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Superior sound7.2 speaker array for serious setups! p50

HIGH-PERFORMANCE SOUND & VISION

‘Ca

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BIG BEAUTYJVC’s X500R

projector reviewed

ISSUE 232 APRIL 2014 £4.50AUS- $9.99 NZ- $12.99 CAN-$12.99

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LG curved OLED Q Acoustics 5.1

speaker system Epson 3D projector

Slingbox media player

O� ����

Calibrate your kit

Tips and tricks from an AV

professional

101Blu-rays you

must own!We reveal the discs

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everyone’s collectionBest in classHow Anthem’s new AV receiver outguns its rivals

■ ESCAPE PLAN ■ HUNGER GAMES 2 ■ CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

■ SHERLOCK■ ROBOCOP

Movie streaming

Plus Samsung’s 4K download plans revealed!

Netflix 4KThe future of cinema

001_HCC232_cover_v3.indd 1 19/2/14 09:57:25

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The stripped-down feature set results in an uncluttered handset

The MRX 510 is supplied with a calibrated mic and tripod stand

Anthem mRX 510 ➜ Approx £1,700 Reviews

PRoducT: 7.1-channel AV receiver

PosiTion: Middle of the three-strong MRX range

PeeRs: Arcam AVR380; Pioneer SC-LX76; Onkyo TX-NR3010

AV Info

The lean, mean cinema machine

adrian Justins takes a break from media streaming to focus on the audio essentials with Anthem's mRX 510

When Anthem launched the first mRX range three years ago the company was certainly taking a risk. Ignoring the peripheral features now commonplace on AVRs – such as AirPlay and Bluetooth wireless audio streaming, Spotify and network integration – is akin to a tV brand turning its nose up at BBC iPlayer. Yet, says Anthem, if you want those extras, you can buy an Apple tV, or something like an Arcam rLink. this is no flawed logic from the Canada-based company, given that the experience of streaming and networking on an AVR often falls short of that offered by many external devices. Instead of all those distractions, the company entices buyers with its Anthem Room Correction (ARC) feature, which ups the ante massively in the calibration stakes for a consumer AVR.

the new mRX line again comprises three models, with the entry-level 5.1 mRX 310 offering 60W per channel, the 7.1 mRX 510 reviewed here climbing to 75W per channel and the flagship mRX 710 hitting 90W.

the feature set is unusual as it's been stripped back somewhat from three years ago. the mRX 500 sported front height channels, but these have been jettisoned, apparently in response to customer demand. Consequently, you now have options for rear back channels, second-zone stereo or bi-amped fronts. iPod docking, internet radio and USB media playback have all been banished, too.

Connectivity includes a healthy count of eight hDmI inputs (one front-mounted), two hDmI outputs and 4K passthrough and

upscaling. Analogue and digital audio inputs abound but multichannel analogue audio inputs are given the cold shoulder, as is DSD compatibility over hDmI. Annoying for SACD enthusiasts such as myself but, I must begrudgingly admit, consistent with Anthem’s mantra of sticking to core home cinema and musical formats.

the flip side to this reduced feature count is that ARC has been revamped and improved, and now runs on a network-connected Windows laptop rather than the ponderously slow RS232C conduit of before.

cleanly styledAnother area which is greatly improved is the design of the AVR. the fascia is now cleaner with low-profile buttons and a symmetrical layout. the dot matrix display does exactly what you’d want it to. All in all, it's very nice.

the same sense of aesthetic satisfaction applies to the menu system. the GUI lacks fancy icons but comprises a logically laid out list of contents with a clear font and a neat red-and-white colour scheme. everything is highly legible and easy to adjust using the remote. this lets the build quality side down by being hewn from woefully cheap-looking plastic but at least has large, backlit buttons. A dull but perfectly functional Android app offers a smartphone alternative, with an iOS app expected soon.

ARC aside, setup and installation are a walk in the park. even if you’re intending to use ARC you have to set speaker distances manually

In AV mAnufActurIng terms Anthem is a relatively small outfit, and taking on the big AV receiver brands – Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo et al – at their own game would probably be commercial madness. this explains its mRX lineup of AVRs – multichannel power pushers that are just a little bit different to the mass market competition.

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The 8-in, 2-out HdMi configuration should easily cover all your connection needs

ReVIeWS

(USB microphones invite latency issues), but that’s a doddle and you can, of course, set levels and bass management manually, too.

Input settings are particularly impressive. You select the audio and video inputs for up to 20 sources, plus specify the speaker profile and options such as listening mode (eg. DPL IIx if required), lip sync and Dolby Volume. I saved two versions of each source as separate inputs, one with eQ and one without, for ease of comparison.

