Anthem MRX 540

[Andrew149]

Anyone running this setup? I have ML Theos and I’m looking for something that works in my budget under 2k with all the goodies. Right now my plan is a 5.1 setup this is in my living room I also have a limited cabinet space.
Specs
8ohm 140W
4ohm 170W

https://www.anthemav.com/products-current/series=mrx-series-gen4/model=mrx-540/page=overview

 

[IEnjoyOLED]

Anyone running this setup? I have ML Theos and I’m looking for something that works in my budget under 2k with all the goodies. Right now my plan is a 5.1 setup this is in my living room I also have a limited cabinet space.
Specs
8ohm 140W
4ohm 170W

https://www.anthemav.com/products-current/series=mrx-series-gen4/model=mrx-540/page=overview

I wish that I could reply definitely, but I don’t have ML Theos. I have ML ESL X driven by an Anthem STR that sounds wonderful in my music room. I have had an Anthem 520 which drove my HT which was then comprised of Atlantic Technology System 2 in walls well. I currently have various ML non-electrostats driven by an Anthem 1140 and Anthem MCA 325.

I think I can generalize that Anthem products are:
Very stable into any load I’ve had
Have a lovely warm-ish sound
ARC is great as long as the room is at least within reasonable levels of room treatment
Built like a tank

 

[SomeGeoffGuy]

I think the trick with Anthem is actually getting one - they have been hit HARD by the chip shortage. I have been watching for an MRX740 for over a year. Maybe if you had a personal relationship with a tier one dealer you could get on a list or something.

-Geoff

 

[Robert D]

I think the trick with Anthem is actually getting one - they have been hit HARD by the chip shortage. I have been watching for an MRX740 for over a year. Maybe if you had a personal relationship with a tier one dealer you could get on a list or something.

-Geoff

I think most popular brands are that way. Very frustrating. Forget about getting an Nvidia GPU.

 

[Andrew149]

I think most popular brands are that way. Very frustrating. Forget about getting an Nvidia GPU.

man it’s not like you can walk into bestbuy and grab this brand you would think only enthusiast are buying this brand.

 

[Stefan_DR3]

The problem is the highly anticipated AVM-70 and MRX x40 series went to production around the same time as AKM chip shortage, so many people placed orders that could not be filled. Meanwhile orders have continued to pour in. Anthem has redesigned the units to use ESS chips instead, but as you can imagine that takes time to ramp up production. At least that's their story. I personally think they are also having difficulty with software issues since everything is outsourced now.

I would not hesitate to seek out a MRX x20 series on the used market to tie you over for a while. They hold their value fairly well if you decide to upgrade later, when things settle down with the new design/software.

 

[Robert D]

man it’s not like you can walk into bestbuy and grab this brand you would think only enthusiast are buying this brand.

I guess pc gaming somehow became more mainstream? I've been buying nvidia for 25 years or more I think. My first card was back in the late 90s, ATI. It sucked. Pretty sure AMD bought them out. Seemed like the drivers never worked.

 

[Robert D]

The problem is the highly anticipated AVM-70 and MRX x40 series went to production around the same time as AKM chip shortage, so many people placed orders that could not be filled. Meanwhile orders have continued to pour in. Anthem has redesigned the units to use ESS chips instead, but as you can imagine that takes time to ramp up production. At least that's their story. I personally think they are also having difficulty with software issues since everything is outsourced now.

I would not hesitate to seek out a MRX x20 series on the used market to tie you over for a while. They hold their value fairly well if you decide to upgrade later, when things settle down with the new design/software.

I know zero about chips. What's the difference between those two? I'm guessing country of origin? Is one "better" or more reliable than the other? Must have been a reason for them to use the AKM chips to begin with. Maybe cost is a factor?

 

[Nuri58]

I know zero about chips. What's the difference between those two? I'm guessing country of origin? Is one "better" or more reliable than the other? Must have been a reason for them to use the AKM chips to begin with. Maybe cost is a factor?

