Surround Receivers

There can be only one and this is the current evolutionary pinnacle of single box multichannel home theatre amplifiers. Carlton Audio Visual had a terrific relationship with the original Denon AVCA1SE that was a 29kg five channel x 170 watt super amplifier from the year 2000. Now its 2023 and we have the only fifteen channel x 210 watt with 4 independent XLR and RCA subwoofer outputs. The amplifier is made in Shirakawa in Japan which is actually fittingly not far from the Kure Naval Arsenal where the flagship 65000 ton Battleship Yamato was constructed in 1941 ... with nine 18 inch guns the Yamato is a perfect analog for the AVCA1H. The AVCA1H has the largest power supply ever in the history of Denon theatre amps... the main transformer weighs 11.5 kg whereas the previous model AVCX8500 had a transformer weighing in at 8.1kg Learn More

It's a terrible thing to have a high end single box surround receiver that becomes outdated due to changes in HDMI and audio codecs. Often that means discarding a perfectly good multichannel receiver because of changes to digital encoding practices. Turning what was five years ago your pride and joy into 15KGs of consumer electronic waste looking for a cosy grave in Northern Suburban landfill ...

Then you buy the replacement model from the same brand and you discover that while it ticks all the feature boxes with bluetooth, wi-fi, dlna. snaggle waggle ... unfortunately it dosn't sound as good with music and dynamic theatre as the model you've just discarded.

So the first reason you buy a Surround pre and Power combination like this one is to get off the aforesaid Hamster wheel of Built In Obsolescence and waste.

The second reason is that it sounds fantastic.

Home Theatre Review on the AV8805

Home Theatre Review on the MM8077

When you graduate to a pre and power amplifier like this you have the best of both worlds. The very sensitive low noise circuitry of the preamplifier and processor is separated from the high current demand of the power amplifier and is able to do its job of recovering all the residucal fine detail of the signal to the best possible degree.

Meanwhile the power amplifier can be unleashed from the sensitive circuits of the pre-amplifier where its mass of current can be detrimental. Liberated and with massive current reserves, the power amplifier is able to grip and modulate the reactive load of the loudspeakers with unmitigated force complying with the complex demands of the sinal produced at the preamplifier stage.

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The uncompromising replacement of the AVC-X8500 is here!

13 channels of serious, classy amplification with all the features and standards you could ever want.

When you have a peek under the bonnet of this machine, you realise what over engineered quality it really is. Each of the 13 channels has its very own PCB board to avoid crosstalk and distortion between the channels. Each HDMI port supports 4K at 120kHz. There are no fewer than 9 audiophile grade DACs servicing the inputs again individually so there's nominal to no crosstalk or distortion.

A pure, yet beefy sound that has come to epitomise the Denon sound signature. 

This unit will be a hit with those who demand the best from their Home Theatre.

What Hi Fi on the AVCA10H

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It's now here! The flagship integrated AV Receiver of Marantz's Cinema - the Cinema 30. This unit is the true replacement of the SR8015.

It matches its power and goes a step further with build quality and features.

This unit is made in their Shirakawa Japanese factory and has the class leading monolithic amplifier circuit design that sets it apart from its competitors. With that toroidal power supply in the ornate casing that hallmarks these top end Marantz Receivers.

This is the single box unit that is the iron hand in the velvet glove school of control over your loudspeakers.

It also comes with all the new features in the Cinema series. Dirac Live option, four independently controlled subwoofers and the new elegant chassis.

Marantz Cinema 30 official site (UK). 

"What Hi-Fi?" meets the Marantz Cinema 30 

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Denon have this thing ... when they do a surround amp range they like to make a generational statement that throws down the gauntlet to other manufacturers.

The AVC X8500ha is this generations gauntlet ...

We have had a long affair with top of the range Denon amplifiers. We built our surround sound space in the local marketplace with the very first Denon AVR2000 Receiver and then hammered it in with the AVCA1 THX amplifiers. We still have customers out there who own these amps twenty five years later using the 5.1 multichannel input running from an external decoder in a Blu Ray Player. The AVC X8500HA will be for those discerning consumers that are able to purchase a surround sound amp that will keep their cinema going for longer and better.

"Home Cinema Choice" on the Denon AVC-X8500H.

Denon AVC-X8500H Official release video website.

Official 8500 website.

