News

ARCAM Announces DiVA AVR350 7.1 HD-Ready Home Cinema Receiver (1/6/2006)

- Built for HD movies and tuned for music - fully specified for custom install

In recent years the Arcam DiVA AV receiver range has captured the imagination of a whole new generation of movie and music enthusiasts. For the first time these products successfully bridged the gap between stereo music systems and multi-channel receivers, delivering the perfect balance between performance and features.

Building on this success, Arcam introduces the DiVA AVR350, the company's highest performing receiver to date, with many new features derived from development work on the £3600.00 award-winning fmj AV9.

- the best ever sounding receiver from Arcam, delivering real audiophile sound quality for movies and music

- 2-way HD-Capable HDMI switching for SKY HD / BluRay etc plus HDTV compatible component / RGB switching

- 7 x 100 watts per channel power output (all channels driven simultaneously) real world power, rare in a receiver

- Second room/zone output with audio and video plus RS232 for system control and install integration

The AVR350 delivers marked improvements in sound quality over its predecessors and over competing receivers. A huge new toroidal transformer improves bass timing and control, Arcam's proprietary 'Mask of Silence' technologies improve the top-end clarity and new op amps improve the midrange.

Arcam has long delivered innovative features in its products and has been a front runner in the adoption of the HDMI interface standard. The AVR350 continues these traditions by adopting two-way HDMI switching with automatic selection of digital video source, adding this feature without compromising the audio quality.

Some more detail

Audio performance is outstanding with digital or analogue inputs presenting an immersive listening experience from any source. The pre-amp stage features ultra high performance Burr Brown OP2134 op amps in circuits taken from the company's range topping AVP700 pre-amp/ processor. In addition, much use has been made of Arcam's 'Mask of Silence' technologies including the Stealth Mat previously only seen in its high end FMJ components.

Embracing a full complement of decoding standards the AVR350 processes Dolby Digital EX, DTS ES, DTS24/96 and the very latest Dolby Pro Logic IIx algorithms. All video switching is HDTV compatible and analogue video stages include up-conversion from composite or s-video to component or RGB to minimize the number of cable runs to a display. Featuring ultra-low distortion power-amps, the AVR350 drives seven 8 ohm speakers simultaneously, with a continuous 100wpc. A direct signal path for stereo and 7.1 multi-channel analogue inputs is included, plus pre-amp outputs for use with external power amplifiers. For second rooms, zone 2 outputs feed stereo line level audio and composite video independently from the main room. In addition two-way RS232 and IR control are built in, allowing future system software updates.

NOTE - the AVR350 is an additional model expanding the AVR range. The AVR300 and AVR250 continue.

Retail availability: - June 2006.
Price: £1500.00.

www.arcam.co.uk