Arcam has unveiled its entry-level AVR5 receiver, aiming to bring the company’s AVR skills to a lower price point.
The AVR5 joins its Class AB AV receivers, the AVR10 and AVR20, and the range-topping G Class AVR30 in the line-up, with a price of £1999 in the UK.
And what’s included for all that moolah? The AVR5 can natively decode 12 channels of immersive Dolby Atmos audio (with up-mixing from Dolby Surround) and DTS:X (with up-mixing from DTS Neural:X), delivering “a musical and cinema-like experience” from a 7.1.4 speaker set-up.
More audio goodness arrives in the form of wireless streaming with AirPlay 2, Bluetooth aptX-HD, built-in Google Chromecast and Spotify Connect. Also on the list is the updated 2021 version of the Harman MusicLife UPnP app, which enables playback and control on Android and iOS devices. You also get access to internet radio, music streaming and podcasts.
MQA is fully supported, so Tidal HiFi subscribers can experience the best sound quality from the service’s library of Master recordings. The Arcam is also Roon Ready, allowing Roon subscribers to waltz through Qobuz and Tidal libraries via a unified interface, as well as see what’s available on locally stored music libraries. And with Roon onboard, the AVR5 can be integrated into a multi-room system.
On the video side there’s compatibility with Dolby Vision and HLG HDR, opening it up for use with a wide range of apps and devices, such as Netflix and the Xbox Series X/S consoles.
The AVR5 supports eARC via HDMI, and can be upgraded to HDMI 2.1 support for uncompressed 8K video on all inputs and outputs (7x HDMI in/2x HDMI out).
And on a final note for the feature set, the Arcam AVR5 works with the Dirac Live room correction system. It’s described as an optional extra, so owners would have to choose whether they want to activate it or not. For a limited time AVR5 owners can benefit from a 50% discount for Dirac Live if they go to the Arcam website.
The Arcam AVR5 will go on sale towards the end of the year (Q4 2021), priced at £1999 / €2199 / $2000.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