 

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One the marketplace has been waiting for ... Yamaha’s take on flagship surround sound. The RXA8A is a beautiful piece of audio engineering.

The question is .... does this mean that this new beast is now a contender against the no compromise Denon AVCA1H and Marantz Cinema 30?

You are going to have to come to Carlton Audio Visual and try them together to see which suits your taste best :-) .

Yamaha RXA8A official page 

"What Hi-Fi?" on the RXA8A 

"StereoNet" on the RXA8A 

"Audio Esoterica" on the RXA8A 

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The brand new Denon AVC-X6800h is here. With all the features of the new Denon range including four (4!) independently controllable subwoofers, the latest in Audyssey room correction software ready to go and options for Dirac Live to be loaded.

Not only that, this is a unit that is made in the Japanese factory. This means better componentry and better quality testing. You can feel the difference in a Japanese made unit when you take it out of the box for the first time. They are more solid with less give in the chassis, there is no greasiness on the metal finish, the knobs rotate precisely and smoothly, the buttons have a solid and confident tactility.

The AVC-X6800 has a cleaner sound, more power and more grip than the smaller models. It's all about the current delivery and ability to handle the reactive impedance load imposed on the output stage by good quality loudspeakers.

The point of the photographs in front of the Hume Dam in full font is that this unit has a large reservoir of power, and that it is capable of delivering high peak current on demand with very pure low distortion power.

This series of Denon amps are famed for their tonal neutrality and their ability to meet the peak headroom demands of complex and dynamic cinema soundtracks and musical pieces.

The AVCX6800 has pure preamp mode wherein the internal amplifiers can be fully disconnected from the preamp stage, this allows for the cleanest preamp out operation up to 4v rms.

For more information follow this link to the Denon official Website

Herewith below an excellent video description of the 6800 from the US product trainer:

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Anthem is "the other woman" of the surround sound Receiver market and is a quality alternative to the tier one Denon/Marantz/Yamaha products. This is the first integrated Receiver available of the new 40 series and it has the latest version of their acclaimed ARC Genesis room correction circuitry. The Bass management is considered the best in the business. The MRX740 is seven x 100 watts ... approximately ... and it's output stage is able to be rematrixed so that you can put a power amp on the main channels and use the internal channels for the surround speakers. This is a great amp for growing into a full blown 11.2 Atmoa speaker system.

Anthem homepage for the MRX740 

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The brand new, top of the range Marantz integrated AV receiver is in a class of its own. Capable of some of the most advanced processing available in the residential home theatre market along with some serious grunt in amplification but with a warmth and musicality to the sound that is special for Marantz.

Previously the kind of EQ, bass control and room management technologies that the Cinema 40 has, were only present in units over the $15K mark and that was $15K for a preamp. Cinema 40 has capacity for 4 subwoofers and the suite of processing to go with it, that means your subwoofers won't cancel each other out. Yes this is often the problem with simply adding more subwoofers. Once you hit 2, subwoofers on opposing ends of the room generally create inverted sine waves that will cancel the effect of the existing subwoofers.

Interestingly, this unit also comes with the option to upgrade to Dirac Live, opening up another level of EQing possibilities previously unheard of at this pricepoint.

 "Home cinema Hi Fi" on the Marantz cinema 40  

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Another exciting new offering from Denon as the replacement of the AVC-X4700.  Actually it dosn''t really look that exciting, in fact it looks exactly the same as the other Denon'amplifiers from the last thirty three years that we have been selling them. The good thing ... the really good thing about this do everything amp, is that it carries that cusp of technologies that will carry a potential owner for another ten or fifteen years of ownership . Without having to replace an amp every fifteen years because it has outdated HDMI switching, or a urine weak power supply that breaks down at every voltage surge. This is an amp that will go the distance.

This unit is crafted in the Japanese factory of Denon, their premium factory in Shirakawa. The AVC-X4700H did not have this luxury and the move over to Japan prompted a complete redesign of the unit's internal structure. They now use a Monolithic Amp Layout as opposed to a vertical layout. Solid heat sinks and a more discreet amplifier module design for much superior clarity and definition are instantly recognisable in this new design. See the attached images of the internal amp module output stages of the 4700 opposed to that of the 4800.

This unit will also come with the option to have 4 subwoofers each independently controllable, as with the AVC-X3800H. And the optional addition of Dirac live as well. 

"Audio Science Review" on the AVC4800

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The brand new AV receiver from Marantz. With 9.4 channels, yes that's right, 4 Subwoofer channels! 

