anthem mrx-540 8K home theatre receiver
Anthem's MRX-540 has been designed for serious home theatre enthusiasts - the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none" doesn't apply here. While the MRX-540 may not provide full Dolby Atmos and DTS:X processing in a single box, it does allow these formats with an additional stereo power amplifier. Most of the competition tend to concentrate on superfluous features rather than concentrating on providing the best home theatre experience they can. The MRX-540 offers a simple, 5.1 home theatre solution in a single box.
That doesn't mean the MRX-540 is any slouch in the audio department though. Using 32bit/768kHz AKM AK4458VN digital to analogue convertors, Anthem receivers are more than well equipped for reproducing high resolution audio for both movies and music.
The Anthem MRX-540 offers a genuine 100wpc for its main channels, and provides 5 channels of amplification for 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and DTS:MA sound formats. This is backed up by its Quad-Core 32bit digital signal processor, ensuring effortless delivery of high quality audio, whether that be a thunderous movie soundtrack, or the latest album from your favourite artist reproduced in multi-channel with DTS NEO:6 or Anthem's own multi-channel AnthemLogic.
Anthem's new MRX receivers are now equipped with a web user interface, accessible by phones, tablets, laptops, or PCs, allowing set up, setting changes, and full control without disturbing the on screen viewing. This user interface makes using an MRX receiver convenient and extremely simple.
The MRX540 is also supplied with a conventional remote control for basic settings.
A new microphone capable of greater accuracy has been developed for the new Anthem
products, and is supplied along with a stand for these measurements to be taken in order to
appreciate the full potential of your home theatre system. Up to four different speaker profiles
can be stored in the MRX-540's memory, and more can be stored on your PC ready for easy transfer
to the Anthem. This allows for different speaker setups to be easily selected. For instance, as well as a
5.1 HT profile for home theatre and a 2.0 one for stereo listening, a different 5.1 and/or 5.0 profile
can be stored for multi-channel music listening. Any of these profiles can assigned to any input for automatic switching between sources, or chosen at any time.
ARC Genesis room correction
Many AV receivers are let down by their "hit and miss" room EQ systems, and this alone can make or break a home theatre system. Not so with Anthem. Their ARC Genesis room correction is among the very best available, measuring and adjusting the amplifier's output accordingly to remove the negative effects the room has
on the end result. With an EQ system like ARC, you're free to choose any speaker system you like.
The MRX-540 doesn't disappoint for audio either. The upcoming Roon update brings together most of your streaming services into a single informative control app, bringing with it multi-room control for other Roon compatible products on your home network.
As well as Spotify, Bluetooth and AirPlay2 make wireless streaming easy, regardless of your brand of phone or tablet - just connect, and away you go.
The MRX-540 provides 5.1 processing and 5 channels of amplification, so while it will provide a 5.1 home theatre experience, extra amplification can be added to create a 7.1 or 5.1.4 Dolby Atmos system. A full brace of pre-amplifier outputs make it easy to add higher powered external power amps for every channel.
There are three optical digital inputs, two coaxial digital inputs, and seven 8K HDMI inputs. On the analogue side there are five two-channel RCA inputs. All in, a total of 17 external sources can be plugged into the MRX540.
As well as an optical digital output, there's RCA outputs for 7 channels, two subwoofers, a zone 2 pair of RCAs, and a line out pair of RCAs. There are three HDMI outputs: one zone 2, one standard, and one eARC compatible.
An HDMI 2.1 upgrade will be offered in the future in order to cater for 8K video sources once the initial issues with 8K HDMI boards have been overcome.
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100wpc stereo (into 8ohms)
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7.1 processing
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5 channels of amplification
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4 user configurable speaker profiles
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dtsX and Dolby Atmos
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IMAX Enhanced
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7x HDMI inputs 2.1/HDCP2.3 (incl MHL)
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2x HDMI outputs (incl CEC and ARC)
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5x analogue inputs
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1x analogue zone 2 output
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2x coaxial digital inputs [up to 24/192]
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3x optical digital inputs [up to 24/192]
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1x optical digital output
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6.3mm headphone socket
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3x 12v trigger outputs
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standby passthrough
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H165mm x W439mm x D375mm
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3 year warranty
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£2495
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ARC Genesis room correction
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ARC Mobile app compatible
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Bluetooth streaming
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AirPlay2 streaming
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Roon compatibility [coming soon]
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Spotify Connect
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Google Chromecast
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FM radio
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wired or wireless network connections
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IP control
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RS232 control
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web user interface