thank you!
@@xbloneeightseven I was referring to the stereo. It’s good to have this kind’o info before you buy the product. I’ll be more confident to setup my 740 when it arrives. Thanks for the advice.👍🏼
Soooooo glad to see Anthem get reviewed on my favorite audio review channel!! ❤️📺🎧
Always great content and very detailed reviews. Every product I have heard live in a audio/video retail store, they Andrew has reviewed I have agreed 95% with!! And then Kristi brings in another perspective or something I had missed while listening to a product in store. Well done you both!! Alway an absolute pleasure and always excited to see new videos released. Now that Anthem has made it to the channel can y’all please try get a hold of a ARCAM? I have a AVR30 and absolutely love and would so much value both of your thoughts on ARCAM. Everyone have a great weekend…. Thanks again from Dallas, Texas 🤓🤙
Thank you so much for watching. We would love to bring you an Arcam review. I've asked so many times that I've lost count. According to the brand, they don't have samples to send for review which is pretty much the story for all Harmon Kardon owned subsidiaries.
Maybe you could send it to Andrew and Kirsty for a couple of weeks for review :>
For liability reasons, we do not accept viewer units for review. Not to mention, if we were critical of a product, that could be awkward for everyone. ;-)
How would you compare the Anthem MRX 740 to the NAD Nad t778 & the Arcam AVR11?
I just got the 740. I got the app working no problem. You don't need an on screen display because you can do all that from the app or a web page.
Mine has zero fan noise.
The HDMI inputs are slow.
I haven't had time to run ARC yet, so the Jury is still out.
Without Arc, it still sounds good, but no better than a Pioneer 505, Demon 4800, Arcam AVR11 or Sony 5000es, which I've had all of them.
My understanding is that the Anthem is more focused on setup using a browser on the computer - computer access of the receiver on one's network. I have owned the 720, a NAD T775 as well as a Denon 4700H. Of all of these I liked the Anthem best for its room correction. As for the fan there are relatively simple ways to reduce the noise. The sticking point for me is the lack of independently calibrated sub outs. Denon offers that. For this price this is inexcusable. Dirac pricing for current Denons and Marantzs is offensive. It's approaching the price of decent reciever for the room correction, bass management and the microphone. I like your take on the Sony receivers with 360, but would go with a cheaper model and possibly consider MiniDSP for independent sub calibration.
Honestly I'm impressed that sony is in the same league as anthem. Anthem and arcam sonically are the kings of the forums.
Here in Finland the MRX 740 8K retails for a cool ~90% more than the Cinema 50 (3749e vs 2000e) so in the end it was an easy choice, even with the Dirac Added Tax of the Marantz.
Awesome video!!
Excluding HDMI 2.1 support, which one sounded better, Anthem or Rotel RAP1580 mkII?
Thank you. I’ve been waiting for this review. I was definitely leaning towards buying Anthem until I saw the Sony ES review. The slow switching and fan noise would drive me nuts. So for me it’s Sony for the win. Appreciate your efforts-great presentation. I’ll will use affiliate links when I make my purchase.
Appreciate you tuning in! Kristi comments about her experience with the fan noise in our conversation - be sure to give it a watch before you make your final decision.
Hi Andrew and Kristi!
Thanks for another great review!
Btw. Have you tried the “advance settings” on ARC Genesis and make your own adjustments to the target curves ? If you haven’t, highly recommended. It’s how you’ll get the best out of ARC Genesis . You can turn it on by going to ARC preference on the left uppermost corner of the main page .
Take care and God bless to you both !
Hi everybody, the latest firmware update fixes the fan noise. Do the update and you will see for your self. I have MRX 540 and the fan was very audible and use to come on regularly but all that has gone away. I was even thinking of changing the internal fans but no more. 👍
I have the 740 and barely notice the fan noise and the hdmi “lag” a few examples would have been nice.Anyway, bar none the best receiver I have ever owned.
I met the then presidents of Anthem & Paradigm in an audio store back in the 90s. I was heavy into McIntosh, but we spent a few hours chatting about everything from technical to justification for spending.
Best hifi reviewer on the net. Andrews reviews are just great.
Yes, thank you for comparing the Yamaha as well. The Yamaha YPAO is not quite as sophisticated as ARC, but it works well and does what its supposed to. Yamaha has their own sound modes of which a few of them are really good. Regarding the Anthem and other higher end audio receivers, your usually not going to get all the fancy features but you'll usually get great sound.
I know the NAD t778 is a few years old now but how do you feel it holds up to these newer models? What does it need to compete if anything other than maybe 8k?
Just got this one. Love it so far. HDMI 2.1 was huge for me
Would you recommend this MRX 740 receiver or the Marantz cinema 40??
Nice timing - just ordered mine this week! now to pick new main speakers!! thank you guys!
Our pleasure!
