Arcam AVR30 vs NAD T778

Arcam AVR30 or NAD T778

  • Arcam AVR30

    Votes: 3 17.6%
  • NAD T778

    Votes: 14 82.4%

  • Total voters
    17
  • Poll closed .

Lrehcsa

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My AVR is due for an upgrade and I'm torn between these two options, my last 3 receivers have all been Arcam (currently have an AVR750), the bugs and glitches are annoying but when they work they really do sound spectacular for both music and movies, however I fancy trying something else and the NAD gets great reviews and is quite a bit cheaper.

I plan on upgrading to dual Subs as well so the DIRAC bass management module is crucial, I'm guessing this is available on both units? Another feature that appeals on the NAD is the up-gradable module so it should be a bit more future proof than the Arcam, ultimately I just want the best sound though.

It will be tucked away in a cabinet so the front display is of little benefit on the NAD but still nice to have if it ever gets moved somewhere else in the house.

Has anyone got experience of both AVR's and could offer an opinion? Am I kidding myself the NAD will sound as good as the Arcam and should it more likely be compared to the AVR20 or is it a true contender to the Arcam flagship model?
 
I have replaced an Arcam 850 with the T778 and could not be happier with the sound quality so far (only had it a week). I can’t comment on the newer Arcams, but it’s more than a match for the 850 to my ears.

However, a few things to point out. There is no confirmation that the bass control module will be available for the NAD. I definitely expect it will be available in some form, but NAD have not confirmed this yet. They have confirmed the current sub outputs use an internal splitter similar to the Arcam FMJ series, so they would not be able to control 2 subs properly with Dirac Bass Control if that were the case. This could obviously be rectified with a module update, or there are some other rumours that this may be able to addressed in some other way, but if you have two subs I would wait to see what happens.

As for the screen, there is no onscreen overlay with the NAD so if you can’t see the screen you can’t see volume changes on your TV screen, just FYI. You could use the app if this is a problem.

Personally, i went for the NAD after hearing about its audio quality and I am delighted in that regard. I think it’s better than the 850 it replaces, and certainly seems very stable for a new product. Given your situation I’d have to advise you consider the onscreen display, and support for 2 subs in DBC. If it were just a consideration of audio quality, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
 
Had the Anthem 720 for 2 years. I had the lexicon rv-9 Arcam avr850 for a few weeks and did not like it. Also had the marantz SR8012 for few months and marantz av7705 all with lexicon gx-7 power amp. Now I have the nad t778 on its own and it sounds the best in my room. So definitely recommend the nad.
 
Depends on how many channels or speakers you want and that may include distinct subs. We’ll know more when bass management starts to appear in the wild, but I suspect all the new release of AV kit with 16 channels is not just so you can have 6 ATMOS speakers and 9 base level speakers that’s not what everyone wants, but it may also be so you have the option of more subs with their own discrete processed output. So if it’s 9.1.6 or just 7.4.4 you in theory may need 16/15 channels of processing, which may explain why the newer Arcams (AVR20 and up) have 16 channels. This may explain why bass management has not been confirmed for the NAD with a traditional number of channels and a split sub output and its meant to be coming to the newer Arcam. If it did come to an 11 channel AVR/AVC and you wanted 4 subs, that may only leave you 7 channels for the rest, so 5.4.2 max.. Just a theory, but the Emotiva XMC-2 when you added more subs worked like that and you loose out on the other speakers, you can’t have 9.4.6, that’s 19 channels...
 
Thanks Carl and TNMN for the replies, I think the lack of confirmation of DIRAC bass management on the NAD is going to push me towards the Arcam, I do also like the onscreen overlay of volume control, I thought that was a given at this sort of level, looks like an Arcam AVR30 is on the horizon then. Shame as I did fancy trying something different for a change. Time to become an Arcam Beta tester again.

Edit: Although having just read the current new Arcam thread it seems the new AVR's are still a pile of shite with popping on source changes and things just simply not working, think I'm going to look at the NAD more closely after all. Why does Arcam bring a product to market that's just clearly not ready, it seems like commercial suicide to me.
 