Usually marginal so a trade-off between price/quality/supply situation. But of course, just the name nvidia has an edge to it. But I thought that ESS and nvidia were two pieces used in the same set-up? Maybe someone can enlighten us?

 

[SomeGeoffGuy]

I personally think they are also having difficulty with software issues since everything is outsourced now.

I would tend to believe this since I remember reading that a bunch of people had the early AVM 90's but the room correction software wasn't working. That is crazy that they outsource the software. Everything has software in it now!

I just put in a new kitchen and both fridges, oven, and dishwasher are all on wifi! And it's not a high end brand, it is fricking GE! You need some in-house expertise if you are going to sell in the marketplace unless you are going to sell fully analog tube amps.

-Geoff

 

[Nuri58]

It occurs to me many outsourses SW development - the Direc is used by many but of course tailored to show the correct logo etc. And I believe much of the rest will be the same - most shares the same basic chips so a basic generic code and some tweeks to tailormake it?

 

[SomeGeoffGuy]

It occurs to me many outsourses SW development - the Direc is used by many but of course tailored to show the correct logo etc. And I believe much of the rest will be the same - most shares the same basic chips so a basic generic code and some tweeks to tailormake it?

I have "Heard" that a lot of the commercial stuff is based on this: REW room acoustics and audio device measurement and analysis software.

-Geoff

 

[Robert D]

The perfect bass kit with ARC that I used for my BF 210 doesn't even work with my Microsoft surface laptop. Some kind of compatibility issue. I started a thread on here about it. I ended up having to use an old beat up DELL that I had abandoned in a dresser drawer. I knew I was keeping that old crap for some good reason!

 

[sleepysurf]

I have an MRX 740, that I use for home theater, with pre-out to my C-J 350 amp, powering my 13A's. I don't know how it would do alone powering the ML's. Thus far, despite some persistent bugs, it's been fine for home theater. It does a decent job integrating my two (dual mono) BF210 subs, but I'm still waiting for the long overdue firmware update, which is supposed to incorporate auto speaker distance and phase control. Unfortunately, I'm not thrilled with the midrange fidelity of the MRX 740 when used solely for stereo. It's not nearly as "musical" as my C-J CT5 preamp. I'm keeping the C-J in storage, and might revert back to it if subsequent ARC/MRX updates don't meet my expectations.

Re Anthem, I doubt they outsource the engineering for the ARC/MRX/AVR line. More likely, their in-house engineering has been preoccupied with changes to accommodate the switch from AKM to ESS chips, and getting the AVM 90 out. I hope they'll get back on track with other promised updates soon.

 

[Stefan_DR3]

I know zero about chips. What's the difference between those two? I'm guessing country of origin? Is one "better" or more reliable than the other? Must have been a reason for them to use the AKM chips to begin with. Maybe cost is a factor?

AKM and ESS are two semiconductor companies known for supplying DAC chips for audiophile components of late. Who knows Anthem's reason for selecting AKM originally? I know AKM chips are used in my highly rated Bryston DAC. The famous Oppo players used ESS Sabre chips, as do many others. It could have been based on listening tests, engineering/implementation details, cost or other supply chain reasons.

Who makes chips for audiophile equipment? - DAC - Digital to Analog Conversion - Audiophile Style

 

[Stefan_DR3]

Re Anthem, I doubt they outsource the engineering for the ARC/MRX/AVR line. More likely, their in-house engineering has been preoccupied with changes to accommodate the switch from AKM to ESS chips, and getting the AVM 90 out. I hope they'll get back on track with other promised updates soon.

I don't know but back in the heyday of Anthem Statement preamps, before Paradigm took over and moved production to Vietnam, their technical support was much better. I used to get direct email responses in a matter of hours, and sometime firmware updates were posted within days of us reporting issues. It was obvious they had a small dedicated team in-house, same time zone (Toronto).