On to ARC then, which Anthem suggests is performed by the dealer who sells you the AVR, especially as there is no in-depth instruction manual. In my case Anthem’s UK distributor showed up with a laptop to do the honours, using the metal mic and adjustable tripod. It’s absolutely fascinating, and a little

frightening, seeing the curves for each speaker, revealing any particular shortcomings in frequency response. Anthem claims that ARC is unique (for a non-pro room corrector) in that it ‘listens’ to the room before it sets high pass filters as required. It also says that if more than 5dB correction is needed it’s best to reposition your speakers...

ultimate controlYou can choose to run the mRX 510 with ARC off, but why would you? that'd be like trying to drive down the Kirkstone Pass in neutral. Without braking. Put simply, the control it exerts when added is profound.

this was illustrated perfectly by the mother of all explosion scenes, the train crash in Super 8. As the boys inexplicably run along the side of the derailing train rather than away from it, the mRX 510 reveals greater detail in the whoosh of wreckage that pans across the

soundstage, thanks in no small part to its impressive control of the subwoofer. the whole cacophony is exquisitely well balanced, so that deep bassy explosions are delivered with the tightness and impact of a tyson Fury sucker punch but individual effects, such as the phone bell ringing, train driver’s whistle and film winding through the camera, aren’t swamped by the thunderous rumble of the passing train. Brilliant.

ARC also proved its indispensability with The Fantastic Four in its handling of the crash on the Brooklyn Bridge after Ben Grimm has stopped a suicide attempt. Fine details, such as the pigeon’s flight and its cooing, or the business man’s grab of the power line all had a chunk more dynamism and impact with the eQ allowed to do its thing. then when Grimm lands with a thud and shoulder barges the oncoming truck, causing an unholy pile up, the explosion rumbles menacingly across the room, practically shaking the dust from the light fittings. the beauty here is that the low-end impact feels immense but the Anthem's total authority means every element of the soundstage is perfectly optimised.

equally impressive is the mRX 510's handling of less energetic but equally challenging material – Arrested Development’s Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack on DVD, in this case. Dialogue that sounds compressed and lacking in life becomes more distinct, but not harsh or clipped. the often unintelligible mutterings of Gob and George michael receive a much needed boost, sounding clearer and more sonorous. the amp is no less an authority with music, with its tonal neutrality and crystalline clarity serving Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (SACD) superbly.

Overall, it’s impossible not to recommend the mRX 510 enough. For an AVR, sonic performance is of paramount importance, and the Anthem's full-bodied, tight and atmospheric aural delivery makes it an imperative purchase. It may lack some additional features, but you won't care n

➜ Anthem's UI is functional, rather than flash. Always legible and easy to navigate, you can

spend time here specifying a range of parameters for each input and making manual

sonic adjustments

dolby TRueHd: Yes. And Dolby Volume, DD+, DPL IIx Movie, DPL IIx Music

dTs-Hd MasTeR audio: Yes. And DTS Neo:6, DTS-HD HR

THX: NoMulTicHannel inPuT: No

MulTicHannel ouTPuT (claiMed): 7 x 75W (8 ohms, 20Hz to 20kHz, 0.1% THD)

MulTiRooM: Yes. Two zonesaV inPuTs: 1 x composite; 5 x digital audio (3 x

optical and 2 x coaxial)HdMi: Yes. 8 x inputs; 2 x outputs (v1.4)

Video uPscaling: Yes. To 4KcoMPonenT Video: Yes. 2 x inputs;

1 x outputdiMensions: 439(w) x 372(d) x 164(h)mm

WeigHT: 13.7kgalso feaTuRing: AM/FM tuner; Anthem

Room Correction (ARC-2); infinite impulse response-based EQ software; setup mic and

tripod; USB input (for software update only); separate switchable configuration for music and

movies; AnthemLogic Cinema and Music listening modes; IR input; backlit remote control; bi-amplification front left/right; 4K passthrough;

Apple iOS and Android control Apps; Ethernet (for ARC setup); 7.1 channel pre-out; 20

configurable inputs

anthem MRX 510➜ £1,700 Approx ➜ www.anthemav.com

➜ Tel: 01825 750858HigHs: ARC EQ is awesomely good; terrific

sound quality; versatile input handling; clean styling

loWs: Somewhat cheap remote; uninspired app control; ARC complex to set up; lack of DSD

handling may annoy

On the menu

Specifications

Verdict

Performance

design

features

overall

‘the Anthem's total authority means every element of the soundstage is perfectly optimised’