So, how reliable are Arcam AVRs now? I have been considering the AVR 360. BTW, I do not have an older Arcam AVR to trade in. They seem to be priced a little high compared to equivalently equipped receivers of other brands. I would be inclined to pay additional for reliability in an AVR but am wondering if there is a brand out there who has managed to keep up with the new technology, pack all those features into a single box, AND make it more reliable?
Arcam partial buyback
An FYI for all of the people burned by Arcam AVR 2xx and 300/350 series receivers which have had a number of problems, including overheating leading to capacitor replacement, diode replacement and eventually motherboard replacement. The Arcam rep, Mike Marko, admitted to me last January there were design/build problems with those series of receivers, but at the time Arcam only offered a 20% discount towards new purchases. I purchased an Anthem MRX 500, which, to be honest, did not deliver the sort of sound I was used to. I even sold off my beloved Triangle Celius ES speakers in an effort to get a more balanced sound with the Anthem.
Since we are adding a second sysetm to the house, I decided to use the Anthem on the second system and upgrade the primary. Separates were too much money for my budget, so I listened to a number of AVRs, but decided to try Arcam again. I spoke with Mr. Marko today, and he indicated there is a partial buyback of all 2xx and 300/350 AVR receivers. Bring them to your Arcam dealer and you can purchase a new AVR 400 for $1500. This is less than the price of the new AVR 360 ($1800). The discount does not apply to the AVR 600 (the AVR 500 was apparently discontinued almost a year ago). The offer is only good until the end of this year. The old receivers have to be turned in an cannot be resold (in other words if you are buying a used AVR 2xx or 300/350 to get $1000 off an AVR 400, make sure the discount has not already been claimed by someone else by checking the serial number with Arcam). If you are dumping your AVR 2xx or 300/350 you may want to rethink this as it has a value of $1000 off a new Arcam model with HDMI 1.4.
I don't think Arcam has done a good job of letting either owners or dealers know about this program, so I hope this helps others out.
Since we are adding a second sysetm to the house, I decided to use the Anthem on the second system and upgrade the primary. Separates were too much money for my budget, so I listened to a number of AVRs, but decided to try Arcam again. I spoke with Mr. Marko today, and he indicated there is a partial buyback of all 2xx and 300/350 AVR receivers. Bring them to your Arcam dealer and you can purchase a new AVR 400 for $1500. This is less than the price of the new AVR 360 ($1800). The discount does not apply to the AVR 600 (the AVR 500 was apparently discontinued almost a year ago). The offer is only good until the end of this year. The old receivers have to be turned in an cannot be resold (in other words if you are buying a used AVR 2xx or 300/350 to get $1000 off an AVR 400, make sure the discount has not already been claimed by someone else by checking the serial number with Arcam). If you are dumping your AVR 2xx or 300/350 you may want to rethink this as it has a value of $1000 off a new Arcam model with HDMI 1.4.
I don't think Arcam has done a good job of letting either owners or dealers know about this program, so I hope this helps others out.
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- 4 posts total