AVR and ML XT F100

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trinitynzxt

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So I just got a pair of ML XT F100 on what I think is a pretty good deal on an open box buy (speakers look to be mint condition) at BB for $1350 each.

I'm now looking at what to use to power them. Some info, room they are being used in is 10' x 14' and I haven't yet decided on seating / tv placement so couch will be between 10' and 14' away from the TV and Speakers. I currently only have the ML XT F100 with plans to get the XT C100 center in about a month when funds are available, its not ideal but I'm not in a rush either. Following the XT C100 I plan on getting a pair of the B10 for rear surround. After that will be a pair of speakers (maybe Motion 4i) for Atmos. I live in an apartment so I may or may not be getting a sub, it simply depends on how the XT F100 fare with out a sub. If I do end up with a sub looking at either a B&W ASW 610, ML Dynamo 800X, Rel HT/1205 MKII or SVS 3000 Micro. My living room probably isn't acoustically the best place for a setup but its what I have, on the 14' wall to the right is a full length sliding door (glass) with floor to ceiling windows on either side, the other side of the room on the 14' wall is open to the kitchen area with a counter height bar area to eat. Both 10' walls are blank / no obstructions.

I've been looking at the Onkyo TX-RZ50 $1000, Marantz Cinema 50 $1450 (Refurb), and the Sony STRAZ5000 ES ($2000). I like the Onkyo because its $1000 and comes with a Dirac license, however its size makes it difficult to find a cheap / affordable media center / tv stand to put it on because of its 17'' depth. I like the Cinema 50 because Marantz to me = quality and its size works better, however I would have to spend an additional $350 for Dirac and based off how my room is layed out I'm thinking Dirac or something like it is going to be a must. The 5000 ES I've heard really good things about and I've heard its 360 spatial software is pretty good, the size of it at just over 18" deep also makes finding something to put it on a challange.

I've also wondered are either of these options really going to supply enough power to the XT F100 when listening to 2ch music. I've read about everything from Bi Amping to getting a seperate amp to power them however most of the Amps I've read about that seem to do a good job at not just supplying power but also not hurting the sound of the speakers are quite expensive.

Just curious what you guys think. I don't know a whole bunch about setting stuff up and honestly only want to buy once and be happy but don't want to have to go in to credit card debt to do it either. I'm looking to be at or under $2000 at most and ideally would like to be around $1500.
 
Hiya.

Second time I'm saying this is as many days, but you might look at the Anthem MRX 540 or MRX 740. Anthem is a sister company to ML, and the ARC ("Anthem Room Correction") is actually from them. The MRX receivers feature the complete ARC capabilities, and would help with your "irregular" room. The MRX 540 supports 5.2.1 with 2 (pre-amp) outputs for atmos. The 740 supports 7.4.2 (I think), and has sufficient amplifications channels to handle 5.2.1.
 
Hiya.

Second time I'm saying this is as many days, but you might look at the Anthem MRX 540 or MRX 740. Anthem is a sister company to ML, and the ARC ("Anthem Room Correction") is actually from them. The MRX receivers feature the complete ARC capabilities, and would help with your "irregular" room. The MRX 540 supports 5.2.1 with 2 (pre-amp) outputs for atmos. The 740 supports 7.4.2 (I think), and has sufficient amplifications channels to handle 5.2.1.
This is why I'm not keen on the Anthem at their price point. Fan noise, HDMI switching issues, lack of channel support vs competitors, room correction not the best in a non ideal placement setup, and the OSD being crap and slowness to make changes make it a non starter for me.
 
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This is why I'm not keen on the Anthem at their price point. Fan noise, HDMI switching issues, lack of channel support vs competitors, room correction not the best in a non ideal placement setup, and the OSD being crap and slowness to make changes make it a non starter for me.

Anthem might not be for everyone, tho' with terms in the presentation like "infinitely listenable to", it seems to come in pretty heavily as a positive
Some of the points are well-founded:
Fan noise: Has been addressed with a firmware update about 10-12 months back.
Switching between HDMI Ports - has been reported... not sure how common, or if addressed by firmware updates
CEC - I experience CEC issues between my Nvidia Stealth and Sharp & LG TVs (so far). CEC seems to be a poorly implemented "standard". Smaller outfits (like Anthem, when compared to Sony, Dennon, etc.) cannot dictate or influence the implementation of these pseudo-standards.
OSD: Yeup, very 2000'ish. The Web UI, however, is pretty comprehensive and usable, and ARC is very well regarded in general.
 
Hi - I am in a similar situation and I have no home theater experience but I bought 2 x F100 and 1 x C100. I don't have side speakers yet but maybe in the future, what is the best value AVR you all would recommend that would power and support these speakers? Thanks!
 

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