Arcam AVR500 - Owner feedback

[CnoEvil]

Given the low price that this amp is currently available for, it might help potential purchasers to hear how current owners are getting on......especially in the light of all the reported problems.

Thank you in advance

Cno

 

[ric71]

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

 

[CnoEvil]

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

Ric

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

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

Cno

 

[ric71]

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

 

[Big Aura]

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

thanks

 

[CnoEvil]

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

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

 

[ric71]

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

 

[KeithT]

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

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

This happens pretty much every time.

Thoughts?

 

[CnoEvil]

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

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

This happens pretty much every time.

Thoughts?

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

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

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

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

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

Cno

 

[KeithT]

Cno,

Thanks.

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

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

 

[CnoEvil]

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

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

 

[BenLaw]

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

 

[CnoEvil]

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

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

 

[ric71]

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

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

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

 

[CnoEvil]

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

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

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

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

 

[ric71]

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

 

[CnoEvil]

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

:cheers:

Cno

 

[BenLaw]

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

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

Keith describes that even when 'working' he'd leave the room for some time before everything switched on properly, is that common for this receiver?

I really would like to hear these amps and see what the fuss is about (actually I did briefly at a show but I was at the back, beyond the rears, so still no real idea). I find the fuss a little illogical as they're supposed to be great with music but I would have thought they can't be better than a fairly budget arcam amp, which are not all that.

 

[KeithT]

BenLaw, just to clarify, the Arcam switches on fairly rapidly. When I turn my Virgin Media box I switch it off rather than to standby. If you turn it on from standby it takes about 15 seconds, if you turn it on from off it takes about two minutes as it has to boot up from scratch. Just as your pc would if you shut it down rather than put it in sleep mode.

In terms of sound quailty, I cannot fault the amp. Bearing in mind that (at the moment) I only use it in two channel mode I have friends who find the depth and width of the sound fabulous whilst watching tv/dvd's. Playing music through it, whether that's vinyl or cd, is a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. I don't find (music) radio via satelitte/virgin media great due to some of the compression that they force it through.

 

[BenLaw]

Ah right, thanks for the clarification, I don't have satellite / cable so didn't know it would be down to that. Glad to hear it sounds so good, hope you manage to sort any difficulties

 

[CnoEvil]

I really would like to hear these amps and see what the fuss is about (actually I did briefly at a show but I was at the back, beyond the rears, so still no real idea). I find the fuss a little illogical as they're supposed to be great with music but I would have thought they can't be better than a fairly budget arcam amp, which are not all that.

Ben, for my taste the AVR600 has seen off many highly rated 2 channel amps (M6i, Moon i7 and Coda CSi).

Here is a long and slightly OTT review that explains possibly why:
http://www.iar-80.com/page161.html

 

[KeithT]

Ha! Finally had feedback from Arcam; "I have no idea why Keith has lost audio – but audio over HDMI is notoriously flaky from Set top boxes etc – I would absolutely recommend that the Optical output is used rather than HDMI is all cases.."

So, let me get this right; I've got to buy a cable because of a fault with their amps? Is optical really better? Thoughts?

 

[bigboss]

On paper, HDMI is better than optical as optical cannot carry HD audio. I have no idea about Virgin boxes. Sky+ HD boxes do not output DD 5.1 via HDMI, so we're forced to use optical.

As far as I'm aware, none of the TV channels output HD audio.