AV Receivers

Arcam's new lineup of AV models is finally here, adding three seven-channel receivers and a 16-channel processor to its High Definition Audio (HDA) range. HDA, for those who keep an eye on acronyms, replaces the outgoing, and cooler named, Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) series, bringing with it a number of changes – some more apparent than others.

When it comes to crafting AVRs, Arcam is very much from the old school. It's more concerned with the purity of performance than the number of logos on the box, an ethos that has earned it audiophile adoration, if not the attention of feature-seeking budget buyers.

Dolby Atmos and the imminent DTS:X are shaking up the AV receiver market with their object-based antics, yet Cambridge Audio is having none of it. With its latest pair of audiophile receivers, the CXR120 and CXR200 – its first new models since 2013’s Azur 751R – the company has given these features the cold shoulder, opting instead to make pure sound quality the priority.

If you own either of Denon’s flagship A1HD products, the AVR or the standalone processor, you might be feeling a little left out these days. While these high-end devices still pack a performance punch, their v1.3 HDMI jacks and lack of height/width processing has kept them very much a 2D product in a 3D world. Enter Denon’s 3D Edition Upgrade.

Apple’s nifty music streaming feature, AirPlay, is slowly finding its way onto more and more home cinema products, and Denon’s AVR-1912 is another one to add to the list. This makes it dead simple to play music from iPods, iPhones and iPads, but with DLNA-certified streaming and USB playback also on board the rest of your devices are in safe hands.Denon hasn’t dubbed this AVR the ‘Everyceiver’ for nothing.

I must have been snoozing last year as I missed Denon’s AVR-3311 completely. That well specified £1,200 receiver forms the base on which the AVR-3312 is built, updated and refined. And it’s damn fine news for potential buyers that this year’s contender comes in £200 cheaper. Where the money has been saved is a mystery. The new kid gives little away to the old guard, boasting all its power and features, and adding more networking and HDMIs, AirPlay as standard and a new set-up wizard.