Is it worth upgrading my Arcam AVR350 to the AVR360 ?

[SJCT99]

I can get a new (now discontinued) Arcam AVR360 for £649. How much of an upgrade is it over my Arcam AVR350?

I don't get good radio signal so wouldn't use the DAB but I would use the internet radio.

The key issue for me is the sound of the amp as I am enjoy the sound my current amp produces for music but is the movie performance suffering with not having TrueHD decoding?

Lastly, often film watching is when the kids are in bed, so I often have to keep hold of the remote to raise volume during dialogue but quickly reduce volume when special effects kick in! So my question is: would Dolby Volume fix this issue for me and does it degrade the sound quality?

Thanks for the help

 

[SJCT99]

Well no comments so I guess you could say my post now means I am taking to myself

I am having a Arcam AVR360 delivered tomorrow as I found a new one for £600 and I should be able to offset the cost by selling my old AVR350.

 

[CnoEvil]

I'm sorry you didn't get a response.

I had an AVR350, which was a great sounding bit of kit.

I haven't heard the AVR360, but if it sounds as good, the handling of Hi-Res sound etc plus Dolby Volume are certainly worth having....especially at the price you paid.

I hope you enjoy it, and let us know how it works out.

 

[SJCT99]

Thanks for the comment I was starting to feel a little lonely :boohoo:

The Arcam AVR360 receiver arrived today and I am really pleased. It is better than my old AVR350 and the extra features and sound formats are really worth upgrading for. It was very to set up and internet radio is very cool.

I had a home demo of the Arcam AVR400 before buying the AVR360 and I wondered what the difference in sound quality and features would be. Personally, for my speakers and sub the extra power of the AVR400 makes no audible difference and in fact other than the power rating I do not think there is any real difference between the AVR360 and the more expensive AVR400.

It works seamlessly with my Arcam BDP300 Blu-ray player (which I also use to play CDs).

Dolby Volume is good but I need to play around with its settings a bit more I think.

I think getting an AVR360 for £600 is a good deal. It works very well with my Dali Fazon speakers and I think I will be very content for a long while.

 

[CnoEvil]

That all sounds good.

Re Dolby Volume:

- Select "Cinema Mode"

- Try leaving "Dolby Leveller" switched off

- In "DV Calib Offset", a minus figure makes it louder....so try -4dB.

It works like a fancy "loudness button", giving much more impact at quieter listening levels.