Anthem AV Owners Thread

[franin]

Just curious as too why ARC the subs levels are always 10B higher ( 85db ) to the rest of the speakers?

It’s not a problem I reduce the level down 10db but I’m curious as too why is does it .

[Snoopy8]

17 minutes ago, franin said:

Just curious as too why ARC the subs levels are always 10B higher ( 85db ) to the rest of the speakers?

It’s not a problem I reduce the level down 10db but I’m curious as too why is does it .

I have to admit that I have not focused on getting everything to 75 dB exactly. So, not sure how to answer your curiosity.  More importantly, how does it sound for movies and music? And have you tried any the tweaks like seeing mains to full, changing the equalization limit?

[franin]

I have to admit that I have not focused on getting everything to 75 dB exactly. So, not sure how to answer your curiosity.  More importantly, how does it sound for movies and music? And have you tried any the tweaks like seeing mains to full, changing the equalization limit?

Yes i have changed it to 20000 which sound very good for hometheatre.
My question was more of a curiosity as too why it calibrated the subs 10bd hotter

[Snoopy8]

9 minutes ago, franin said:

Yes i have changed it to 20000 which sound very good for hometheatre.
My question was more of a curiosity as too why it calibrated the subs 10bd hotter

I just saw a few questions on other forums about it, but don't recall anyone here raise it. 

 

How did ARC compare against Audyssey? Was the calibration process similar?  How did the end result, ie listening compare?

[betty boop]

40 minutes ago, Snoopy8 said:

I just saw a few questions on other forums about it, but don't recall anyone here raise it. 

 

How did ARC compare against Audyssey? Was the calibration process similar?  How did the end result, ie listening compare?

i look forward to franins thoughts as on face of it i have to say anthems arc seems quite convoluted ? requiring a lot outside the calibration process. audyssey seems quite self contained ie do first measurement ...check if want... but can just continue on and its done basically just moving mic around accepting results and thats it ? even audyssey pro is no different. though all manner of manual  possibilities are there. not to say audyssey is perfect and people do get into bother bu usually only where not following procedure or have a setup that is far beyond the minor miracle these systems are capable off.

 

ps dont take as having a pot shot or anything. who knows one day an anthem might be what am using so keen to keep abreast and understand whats involved.

[Snoopy8]

2 minutes ago, al said:

i look forward to franins thoughts as on face of it i have to say anthems arc seems quite convoluted ?

Only if you make it so.  Process is Quick Measure to check sub level is within 2 dB of mains, adjust sub gain if required.  Then measure, upload and away you go,  It is a very simple and easy process and a user is guided step by step. 

 

Not sure why we have been having convoluted discussions above, so has given you the wrong impressions.

[betty boop]

3 minutes ago, Snoopy8 said:

Only if you make it so.  Process is Quick Measure to check sub level is within 2 dB of mains, adjust sub gain if required.  Then measure, upload and away you go,  It is a very simple and easy process and a user is guided step by step. 

 

Not sure why we have been having convoluted discussions above, so has given you the wrong impressions.

i did see requirement to have to measure speaker distances manually and have to key in which i thought a bit antiquated. havent had to do that since a harman kardon unit had back in 2004 !  

 

but apart from that i take it pretty well automated ?

[BugPowderDust]

Very automated Al but also very customisable. Best of both worlds.

 

The ARC results I get are vastly better to any audyssey I’ve used in the past; it was really evident when I switched platforms. That said, I imagine audyssey has moved forwards since then so the comparison may be less striking now.

[betty boop]

16 minutes ago, recur said:

Very automated Al but also very customisable. Best of both worlds.

 

The ARC results I get are vastly better to any audyssey I’ve used in the past; it was really evident when I switched platforms. That said, I imagine audyssey has moved forwards since then so the comparison may be less striking now.

good to hear, but depends when moved on from audyssey prior to XT wasnt anything to crow about. didnt think much of it myself. xt32 was really when things moved up significantly. pro was what  had me settled.