Great review as always. Love the ML's, you and Kristi have terrific style. Some notes to folks considering Anthem, I am a home theater guy, so it's from that perspective. First, I have the MRX 740 and zero fan noise. Not sure why not or why, but maybe I got lucky. Second, if you go Anthem, your installer or "you" will probably be in a beta mode for room correction. Our installer needed to do that, but once we got that worked around, ARC is superb. On the interface, I see a post below too but the best way to interact with the receiver is thru it's UI. Said another way, make the Anthem receiver a static IP address in your home network, then log into it, and there is a super clean set of menu's to play with. I do agree though, the rotary dial thing isn't great, but I don't think Anthem intends for that to be the driver for settings, they appear to want that thru it's UI access or probably it's app if that ever gets sorted out eventually. One other thing too, which is really a pleasant surprise, is AnthemLogic Cinema. This is my default setting, unless a higher level is broadcast (atmos or THX etc) and it takes a blah sounding anything, and walks it amazingly close to a real 5.1+ level of surround. Again, my ears are not yours, but the punch this receiver has across our 7.2.4 system, is worth every dime. And while I'm sure other receivers are just as good, or maybe better, but you only buy one receiver at a time as an end user, and so it goes, well done Anthem!
🙋♂️THANKS AGAIN 🤗 ANDREW AND KRISTI …SHARING THIS…PROVING,IMHHO this is the best time to be an audiophile 🤗💚💚💚
Swapped the fans in my 740 with Noctua's rather than putting up with them any longer. The OSD is awful, the remote is awful, but mine lives hooked to PC so that web interface is fine. Still a high recommend, I love the thing over all.
This voids the warranty though for anyone wondering. How did you find the process of swapping them Michael?
Thanks for the review guys, I've had the MRX1140 for close to a year and am loving it so far. Unfortunate about the fan noise, luckily I rarely hear it but I wish they'd engineered that better. Have to say I don't care for the OSD, any minor adjustments I look at the receivers screen but anything more major I use the website or app (no problems on Android) which is faster than it'd be going through OSD menus and doesn't interfere with viewing. I do wish they'd make more use of the front screen, album art, channels active, etc.
Not sure if it's my Spotify setup/network or the Anthem but I don't find the Chromecast streaming reliable, sound sometimes drops out for a few seconds, skips or stops playing, hopefully just me with a unique problem :/
Love my 540, only complaint is the fan as you mentioned. Whenever accessing the menu I use either the app on my phone or my laptop. Have zero issues with HDMI/ CEC.
Thank you for mentioning 2 channel !!!
As always, another great, unbiased review, and brilliant to have both your opinions for a balanced perspective. I wish you could get hold of some of Arcam’s theatre kit as I think you would be impressed. I have their pre/power set up with B & W main/surround and Atmos speakers and 4 Rel subs and using Dirac Live and Dirac bass control it sounds amazing. It’s always the one comparison company that I wish you could include but assume it’s because they don’t send you any of their equipment. The Arcam/B & W pairing is popular here in the UK but doesn’t seem to be elsewhere but would love to be able to hear your thoughts considering how great your reviews are. Here’s hoping for the future and thanks again for all your work 👍🏻
I have the mrx540, i agee with all the things you mention. I do 50/50 music movies. And it really is a great sounding receiver. And, the pre amp is extremly good! Really good!
What speakers?
@@RiseFall123 hI, I got the Arendal 1723 thx s bookshelves and tried with my Monitor Audio RX6, both sound amazing.
I was waiting for this A/V receiver review. Thank you sooooo much! 👏🤝😎
Wow. Based on Kristi's follow-up you weren't kidding about the slow operation, Andrew. Damn. I REALLY liked the design and I've been giving the side-eye to the MRX540 for a while now. I'm scared of complicated setups and it is so rare these days to see any piece of home electronics that one can just appreciate looking at, especially an A/V Receiver.
I cannot claim a 'favorite' receiver. I'm one of those sticklers who won't give up my component amplifiers so I was really only interested in this from a Preamp-operation point of view. But I would have liked Anthem to be my favorite just because of its poster-on-the-wall good looks, lol.
I'd read about the MRX line's slow operations, lack of real OSD, and other issues. The fan noise I was on the fence about depending how often it cycles on/off. I have a pretty well-developed ability to adjust to ambient noise (which I attribute to growing up in a house with always-ticking antique clocks).
Oh well. Thanks for possibly saving me from a regrettable decision! 😁
I was really hell bent on getting the Anthem MRX1140. No usb port for hi-res file to play music; the fan; and neither 1140 or 540 employ Quick Media Switching, even if it does have VRR. I traded my RX-A2080 just a few weeks ago because it was very slow to switch media. So slow, that LG displays 3 to 10 seconds of screensaver in between the black out. Too long a wait for me wondering exactly how long it will take. Even if it is images of finest artwork in the world
Thanks for this great review, I upgraded from a NAD T778 to the MRX 740 8k and have been pleasantly surprised, the ARC Genesis room correction (on auto) is better than the NAD, dialog is much clearer, thankfully I didn't have the same issues as you with the Android app, it just worked first time. CEC is also not bad, video updates fairly quickly, audio takes a bit longer than the NAD. Fan noise isn't noticeable, however I only have a 3.1 setup.
