Stereo reproduction.

Under Powered Remote Bass Managment,Arcam told me it couldn't be upgraded.

Arcam AVR-100, purchased just after the price fell. Very happy with the sound. Stereo and HT sound excellent. Dynaudio speakers are supreme in reproducing the sound. tried everything else in the price range (Double what i paid so cant complain). i have one issue which Arcam are failing to sort out for me, (no one from Technical seems to call me back) when switching between Dolby Digital 2 channel to 5.1, there is a loud pop from all the speakers. I have also noted that all the speakers hum, even when the volume is turned down. is this a design trate? System: Arcam AVR-100 Sony 725 DVD player Marantz CD-63II KI Dynaudio 42, 42c, 42w MJA Pro 50 sub

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Denon AVR2802,3802

impressive musicality for price/type of unit true analog signal paths on line level inputs nice build 5.1 channel pre-amp outputs

underpowered at times

I bought this unit in late september of 2001. I wanted to wait before posting a review until I had had few months to actually live with it in our new home. frankly, i''m at a loss concerning some of the harsh reviews of this amp i''ve read at this site. one or two stars? please. If you''re looking seriously at arcam I would imagine music is your first priority. As a barometer i listen to indi pop, acoustic, electronic, indi rock, and a growing amount of jazz. In respect to music the avr100 delivers. I searched long and hard and couldn''t find any receiver under two grand that made music like this box. prompted by some of the negitive comments i''ve read here i went to my speaker retailer earlier today and listened to a price comparible rotel pre-power combo using the same speakers. i found the rotel combo sounded murky and bloomy in comparison. I was shocked and am still thinking abou the experience (perhaps the rotel combo had not been properly warmed up). nevertheless, with the avr detail and imaging are great. sure, at times the soundstage isn''t quite as widescreen as i would like(most of the action happens between the speakers and no more than foot outside, this could definitely be a room problem) but come on, there are five channels of amplification in this box. also, there are pre-amp outputs should you ever want to bi-amp or seperate your front channels. as far as movie reproduction goes, if you''re into crappola blockbusters like pearl harbor or the mummy films this probably isn''t the amp for you. however, if you''re into dialog or story driven films your''re not going to have any problems whatsoever. in fact, you''ll probably have a much more engaging experience with this type of film. to conclude, this is a surprisingly good sounding two channel amp that also has the bonus ability to produce 5.1 channel surround. fyi, there is an informitive review of this product at tnt-audio.com (a non-profit site run by very knowledgable hi-fi junkies). my system includes: sources: rega planar 2/ pro-ject phono box arcam alpha 7se cd toshiba sd-1200 dvd speakers: totem staffs front l/r totem mites surrounds totem mite-t-c center velodyne spl 1000 sub interconnects: rega couple tara labs digital coax monster video three component cable monster video two s-video sound org. z560 rack

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denon 2801,3801,rotel,marantz,nad t761, t751?,and integra

Simplicity, build quality, performance.

Interconnectivity

Just connected up my AVR-100 yesterday and it performs pretty much as I expected. I am mainly using this as a preamp, SS decoder, and amp for center and rear speakers (using front pre-outs with two external amplifiers). While I haven''t had a chance to carefully analyze its performance, the only problem I am having is with interconnectivity with other components. Some of you may want to be aware of these limitations that I haven''t seen articulated here yet: 1.) Only 3 digital inputs. The two coaxials are assigned to DVD and Satellite. Both my DVD and satellite componenets only have digital optical outs. I don''t understand why Arcam assigns its only optical input to the VCR, but I must now assign my satellite to this input....or just listen to DSS in pro logic. It will depend how much DSS programming is in Dolby Digital and whether I choose the PPV on satellite or rent DVDs. 2.) No switched AC receptacle. I use an AC Enhancer that switches all of my components on in the correct sequence. Most receivers (and preamps) have a switched receptacle that would trigger my AC enhancer. Neither the Arcam AVR-100 nor AVR-200 have this receptacle. So I purchased a Niles AC-3 to trigger the AC Enhancer. Despite these shortcomings, I bought the Arcam for it''s stereo performance, as I was replacing a pretty good NAD preamp and didn''t want to sacrifice two-channel performance. I can''t comment yet on much else, but will once I familiarize myself with it. But these seem like pretty basic design flaws which I wish I had paid more careful attention to (I incorrectly assumed my DVD and DSS-to be both had coaxial outs).