To pair the 4 channels of subwoofer preouts there's a serious amount of extra processing going on to cope with the possibility of 4 subwoofers each individually matched to a separate speaker. There exists also the opportunity to have each sub output the same mono signal. Very cool!

It also boasts an upgrade to the Dirac calibration system as well as the usual Marantz Audyssey dynamic EQ system ready to go. 

A beefy amp that packs a lot into its chassis. A premium amplifier for home theatre enthusiasts.

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Another in the new Aventage flagship line of Surround Receivers from Yamaha. This one is just one below the almighty RX-A8A which is their top of the range. And it boasts the same power 2 chanels driven as the RX-A8A at 150W. As opposed to the RX-A8A, it has 9 chanels and not the full 11.

A hefty amp to get your blood pressure up and experience the real thrill of Home Cinema.

Check out all its specs at Yamaha's official website

 

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An answer to a problem you didnt think you had. Our ex display Leema Corvus will work wonders integrating into high end home theatres where the user would like to improve the performance of their centre speaker and subwoofer control. Ex display. Unit has been here for a while, to move it we would be happy to do an excellent deal on a centre channel & or subwoofer.

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The Cinema 60 is Marantz's new 7.2 channel amp relplacing the SR5015 and 6015. It has 3 8K inputs that are capable of doing 4K at 120Hz refresh rate. This will get all the game enthusiasts excited.

Everything you need and more: Room optimisation, Heos streaming on board, the latest immersive audio formats and the list goes on...

This will become a go to for building a fantastic home cinema/entertainment space. Features galore and the classic depth and warmth that works so well in a Home Theatre.

Available now.

Please note the Australian version of this unit does not have a Tuner on board.

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The Denon AVC-X3800H is a game changer in the AV market place. The biggest and most exciting change for me with this unit is the capability of having 4 subwoofers! 

Not only do they add the extra two sub-outs they've upgraded the processing faculty around the subwoofers. So you can choose to put all four subs in mono, that's pretty standard...but you can also choose to match those subs up with Front Right, Front Left, Rear Right and Rear Left speakers!! EQs and chanel adjustment can be made individually to each pair of speakers and sub to make this a worthwhile exercise.

At the moment the only unit we have that truly capable of pulling off more than 2 subwoofers is the Trinnov Altitude 16 that retails for $25,995! So to have something that gets even remotely close to that in the sub $3K price range is truly spectacular.

There's an optional upgrade with the AVC-X3800H to have the high end Dirac Live room optimisation system installed. A worthwhile upgrade especially if you're going to add two extra Subwoofers.

But all of this really equates to a unit that will live with you for many upgrades to come. I feel that Denon is demonstrating a move to offering upgrade paths, where it can, rather than a churn and burn consumerism. 

 

What Hi-Fi? on the Denon AVCX3800H

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The RX-A4A is where the beams cross for quality and value in a serious Home Theatre Receiver. At $2299 it has a very crisp and authoritative presentation that is suited to people looking for a forward sound with one of the safest brand names in the industry.

The Aventage series Receivers offer a unique five year warranty by registration for Australian customers.

The official Yamaha RXA4A website here.

 

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This is the brand new slim receiver by Marantz. The Cinema 70s has 7.2 channels with a whole suite of 8K capable HDMI inputs. These will be most useful for gamers where their 4K function is amped up to 120Hz refresh rate with full pass through.

We think the new Marantz look is so so fine. But much has changed under the cover as well as on the outside.

The whole range has undergone a revamp and they are even adding some premium models for the more discerning customers.

See the Marantz US official website for more information here

Please note that the Australian version of this unit does not have a Tuner on board.

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The love child between a Surround Sound amplifier and a 2-channel stereo amplifier is the Marantz Stereo 70S.

All of the video processing and HDMI ins and outs as a fully fledged Surround Sound amplifier without all the myriad of speaker outputs that don't always get used.

With Marantz's rich, warm tonality this unit is equally at home playing music as it is a late night movie.

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The AVR-X2800H is, like its predecessor, a class defining unit. This is a solid amp with features galore.

The AVR-X2700 was so good and so popular, they haven't changed much with the new version. But they have improved the sound quality. Bigger broader soundstage and a nicer high frequency sound. 

Read What HiFi's glowing review here

And see the full specs at the US Denon website here

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