All in all, very happy.
I owned anthem 1120, using in 5.4.2 system, it is solid AVR. 40 series anthem have assignable outputs and 8k. Arc genesis is very good room correction. I saw very few reviews on anthem when I bought mine, Good that not only you have done a solid review but also have good comparison. If one has good floor standing speakers this can be used a very good stereo listening source as well.
I recently sent back my 540 due to a number of issues. Fan noise was the final nail in the coffin. After spending a solid 6-7 hours over two days after work trying to get it on WiFi and IP, I could not get the ARC app to see the receiver on the network. I used multiple phones and tablets all loaded with the app, but none could see the receiver. Crutchfield was great to deal with returning the receiver.
you put Sony at the top of your list, does this include sound quality as well?
By default, ARC Genesis doesn't try to correct any frequencies above 5 kHz, so I don't think that's what reduced any brightness/harshness in the treble (unless you changed it from the default). The black "target" line does dip after 10 kHz, but you can see that the red "measured" line and the green "adjusted" line converge just above 5 kHz, so this means that it's not altering the sound of the speakers above 5 kHz.
I don't have an Anthem receiver but I have an Anthem STR preamp and an Anthem P2 power amp and they sound great. I have had the power amp since 2006, its been very reliable, good build quality. The prices sure have gone up though. I paid $2,500 CAD for the power amp and at the time there was nothing that came close at that price point, but now the P2 power amp is $6,000 CAD!
Would you choose this (if it was the 4k version)over the rz50, given its double the price?
How much ofba reliability/sound quality difference would there be?
Nicely Done.
Has any new updates fixed any of the fan/hdmi/cec problems yet ?
Thanks
In your opinion, the Arcam or Audiocontrol are above the Anthem ?
Thanks so much for dropping this early before the sale ended. Another awesome video. I didn’t think it was coming so I bit the bullet on an 1140 8K last week. Crutchfield’s 60 day return policy made the choice much easier. I love the sound of this receiver. ARC Genesis is fantastic. Maybe the additional processing power of the 1140 enables faster switching as I haven’t noticed the speed. The CEC integration is not smooth though. I’m willing to pick up an additional remote to power things on and switch inputs to enjoy the sound from this receiver. At least the volume control over CEC has worked flawlessly so far. I’m extremely happily with my purchase.
It sounds as if the higher end model performs better than those below it. For those interested, you can get one on sale here bit.ly/3Ycvx3E ! So glad you are happy with yours.
That is a good to hear! I was torn between the 740 and the 1140 but was leaning towards the 1140 but this helps seal the deal.
@@frostman9661 Just went and double checked and I guess it is a little slow switching inputs compared to my LG tv. Like a full 1-2 count instead of pretty much instantaneous. Maybe my HDMI switching perception was like Kristi’s with the fan noise. Just didn’t bother me that much.
@@xbloneeightseven a couple seconds to me isn't a deal breaker honestly, and I don't think it's too big of a deal. I only switch between sources occasionally. But I appreciate you letting me know!
I have this unit. Good job on the review!
Fan noise is definitely noticeable.
I didn't have the same problem using the phone app as a remote control. It connected quickly, for me, after download.
I really like this review. I am still deciding between this and Emotiva separates. Which would you choose if doing a 13.2.4 system?
Well this receiver will not accomodate a 13.2.4 setup even with separate amplifiers. You likely need to step up to the larger Anthem or go with a totally different receiver like this one bit.ly/3DyHEjb
This is the step above the receiver we are reviewing by Anthem - bit.ly/3YoOzTZ
Good review. A big deal breaker on some of these lower Anthem models to watch out for is that the two subwoofer outs are not discrete, so ARC will not calibrate the subs independently. Disappointing at this price level. I agree on the OSD, but if you're buying this level, you're probably going to use the web interface for configuration. I considered the AVM70/90, but I ended up choosing the JBL SDP-58 for my theater as I wanted Dirac with 4 independent sub outs.
There is nothing on the Anthem MRX line's web interface that can't be done on a TV screen - the way Denon and Marantz do it. If Anthem fixes this, and allows for an on-screen display menu, Anthem becomes far more user friendly, and infinitely better overall.
I believe the 1140 does have discrete independent sub outs!
I use a tablet to wifi into anthem for the settings , which is a fantastic system and much better than onscreen
Which ports on the MRX 740 did you plug in your In-ceiling speakers? There’s no “height” labeled ports on the rear. Is Amp matrixing required?
Thank you for reviewing the Anthem. Which would you choose between the Anthem MRX 540 and the Onkyo RZ 50?
So the Anthem doesn’t have an on screen display but it does have a web GUI that gives you access to all the settings. Once the Anthem in connect to the internet all you have to do is look what the ip is and type that into the bar at the top of your browser on a laptop, desktop or even your phone.
Andrew, what do you think of older receivers compared to new ones these days. I have old school one Sony STR D1015 and I love it. I bought it brand new back in 95 and still works like new. Is there a huge sound difference in sound between new receivers and old school ones.