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Post by tuan209 on Jul 24, 2017 21:49:53 GMT -5
Hey Guys,
I am seriously thinking about upgrading to the XMC-1 from my Anthem MRX520, but I am not sure if its worth the upgrade.
I will mainly use the receiver for HT/movie usage. The speakers would most likely be the HSU CCB8 or my current Kef LS50 wireless.
How many have used both? Is DIRAC vastly superior to ARC?
Tuan
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Post by socketman on Jul 24, 2017 22:40:13 GMT -5
I have not heard both but do have the XMC-1 and Dirac is very good but i have friends whose opinions i trust ,that use ARC and they say it is fantastic as well. The XMC is soon to have ATMOS with Dirac on all channels if thats important to you. It has been postulated that ARC handles multiple subs better according to popular opinions by some professionals . Also are using amps with the ARC, if not that will be an additional cost for you. At this point i would think you would be better served improving your room with treatments and maybe different speakers? What is it you dont like about what you have now and what are you hoping to accomplish. The better the room the less the need for drastic RC corrections. How big is your room now, is it dedicated or are you using your main living room like the majority of people are. Do you have vaulted ceilings and is atmos something you look forward to, i suspect not given your current receiver. I am always excited to recommend the XMC when i can but i am not convinced you will see a night and day drastic improvement like some kind of ah ha moment.
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Post by tuan209 on Jul 24, 2017 23:14:07 GMT -5
I have not heard both but do have the XMC-1 and Dirac is very good but i have friends whose opinions i trust ,that use ARC and they say it is fantastic as well. The XMC is soon to have ATMOS with Dirac on all channels if thats important to you. It has been postulated that ARC handles multiple subs better according to popular opinions by some professionals . Also are using amps with the ARC, if not that will be an additional cost for you. At this point i would think you would be better served improving your room with treatments and maybe different speakers? What is it you dont like about what you have now and what are you hoping to accomplish. The better the room the less the need for drastic RC corrections. How big is your room now, is it dedicated or are you using your main living room like the majority of people are. Do you have vaulted ceilings and is atmos something you look forward to, i suspect not given your current receiver. I am always excited to recommend the XMC when i can but i am not convinced you will see a night and day drastic improvement like some kind of ah ha moment. Thank you for the honest and very unbiased advise! In all honesty, I am actually very happy with my system. It is currently a modest 2.1 system consisting of the LS50 wireless and Rythmik L22 subwoofer in my living room, which is 28x12x9. I will pick up another L22 soon. I mainly listen to music in a 2.0 configuration with just a PC hooked to my LS50W. I have tried various settings on the Anthem, and while it sounds very good, I still prefer the sound of the source connected directly to the KEFs. I started watching movies now and then so I decided to get an AVR for bass management. I initially bought a Marantz AVR but did not like Audyessy, so grabbed the Anthem while it was on sale. I dont intend to upgrade to ATMOS and really nothing more than a 3.2 system. I will be moving into a new home soon with a dedicated room, albeit very small room. I may move the KEFs to my study area and use as my desk top speakers and pick up 3 HSU CCB8 for HT. I like the Anthem as I wont need an additional amp and I do like to keep things simple, but if the XMC is that much better, I would def like to give it a try. |
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Post by socketman on Jul 24, 2017 23:30:57 GMT -5
I went from a Sony HTIB > Midrange Sony Receiver> Denon 3311 Upper Range > XMC-1 with some speaker upgrades in between . I had my Emo amps on the Denon 3311 the added the XMC-1 and even without room correction the improvement was startling, improvement in the clarity was incredible. I used it for a year in my new house with dedicated room without Dirac and ran Dirac about 1 month ago and the difference was huge all over again. Its an incredible piece of equipment but all the pieces need to be in place to take full advantage , ie good amps, 5.1 preferably 5.2 and a room with 4 walls and proper furnishings for absorption and diffusion. I am somewhat a purist and prefer my 2 channel listening sans RC but i use a different kit for that. I say baby steps, this hobby can rob you blind in short order. Get your speakers and subs as you want them then if you desire add a 5 channel amp , from there you can add an XMC-1. Once the RMC becomes available thre will be some used XMC's on the market.
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