Arcam AVR 550 or 2nd hand AVR750?

[GlennT]

I've been the very happy owner of an Arcam AVR400 for quite a few years, but I'm now thinking of an upgrade. I run it in a 5.1 configuration, allowing me bi-wire my Ruark Accolades. An AVR850 is too big an investment for me, but an AVR 550 new or nearly new is affordable, and an older AVR750 is very affordable and typically still with factory warranty.

I know the AVR750 is a Class G amp and supposed to be really good, and then the newer AVR 550 utilises Dirac room equalisation, which is supposed to be really good. My usage is around 50/50 audio to TV.

Any thoughts or experiences from any hi fi nuts out there?

[Stormfly1985]

I have an AVR850 after upgrading from the 600. I would say don't bother with the 750 - it's older tech now and the 550/850 are HDCP 2.2 and HDMI 2.0a compatible where the 750 isn't.

Dirac makes a massive difference if you are comfortable setting it up correctly. It's a bit fiddly to start with but there is plenty of good advice over on AV Forums.

You can get a used AVR850 for around £3000 or less if you look around Ebay and are patient. You could always get a 550 and then add a class G power amp like a P777 at a later point.

The 850 is noticeably better than the 550 though. I auditioned both and the difference was very obvious. The 550 is still a great amp though.

[gary71]

I have a AVR750 and love it. No experience of the other two!

I bought it ex demo about a year ago.

[GlennT]

Thanks for the comments. I'm going to go for a AVR 550.

[RedTrident]

Get the Dirac set up properly and make sure it has the latest firmware. I'm running the 850 as an all in one in my living room. It really is impressive. The 550 is a good choice, if for nothing else than it has the latest hdmi inputs.

I've actually run out of inputs on mine! Not quite sure how that happened . The Xmas Nintendo Switch purchase will mean the need to reconfigure and find another way of streaming music through the Arcam without using one of the regular inputs.