 

but good to hear your experience and while im happy now I dont close my mind to other possibilities

[BugPowderDust]

39 minutes ago, al said:

good to hear, but depends when moved on from audyssey prior to XT wasnt anything to crow about. didnt think much of it myself. xt32 was really when things moved up significantly. pro was what  had me settled.

 

but good to hear your experience and while im happy now I dont close my mind to other possibilities

It was XT32. Didn’t rate it at all.

[franin]

i look forward to franins thoughts as on face of it i have to say anthems arc seems quite convoluted ? requiring a lot outside the calibration process. audyssey seems quite self contained ie do first measurement ...check if want... but can just continue on and its done basically just moving mic around accepting results and thats it ? even audyssey pro is no different. though all manner of manual  possibilities are there. not to say audyssey is perfect and people do get into bother bu usually only where not following procedure or have a setup that is far beyond the minor miracle these systems are capable off.
 
ps dont take as having a pot shot or anything. who knows one day an anthem might be what am using so keen to keep abreast and understand whats involved. [emoji4]

Will do when i get a chance AL.

The graph represented on Arc is 12PPO ?

[Benje]

ARC is fast and flexible.

Much quicker to run and set up than audyssey pro.

 

Also, much easier to tweak later - you don't need to resweep the speakers if nothing has changed, but you can easily amend any of the 4 settings, on the fly.  It does encourage tinkering, which can be a bad thing so be warned.

 

Benje (MRX720)

[Snoopy8]

5 hours ago, al said:

i did see requirement to have to measure speaker distances manually and have to key in which i thought a bit antiquated. havent had to do that since a harman kardon unit had back in 2004 !  

 

but apart from that i take it pretty well automated ?

 

From https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/audio-accessory/audio-calibration/anthem-room-correction-arc-system-part-1/

 

Quote

This is the one downside of the USB microphone. It is not possible to accurately estimate the delay from the ADC and USB encoder in the microphone, and the USB decoder in the computer. If an analog microphone and preamp were connected to one side of a stereo USB sound card locally at the computer, then the other channel could be used as loopback for a timing reference.

 

[betty boop]

10 minutes ago, Snoopy8 said:

 

From https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/audio-accessory/audio-calibration/anthem-room-correction-arc-system-part-1/

 

 

thanks snoopy does the app get around this as that connects mic via phone analog socket ?

[Snoopy8]

4 hours ago, al said:

thanks snoopy does the app get around this as that connects mic via phone analog socket ?

I doubt it.  But will be interesting to find out what it can do when the microphone for the iPhone comes out.

 

** taking this slightly OT. With a USB microphone, REW uses a timing reference signal to accurately measure delays .  Wonder why Anthem cannot use the same concept to accurately measure delays?

Edited March 11, 2018 by Snoopy8
Added last lines **

[Gridmon]

On 3/7/2018 at 12:00 PM, Mobe1969 said:

I'm a windows user, so don't have the apple issue, but has anyone tried perhaps getting a free VM with Amazon Web Services? You used to be able to get a basic VM with a free account. I know with Microsoft, USB ports can be mapped through to a remote desktop session, but I'm not sure about MacOS. 

 

Just an idea.

@Mobe1969 I decided to check this out. My usual MS Remote desktop (v8) didn't support USB mapping.

Installed latest version from MS v10.1.5 (Note this is for Mac's not Windows -its in the App store for free).

Short answer is Nope. 

The Remote desktop client lets you map folders but not USB devices.

So unless you had a really long (and non-compliant) USB cable, and could hunt down the hardware hosting your virtual machine at AWS before security got you, you wouldn't be able to connect your Mic. 

 

[Mobe1969]

11 hours ago, Gridmon said:

@Mobe1969 I decided to check this out. My usual MS Remote desktop (v8) didn't support USB mapping.

Installed latest version from MS v10.1.5 (Note this is for Mac's not Windows -its in the App store for free).

Short answer is Nope. 

The Remote desktop client lets you map folders but not USB devices.