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I have replaced an Arcam 850 with the T778 and could not be happier with the sound quality so far (only had it a week). I can’t comment on the newer Arcams, but it’s more than a match for the 850 to my ears.

However, a few things to point out. There is no confirmation that the bass control module will be available for the NAD. I definitely expect it will be available in some form, but NAD have not confirmed this yet. They have confirmed the current sub outputs use an internal splitter similar to the Arcam FMJ series, so they would not be able to control 2 subs properly with Dirac Bass Control if that were the case. This could obviously be rectified with a module update, or there are some other rumours that this may be able to addressed in some other way, but if you have two subs I would wait to see what happens.

As for the screen, there is no onscreen overlay with the NAD so if you can’t see the screen you can’t see volume changes on your TV screen, just FYI. You could use the app if this is a problem.

Personally, i went for the NAD after hearing about its audio quality and I am delighted in that regard. I think it’s better than the 850 it replaces, and certainly seems very stable for a new product. Given your situation I’d have to advise you consider the onscreen display, and support for 2 subs in DBC. If it were just a consideration of audio quality, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Carl - I'd be interested to know what you are using your T778 with. I've an order in for one to replace with my Arcam AVR390 to work with Focal Aria 936, Rel Sub and Focal centre and rears. I value an exciting movie soundtrack but all my critical listening is music..
 
Carl - I'd be interested to know what you are using your T778 with. I've an order in for one to replace with my Arcam AVR390 to work with Focal Aria 936, Rel Sub and Focal centre and rears. I value an exciting movie soundtrack but all my critical listening is music..
I’m a bit more movie and game oriented, I’m afraid. I’m using MK150P as LCR, with the S150T surrounds and IW85s as Atmos top middle speakers. An SVS SB16 Ultra provides the bass. I absolutely notice a difference with music, where I find the sound very open and spacious, with a little more clarity compared to my previous setup. A couple of times I have noticed things I haven’t heard before, or been fooled into thinking a sound was ‘real’ outside the room, and I haven’t really experienced that before. Hugely impressed with the digital amps in the T778 so far, the clarity, poise and dynamics are terrific.

Going to try a first Dirac calibration too, as I really liked Dirac on the Arcam so imagine hints will improve further. I just wanted to let my assessment of the amp without Dirac settle in first, so I can better appreciate any changes.

Oh and my music source has been Amazon UltraHD streaming via BluOS. Very impressed with the quality so far. Have a few lossless BD Audio discs but haven’t tried hem yet.
 
Thanks Carl, realy helpful. I have DIRAC on other NAD products in a different rooms (M10 and C658). Its makes a real difference on clarity - give it a go.

If anyone else has any opinions on sound for music, i'd be interested to hear.
 
Thanks Carl, realy helpful. I have DIRAC on other NAD products in a different rooms (M10 and C658). Its makes a real difference on clarity - give it a go.

If anyone else has any opinions on sound for music, i'd be interested to hear.
I'm using the nad t778 with monitor audio platnum PL200 Plc150 sounds brilliant for music and films. Best I have heard in a long time.
 
As for the screen, there is no onscreen overlay with the NAD so if you can’t see the screen you can’t see volume changes on your TV screen, just FYI. You could use the app if this is a problem.

Wait, the NAD doesn't have any kind of OSD? That's a pretty big downside for me. My amp is off to the side and fairly difficult to see from my seat. I'm waiting to see what Anthem bring next but the NAD has been a major contender for me as it ticks a lot of boxes.
 
Wait, the NAD doesn't have any kind of OSD? That's a pretty big downside for me. My amp is off to the side and fairly difficult to see from my seat. I'm waiting to see what Anthem bring next but the NAD has been a major contender for me as it ticks a lot of boxes.
I use the android app works perfect for me.
 
Nearly two years on.... Have Arcam sorted all the AVR30 bugs so it has pulled ahead, or has the quality of the T778 won out and the poll results would be the same as nearly two years ago?
 

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