# Anthem MRX-710 7-channel A/V Receiver Review Discussion Thread



## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

*Introduction*
Anthem has been producing solid AV receivers and multi-channel amplifiers for high end home audio and home theaters for a while now. They bridge the gap between lower cost mainstream electronics and high dollar separates. They have a reputation for good quality and one of the best room correction systems available. With a relatively short feature list compared to others in the same price range, however, they definitely fall into the no-frills category. The lack of bells and whistles certainly makes them even more attractive to the purists looking to get the best sound for their dollar, and not interested in wasting a single penny on unnecessary features. With that in mind, I've decided to focus on build quality, user-friendliness and reliability, sound quality, and room correction for this review.

Read The Full Review


----------



## bkeeler10 (Mar 26, 2008)

Thanks Peter. Nice to see another review of this receiver, and to hear from another source that ARC is a great room correction scheme. I will point out that, for $1599, one can purchase the MRX510 which is nearly the same as the MRX710. The biggest difference is the power output (100x2 vs 120x2, or 75x5 vs 90x5). Just pointing it out for those that squirm at the $1999 price. 

You probably know that Anthem has announced the AVM60, which is a pre-pro, that has 11 channels and Atmos and DTS:X aboard. You may not have heard that, at a foreign show a week or two ago, they introduced the AVM60 alongside two new receivers: The MRX720 and MRX1120. Both are 11 channel receivers (the 720 has 7 channels amplified, and the 1120 has amplification for all 11 channels), and both are Atmos/DTS:X capable. We should see all three units at CEDIA in October. To your points about an eventual successor to the MRX710, the new ones will be HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 compliant, but will still have a single sub out. I'm personally not too bothered by that (I own a miniDSP 2x4 box that can split the single signal and handle whatever needs to be done ahead of room correction).

This has me very excited. I have been eyeing the MRX line for a while now for my next upgrade, but when Atmos came along I wrote Anthem off, assuming it would be at least another year from now before they made the jump. Well, they're back on the top of my list. I want that MRX720!

Finally, I am hoping that this receiver will be handed off to Wayne Meyers so he can dig deep into ARC and give us a comparison of it against Audyssey and Dirac, in particular. That would put the icing on the cake of your great review. :T


----------



## nash23 (Sep 6, 2013)

Great review. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the 710. 

I have heard so many great things about this company and their receivers. I wanted to get the AVM60 when it came out. However their distributor here in Dubai had such a bad attitude, I immediately decided to go with the Marantz 8802A.

Shame that a company and end users have to suffer due to bad distributors.


----------



## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

bkeeler10 said:


> Thanks Peter. Nice to see another review of this receiver, and to hear from another source that ARC is a great room correction scheme. I will point out that, for $1599, one can purchase the MRX510 which is nearly the same as the MRX710. The biggest difference is the power output (100x2 vs 120x2, or 75x5 vs 90x5). Just pointing it out for those that squirm at the $1999 price.
> 
> You probably know that Anthem has announced the AVM60, which is a pre-pro, that has 11 channels and Atmos and DTS:X aboard. You may not have heard that, at a foreign show a week or two ago, they introduced the AVM60 alongside two new receivers: The MRX720 and MRX1120. Both are 11 channel receivers (the 720 has 7 channels amplified, and the 1120 has amplification for all 11 channels), and both are Atmos/DTS:X capable. We should see all three units at CEDIA in October. To your points about an eventual successor to the MRX710, the new ones will be HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 compliant, but will still have a single sub out. I'm personally not too bothered by that (I own a miniDSP 2x4 box that can split the single signal and handle whatever needs to be done ahead of room correction).
> 
> ...


Nice! I missed that announcement. Like you, I thought Anthem might take their time releasing an Atmos/DTS:X model. The MRX-720 just became a top contender for me. Assuming I can handle the price.

I get that plenty of solutions exist for managing multiple subs externally, but still think at least two outputs should be provided on anything in this price range.

And yes, the MRX-710 is their current flagship, but the same package can be had for less if you require lower amp power. For a given speaker, the theoretical increase in max SPL from 75 watts to 90 watts is very small.


----------



## rkeman (Jan 24, 2014)

Thanks for a very good overview of the Anthem. Perhaps you could shed some light on a few areas that may be of interest to perspective buyers.

- Is there any lag in locking onto the audio with digital format change?
- Are any ticks, clicks or pops introduced when locking onto the audio data stream or when changing inputs?
- Does the receiver produce any mechanical noise (e.g. transformer hum) or have cooling fan(s)?
- How much heat is emitted by the receiver in typical operation?


----------



## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

rkeman said:


> Thanks for a very good overview of the Anthem. Perhaps you could shed some light on a few areas that may be of interest to perspective buyers.


Thanks - and hopefully I can answer your questions.




> Is there any lag in locking onto the audio with digital format change?


As in - going from a Blu-ray menu (stereo PCM for example) to the main title (DTS-HD, etc)? I don't recall there being an unusually long delay. If you can be a little more specific I can test some cases for you.




> Are any ticks, clicks or pops introduced when locking onto the audio data stream or when changing inputs?


On my setup, I didn't hear any pops or clicks. Sources include OPPO BD player, Apple TV, Fire TV, and a laptop/PC, all HDMI connections.




> Does the receiver produce any mechanical noise (e.g. transformer hum) or have cooling fan(s)?


My gear is in a closet behind a curtain, so it wouldn't generally be noticeable to me. I don't recall hearing any transformer hum if I was in the closet grabbing a Blu-ray or something. Good question about the fan. I think the answer is no, but I'll confirm tonight.




> How much heat is emitted by the receiver in typical operation?


Not sure how specific of an answer you would like. It will get pretty warm to the touch under strain, about like most other AVRs with higher amp power ratings. I gave it plenty of ventilation and it never got hot enough for me to be concerned.


----------



## bkeeler10 (Mar 26, 2008)

rkeman said:


> - Does the receiver produce any mechanical noise (e.g. transformer hum) or have cooling fan(s)?


These receivers do have cooling fans, but they do not always run. It is my understanding that they will only turn on if ventilation is poor or if the receiver is driven rather hard and things get a little warm. Feedback from other sources suggests that the fan is off most of the time. FWIW.


----------



## rkeman (Jan 24, 2014)

bkeeler10 said:


> These receivers do have cooling fans, but they do not always run. It is my understanding that they will only turn on if ventilation is poor or if the receiver is driven rather hard and things get a little warm. Feedback from other sources suggests that the fan is off most of the time. FWIW.


The reason I asked these questions is long experience with AVRs having good electrical performance and poorer mechanical attributes. The digital stream referred too in the earlier post would include between tracks on CDs or SACDs, cable television channel changes or feed changes (e.g program to commercial) or chapter changes on a DVD or BluRay. Thanks for your responses, they are really helpful.


----------



## albe (Nov 25, 2015)

Great review Peter, Thanks! 

I am glad to see the power ratings with all channel's driven.
Some manufactures can be not so forth coming on these ratings.

The Anthem is a great "sounding" receiver akin to the Rotel or Cambridge, at least what I have heard.
The only downside I see is another great audiophile receiver without 7.1 or even 5.1 analog inputs.

Hope your day is great! :T

John


----------



## shene (Aug 3, 2014)

I now have a MRX 1120. Love it but how can I use my Panasonic and JVC decks with component video in and out? Are there any aftermarket converters that would work to go to and from HDMi(Anthem) and y Pb Pr??
My old Yamaha 3050 can do it so it cannot be impossible.


----------