So unless you had a really long (and non-compliant) USB cable, and could hunt down the hardware hosting your virtual machine at AWS before security got you, you wouldn't be able to connect your Mic. 

 

So on the remote desktop client app, Local resources tab, More..., Ports->other pnp devices, everything checked? Or those options missing on a Mac?

[franin]

I wrote the little review in the other forum I thought I write it here as well.

Watched Alien: Covenant last night sounded really good through ARC. Maybe it's me but I heard more detail come through the speakers. I feel like ive opened the door and can hear all the detail if you know what I mean. The subs sound great blend in very well. I won't lie at first I thought what have i done but now i don't regret it.

I've also finally got the hang on how this unit operates ( The Arc ) and I love the option on how you can go back into your last results and mess around and upload them and see how it sounds. I'm still learning and there is plenty of time with tinkering. It's an awesome option to have.

Regarding the distance that doesnt take too long. Very easy to do but Arc does the rest and it does a bloody good job.

Not sure if it was the audyssey algorithm vs Arc given the different results between the two or even the pre amps / power amp input sensitivity I've now grown accustom to the change. Many people who have only used Audyssey ( like me ) some may be thrown out due to the different results but once they get an understanding on how it works they will be happy as a pig in **** [emoji3]

[Snoopy8]

@franin good to hear you finally got there and enjoying the 1120! And thank you for your review.

 

As you know, you have four profiles to play with allowing you to try various options.  You could try comparing standard versus enabling mains as full speakers and changing  max equalisation to 500/600 hz. You could set up one profile for stereo 2.1 by disabling the centre, surrounds, backs, etc.  To quickly switch between profiles, you can set up different Inputs each with its profile and use the Input button on the remote.

 

Another thing you can try are the different modes, useful when you have 2.0 sources.  Anthem Logic for music comes across well. Use the Mode button on the remote.

[franin]

[mention=148241]franin[/mention] good to hear you finally got there and enjoying the 1120! And thank you for your review.
 
As you know, you have four profiles to play with allowing you to try various options.  You could try comparing standard versus enabling mains as full speakers and changing  max equalisation to 500/600 hz. You could set up one profile for stereo 2.1 by disabling the centre, surrounds, backs, etc.  To quickly switch between profiles, you can set up different Inputs each with its profile and use the Input button on the remote.
 
Another thing you can try are the different modes, useful when you have 2.0 sources.  Anthem Logic for music comes across well. Use the Mode button on the remote.

The AVM 60 but the 1120 is the same .
Its awesome Snoopy8 these units are really good and as you just explained these units are very flexible.

Honestly if anyone is coming from Audyssey to Arc at first it will be daunting but then it will come to you. It will be worth it.

[Snoopy8]

7 hours ago, franin said:

The AVM 60 but the 1120 is the same .

 

 my bad, you have the AVM60. 

 

Do you use the AVM60 for 2 channel?  If so, what are your impressions?

7 hours ago, franin said:

Honestly if anyone is coming from Audyssey to Arc at first it will be daunting but then it will come to you. It will be worth it.

 

Can you please expand on why it was daunting so that others can understand what is like to move from Audyssey to ARC and vice versa. 

[franin]

17 hours ago, Snoopy8 said:

 my bad, you have the AVM60. 

 

Do you use the AVM60 for 2 channel?  If so, what are your impressions?

Can you please expand on why it was daunting so that others can understand what is like to move from Audyssey to ARC and vice versa. 

 

17 hours ago, Snoopy8 said:

 my bad, you have the AVM60. 

 

Do you use the AVM60 for 2 channel?  If so, what are your impressions?

Can you please expand on why it was daunting so that others can understand what is like to move from Audyssey to ARC and vice versa. 

Hi Snoopy8 I dont use the AVM for 2 channel. 

 

I found being an Audyssey user for years it was all mainly plug and play. After awhile you become accustomed to 8 postions and it was easy. I used the pro as well and it was easy as well but not as flexible as the Anthem ARC.

