Arcam AVR 750 7.1 Home Cinema Amplifier Test

Arcam AVR 750 7.1 Home Cinema Amplifier Test

A home theatre was the site of our last audio test. The surround sound of the room was optimal, no serious error detected. When we were there, we laid a beautiful black Silent soundproof mat on the floor,  sold by our company, so the acoustic treatment was finally completed. We tested the AVR 750 home theatre amplifier from the English company Arcam in this environment with perfect acoustics, paired with Dali Epicon 8 speakers.

Arcam 750 – design:

In our opinion, the “strength” of the Arcam AVR 750 home theatre amplifier is not to be find exactly in how it looks. Minimalist, rigid housing characterises the 16.7 kg audio device, and the stripped-down design, perhaps a bit “low-cost” appearance makes it clear that the manufacturing company focused mostly on functionality. It is smaller and lighter in size than previous Arcam models. Large heat sinks and temperature controlled fans provide for cooling. It has a large, informative display with volume and input selection buttons as well as an analog input. The latter is also a microphone connector.

What can the English 750 “secret agent” do?

The Arcam AVR 750 amplifier has 7 HDMI inputs and 2 HDMI outputs, which are ARC (Audio Return Channel) compatible. Of course, it can also convert to 4K, and the 3D capability hasn’t been forgotten among its many features. There are 3 components, 4 composite video inputs, 1 composite video output, 6 stereo analog inputs and outputs, RCA connectors, 4 coaxial digital and 2 optical digital inputs on the amplifier. You can also discover USB ports, LAN connectors, IR extensions, FM and DAB radio antennas on the back.

Room acoustics optimisation software allows for even more precise adjustment. Unfortunately, it does not have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. In return, you can connect to your home network thanks to Ethernet. A free downloadable software has been developed specifically for Arcam to control the amplifier. Unfortunately, for many, this app can only be downloaded to iPad, not available for iPhone or other Android devices. The menu is simple and practical. Care must be taken to position the speakers properly, although the AVR 750’s automatic speaker setup allows for compensation, test tones, and a microphone. The volume is controlled by a Cirrus CS3318 chip. It supports almost all formats, including surround formats such as Blue Ray, Dolby TrueHD, DTS -HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic llx..etc. In contrast, it does not support Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D or DTS: X formats.

Class “G” amplifier

It combines the advantages of the “A” and “AB” classes while eliminating their disadvantages. The AVR 750 has multiple power supplies, with the first power supply in Class A. The main virtue of Class “A” amplifiers is the clear, distortion-free, realistic sound, but their consumption is extremely high (150-250 Watts), even when at rest. 80% of this is generated in the form of thermal energy. Classes “B” and “AB” are already much more efficient, consume less, but there are some cross-distortions.

The remote control

The slim, lightweight black plastic remote control is handy, easy to use, and the backlighting is very beneficial in a dark cinema room.

In the cinema

Our first screening was the Blue Ray version of the 2020 musical Cats, starring many world-famous actors and stars. Even if I didn’t really like the movie, the amplifier and the Dali speakers worked wonderfully together. The AVR 750 produced a lifelike, spacious, rich in details sound. We weren’t disappointed with the soundtracks either, although the device did not perform as optimally at low volumes.”

We also watched a war drama, 1917. Explosions and gunfire surrounded us, and due to their lifelike effects, we shuddered each time a thunderous explosion blew up.

We went on with the sci-fi horror genre for our tests. We watched a creepy piece entitled Invisible Man, also in Blue Ray quality. The amplifier performed excellently in this case as well, the dialogues and the terrifying, gut wrenching sound effects perked us up as a result of the 3D sound.

We downloaded Katy Perry’s latest hit Daisies, so we could try the Arcam amp for music. The voices sounded good, beautiful and natural. The music and the voice of the singer were clearly distinguished.

To buy it or not to buy it? This is the question!

Overall, the Arcam AVR 750 home cinema amplifier performed convincingly in our tests. Whether you want to use it for, watching movies or listening to music, you’ll be happy with it, as simplicity, good sound quality and excellent dynamics are all there. It is capable of clear, spatial, realistic sound. However, it also has its flaws as well. The price is quite high, and in this price category we can also get an amplifier with better quality, performance and more demanding design. It turned out to be a bit weak at low volumes. Its appearance may have been too simple. Another disadvantage is the lack of Wifi and Bluetooth and the fact that it does not support the latest audio formats. The downloadable software can only be used by iPad owners, unfortunately it cannot be downloaded to iPhones or other Android devices.

We would give it 4 points out of 5 points.

G.H.