Arcam AVR20 vs. Denon AVR-a110 anniversary edition...


As the title suggests, I am looking for feedback on these two specific AVR’s... I currently have the Arcam, and I love it’s musicality in my setup, which is mostly used for two channel audio. I have had Pass Labs preamps in my rig with Carver Raven 350 power amps in the past, but having a family means trying to get the most out of my rig while taking up less space.

The Arcam is a great piece for that purpose, but I am currently on my 4th one in just a year. Reliability has been their downfall. I have an opportunity to trade for the Denon pretty much even on the dollar side of things, and was hoping someone here might be able to offer e bit of insight as to what the anniversary Denon sounds like. I know they are highly regarded in HT, but I am curious as th how they compare to the Arcam in stereo operation. My speakers are Polk Audio L800’s and sources are Yamaha CDS2100, streaming audio from computer, and soon a Pro-Ject P6.1 turntable that I am restoring....

nooshinjohn

Showing 4 responses by nooshinjohn

Two AVR30's... which Arcam told my dealer to simply destroy and they would re-imburse them, and an AVR20, which went back to Arcam. I have another AVR20 in my rig now and it has been rock solid now ever since it was installed.

I compared the Yamaha to the Arcam for two-channel listening and the Arcam was far superior. I was in a spot where my system needed to be downsized significantly due to having two young kids in the house. The Arcam is very nearly as good as the Pass X0.2 it replaced. Also replaced was a TOTL Pioneer Elite AVR, and for HT the Arcam beats that as well. 

One day I will go back to a separate preamp, but for my needs, the AVR20 exceeds my expectations by a long shot.

I cannot find any way to enjoy the sound from B&W... never heard a pair I liked.

 

I would not know really... I never used either one for powering my main speakers, as I have a set of tube amps I use for my mains. That said, there is no difference in the preamp sections of the AVR20 and AVR30. They sound exactly the same. If you intend on using the amplification, I would go with the class G that the AVR30 provides. If you want to use just the preamp portions and run your own amps, then I would go with an AV40 or AV41.