I found calibrating with Arc you will not get the same results as you do with Audyssey ( the trim levels especially ) it works in a completley different alogrithm which threw me off at first. I calibrated 4 times even bought a new laptop ( thinking it was my other one ) and I always got similar results.  I then realised talking to people on the fourms and even Anthem themelves Arc takes everything into account from your room even the input sensitivity level inputs between pre amp and power amps.

 

The daunting part is looking at all the infomation presented to you in the target area eg max eq where you can calibrate from 5000 to 20000 and the from flat to the 16th order for the subwoofer understanding what it all means. Just to give people an idea who dont use it you can go into your last calibration settings via the computer and adjust the target info ( Max EQ and 14 order etc ) and then calculate it to see the results without having to plug it into the Anthem. As mentioned above posts you can save them to different profile without messing you original one. When your ready its a simple as using your wifi or even plugging in a cat 5 and then sit back and listen.

 

So if anyone is moving from Audyssey to Arc be prepared as it will throw you off at first but stick with it and you will enjoy it.Trust me Ive PM'd, posted on both forums and spoke to Anthem people and there is nothing to be worried about. 

 

 I do have too mention the Subs on Anthem is amazing so tight, sounds nice. It will be a bit of work adjsting the subs at first using a SPL meter ( if you have more than one ) but you have to do that with Audyssey as well to be honest especailly like me if you have 4. You want to make sure you get the same gain levels on all the subs. 

 

Have to mention I also like the simplicity of it. It caters to my needs I use most of the what is too offer on the Anthem apart from 2 channel. With the marantz  ( Dont get me wrong its definitley no slouch ) I never used the 2 channels Balanced input speakers, the extra 2 speakers and the video procssing. 

 

Anyway going to watch oblivion 

 

Edited March 22, 2018 by franin

[Snoopy8]

12 hours ago, franin said:

Hi Snoopy8 I dont use the AVM for 2 channel. 

I speculated that the AVM60 would come closer to a 2 channel system than a  1120 would, hence my question.

 

Thank you for the detailed reply of your journey from Audyssey to ARC and how it ended up well.   It does seem that someone going away from ARC will have an even more daunting journey for poorer results.

12 hours ago, franin said:

 I do have too mention the Subs on Anthem is amazing so tight, sounds nice. It will be a bit of work adjsting the subs at first using a SPL meter ( if you have more than one ) but you have to do that with Audyssey as well to be honest especailly like me if you have 4. You want to make sure you get the same gain levels on all the subs. 

Good to hear ARC did well with the subs. Did you do phase matching of the subs as well as gain?  And not sure if you have issues with getting even bass across different listening positions? If so, consider MSO.

 

Now to get that cat to take off his blinkers... 

[franin]

Good to hear ARC did well with the subs. Did you do phase matching of the subs as well as gain?  And not sure if you have issues with getting even bass across different listening positions? If so, consider MSO.
 
Now to get that cat to take off his blinkers... [emoji4]

I messed with the phase on all 4 subs and at zero where they performed well Individually.

This MSO I've heard about it but need to look into it as bit more

[kitschcamp]

I've recently moved house, and we've now got the option of a dedicated home theatre. Which we're jumping at! 

 

So the original plan was to keep the current receiver for a few years more (a Yamaha 2050), get Atmos wired up, a big screen and really splurge on the projector. So we had a demo of the projector, and that sealed it for us on the projector, but also got offered a good deal on an Anthem 1120, which was just too good to turn down. It arrived last week. Oh boy...

 

Our current Q Acoustics speakers sound great with it, but I was amazed at what ARC has done to the junk speakers left on the wall by the previous owners that layout wise are pretty close to Dolby Front and Dolby Rear and will have to do until we can refit the room properly later this year. They actually sound ok. The Yamaha YPAO couldn't really do much with them, but ARC has made them useful as atmos speakers and we had a great weekend enjoying a few films and letting the 1120 fly. I now can't wait until all the rest of the work is done. 

 

I'm in love.