John
12 channels of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Dolby Vision up to 4K. Apple AirPlay2. Bluetooth aptX HD. Google Chromecast Built-in. Spotify Connect. Roon Readiness. These are the headline features of an all-new AV receiver from Arcam: the incoming AVR5 joins the UK company’s HDA range to sit alongside Class A/B bedfellows the AVR10 and AVR20 as well as the Class G AVR30.
From the press release: “The AVR5 natively decodes 12 channels of immersive audio from Dolby Atmos (with upmixing from Dolby Surround) and DTS-X (with upmixing from DTS:Neural:X), delivering a musical and cinema-like experience from a 7.1.4 speaker array.”
“Compatible with Dolby Vision and HLG, the AVR5 is the perfect machine for those playing the latest content from the likes of Disney+ and Netflix, as well as the Xbox Series X/S and compatible Blu-ray players. The ARCAM receiver’s HDMI sockets enable 4K HDR passthrough, with its eARC support making it possible for a suitably equipped TV to send back lossless audio. The AVR5, like all other current ARCAM AVRs, can be upgraded to support HDMI 2.1 for completely uncompressed 8K video on all inputs and outputs.”
Inside the AVR sit an unspecified number of ESS ES9026PRO DAC chips that form the basis of this unit’s audio decoding circuitry. The D/A converters hand off their analogue outputs to (up to) seven Class A/B amplification channels which get their go-juice from an in-house designed linear power supply; one that Arcam proudly state as being capable of sustaining 1.5KW of total power consumption. With two channels driven, we get 80wpc into 8 Ohms or 100wpc into 4 Ohms. Lift the number of channels driven to seven and the 8 Ohm rating drops to 60wpc.
On the software side, the AVR5 ships with Dirac Live for room optimisation and Harman’s MusicLife smartphone app adds support for Tidal (MQA included), Qobuz, Internet radio, podcasts and UPnP streaming sources.
The AVR5 will sell for €2199/US$2000/£1999. That makes it the most affordable AV receiver currently offered by Arcam.
Further information: Arcam
