AV Receiver to go with Ascend setup (with RAAL ribbons)?

[TyCanadian]

Hi there,

I'm new to the forum and hope to place an order as soon as the staff holiday is over!

I plan to purchase one of the following two receivers for a 5.1-channel setup where the front (Sierra Towers) and center channel (Horizon) speakers will feature the RAAL ribbon tweeters, and wanted to know if anyone has any experience with Ascend speakers and either the:

1. Anthem MRX-710
2. Denon AVR-4520ci

Both appear to have excellent reviews and room correction features.

I'm interested in opinions as if cost were not a factor (since I believe I can get them both for the same price).

Is there a compelling reason anyone can think of to go with either over the other? Since I've never had speakers with ribbon tweeters before, are there any special considerations there?

I am planning on getting either the F15HP or FV15HP subwoofer (unsure yet, since I expect to do 50/50 music/movies and have a 250-300 sq. ft. room with 8-foot ceilings). There is a small chance I'll go with two F15HP subs if I get one and deem it unsatisfactory (unlikely since I normally don't play at excessively high volume levels).

Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks!

[TyCanadian]

Just to follow up, I decided to go with the Denon, since I was able to get a very good deal that made it a no-brainer. While I usually prefer no-frills equipment, it did have a few extra features I will use that the Anthem did not have. I'm very excited to try out the Audyssey XT32 room correction system as well - I welcome any advice from anyone else with experience using it with Ascend speakers!

[Sivar]

Denon is a solid choice, though I am unfamiliar with that specific unit. They also make the only HTIB that made me say, "Huh...that actually sounds pretty decent."

[debo]

I have the Denon 4520ci, it's their flagship model, and i love it!

[eyecatcher]

I'm looking at the Anthem MRX-710 also. Has anyone compared it to the Marantz AV8801 or Yamaha CX-5000 or xmc-1? I just need good 2ch music and 5.1 HT. I have beautiful speakers and amps

[Sivar]

The Emotiva XMC-1 is a pre-amp, not a receiver. Did you mean the Fusion 8100?