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?

[eyecatcher]

i'm talking about using the xmc-1 with dirac. I don't really need a receiver. I'm aware I'm comparing a receiver which is the 710 to pre amps. I think it is that good. The fusion doesn't have any room correction.

[Sivar]

The XMC-1 users seem to be pretty happy about their Dirac room correction (which is finally, finally available on the XMC-1 as of mid-December). You can read more about their experiences here to help with your decision:
http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/38893?page=57

I have considered getting an XMC-1 myself because:

1. My current Emotiva pre-amp has flaky HDMI negotiation
2. Emotiva fixed the HDMI problems and other flakiness, which plagued many (most?) small companies making custom HDMI products a few years ago.

It doesn't hurt that I have "40% off any Emotiva pre-amp" card.
The only reason I haven't (other than the remaining cost) is that the XMC-1 doesn't support HDMI 2.0. Thus, while it does support 4K TVs, it does not support them at 60Hz. Big deal? Only if I want to use a future 4K projector as a PC monitor. This is a remote possibility, but it seems unwise to buy a $2000 pre-amp in 2015 which doesn't support HDMI 2.0, regardless of Dirac support. I'm hoping they plan to release an updated version soon, but have zero evidence that such a thing is in the works.

As an aside, the following video provides some evidence that room correction is not all that it is cracked up to be. The video discusses cinema, but some of the ideas may apply to home theater: http://youtu.be/6qZ3MWsOhvo

[mikem]

The XMC-1 users seem to be pretty happy about their Dirac room correction (which is finally, finally available on the XMC-1 as of mid-December). You can read more about their experiences here to help with your decision:
http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/38893?page=57

I have considered getting an XMC-1 myself because:

1. My current Emotiva pre-amp has flaky HDMI negotiation
2. Emotiva fixed the HDMI problems and other flakiness, which plagued many (most?) small companies making custom HDMI products a few years ago.

It doesn't hurt that I have "40% off any Emotiva pre-amp" card.
The only reason I haven't (other than the remaining cost) is that the XMC-1 doesn't support HDMI 2.0. Thus, while it does support 4K TVs, it does not support them at 60Hz. Big deal? Only if I want to use a future 4K projector as a PC monitor. This is a remote possibility, but it seems unwise to buy a $2000 pre-amp in 2015 which doesn't support HDMI 2.0, regardless of Dirac support. I'm hoping they plan to release an updated version soon, but have zero evidence that such a thing is in the works.

As an aside, the following video provides some evidence that room correction is not all that it is cracked up to be. The video discusses cinema, but some of the ideas may apply to home theater: http://youtu.be/6qZ3MWsOhvo

Hi Sivar,

did you get yourself the xmc-1? If yes how is it working. Im new to this and want some professional tips. I visited this page about 4k Projectors but I want some more experienced answer.

i want to use my 4k Projector to make a home theater feeling and want to buy all what is recommended. My Max Budget that I want to spend is 8000 $ what can you guy recommend?

Thanks Mike

[Sivar]

Hi Sivar,

did you get yourself the xmc-1? If yes how is it working. Im new to this and want some professional tips. I visited this page about 4k Projectors but I want some more experienced answer.

i want to use my 4k Projector to make a home theater feeling and want to buy all what is recommended. My Max Budget that I want to spend is 8000 $ what can you guy recommend?

Thanks Mike

I ended up buying an Emotiva MC-700, which works quite well. I don't know that I would recommend Emotiva for a pre-amp over more established companies. Amplifier? Yes. Anything else? Less so.

The MC-700 supports 4K resolution, but I am unconvinced it is of enough benefit to justify the cost increase. HDR is different, however, and does have obvious benefit. While unrelated to 4K resolution, HDR does seem to only be associated with 4K equipment.

Projectors and pre-amps come and go, so I suggest the bulk of your budget should go to the things that last, like speakers and subwoofers.
Projector technology is advancing rapidly, undergoing a major shift towards laser, but 4K laser projectors are not yet affordable. I suspect they will be within a few years. I tested a 1080p laser projector for Amazon and found it quite remarkable -- its brightness was far stronger than any other home theater projector I have seen. Even on "Eco mode" it was vastly brighter than my BenQ on maximum brightness.

As for audio, I researched speakers since I was 15, tried many brands at many price points, and settled on Ascend's high-end line with RAAL tweeters. RAAL tweeters are insanely good, measuring better than even the most exotic plasma- and diamond-based units by many metrics. The speakers overall are extraordinary in almost every way, including ways I did not consider prior to purchase. I originally wanted to get a better-known brand like B&W, KEF. or Focal, but the measurements said it all, and when I heard them -- subjective an experience as that can be -- it was immediately clear that I made the right choice.