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NAD preamp, NAD 761 receiver, Marantz 6200.

Marvelous sound in both stereo and surround. Simple to set up and to manage. Great new remote. It''s the first time I was able to put ALL my other remotes to rest.

No fiber output (only digital coax).

The Product model year is 2002. This review covers the ARCAM AVR 200 in store since March 2002. This unit has an excellent sound quality. If you ever had any problems listening to dialog while all the effects kick in then this is the one for you! In it''s price range, the only unit that comes close is the Rotel RXV 972, it blew out the NADs, Denons, Yamahas out of the blue and I''ve listened to all of them in the last 6 months. Yes it took me 6 months to finally chose an update to my AV set up but it was time well spent as it allowed me to chose in my mind the best AV amp under 2000$.

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Rotel RVX 972, HK AVR 210, NAD T761, Denon 3802, Yamaha 1200

Arcam support, sound, does not have all of the fancy bells and whistles

A bit under powered ( i bi-amp with P85), does not have all of the fancy bells and whistles

This is an update on a previous review. I am really impressed by the after-sales support from Arcam and the Canadian distributor: they upgraded the AVR-100s software so that now i have full control over base and speaker settings. I also exchanged the old remote control for the new one that is included with the Avr-200 and Arcam''s new FMJ HT pre-amp ( had to pay a little extra for the remote though... its a fully learning remote that controls all my components and is backlit! no more searching for the buttons in the dark!). BTW, they also upgraded my DV-88 dvd players forware and disc mechanism for a more recent, faster and quieter model! Free of charge! Without asking, the store called me up!

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NAD

2 channel stereo

Could use a bit more power and the remote sucks!

This unit was bought brand new in 2002 and comes with the new bass management system. Having used Naim gear for quite a number of years, I did not expect this receiver to be as good. I was pleasantly surprised when on first listen that although it was not as good as my name gear, it still gave a very good account of itself especially in 2 channel stereo. The sound was smooth and very natural. I would recommend it to anyone on a budget.

Stereo

Set-up limitations. Rubbish remote

This is an excellent machine. Yes, the setup may be limited, but does it ever sound good?! As a replacement for my Arcam Alpha 7 amp, this one is better in every way. It may not be loud enough for some of you, but in my relativley small room it sounds great (I didn''t know my speakers were capable of shaking the walls like they do with this amp. There might be better Dolby Digital amps out there, and there are certainly better stereo ones. But for the price, you won''t find a machine that will do both as well as this (except the AVR200 of course)

Simple, great sound quality in 2 or 5 channel, digital inputs

Not as flexible in speaker management as I would like

This is actually a review of the AVR200 Many of the reviews have commented on the lack of power with the AVR100. I must say that it was indeed a bit weak if you wanted the walls to shake in your room. However, the AVR200 (although still rated the same 90 x2, 70 x5) seems to have more punch than the earlier model. It also has pro logic 2 and a much better remote. If you want flexibilty, features, and power galore; get something else...if you want sound quality, then buy this.

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NAD 761, 521, Arcam AVR100

Clarity, clarity, clarity... DTS is very crisp, I also love how the sound blends on the front and center, so you cannot clearly identify from which speaker is coming from

power I guess...

I'm back (mine was the second review of the AVR100).
So how am I doing?
Well, still enjoing the amp very much, but holding out for more power...
On the subject, I have heard from reputable sources that Arcam is working on a 5 channels power amplifier... so if you like me want to increase the power front, don't go for the 3 channel model yet...
eheheh

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Denon AVR-3801

Sound,sound,sound. Very well made and elegent looking

Remote

What a great sound. Even with my 15y/o jbl l15 the detail was exceptional. The remote is sub par and only works the avr100 or the cd and dvd player. The avr100 doesn't have alot of the bells and whistles as the yamaha,onkyo or marantz in the same price range but the sound and detail blows the others away. This was my first purchase in 15 yrs and I just didn't know which brand to purchase. I went to audio consultants in evanston, Illinois after listening to numerous a/v receivers in the $800-$1500 range at all the discount places. They first had me listen to the marantz sr19 with B&W 603s. It sounded nice but lacked alot of detail. Next up was the avr100 and what a wonderful sound did I hear. The marantz sounded dull but the avr100 was so alive. They then played Antz on dvd and the scene with the bee was incrediable. It sounded as if a bee was alive in the room. If you are looking for an a/v receiver with great audio quality this is the one if not go for the others with 30 dsps.