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Anthem Integrated 225 -opinions

Hi group,
I want to upgrade my system, which is currently an older pair of Arcam amplifiers (Alpha 9 integrated and Alpha 9 power), which I bi-amp with B&W 805 Nautilus speakers.

My audio dealer suggests the Anthem integrated 225: much better power than the older Alpha's (Anthem: 225 w/ch) ....; says it will be a much better fit for my speakers.

Looking for opinions on the Anthem;

Also, I've been a big fan of bi-amping: doing that with my Arcams sounds quite good. Does anyone know if that's possible with the Anthem integrated? (Or, would the Anthem offer such a sound improvement that bi-amping would be unnecessary?)

Thanks in advance for your input,
Jeff
arcamguy
uncledemp
277 posts
 
Did you ever listen to the Anthem? I'd be interested In the difference you noticed between the Rega and Anthem.

No brick and mortar shops around me... I live vicariously through others!

Best,
Gary
jafant
10,525 posts
 
I hear ya (no pun) Gary.

Yes, I have spent much time w/ both the Rega & Anthem.
In short, the Anthem offers much more power and much more
current. It is powerful enough to drive Thiel (my reference)
loudspeakers to concert levels.

The Rega is much less powerful in this regard. It should be utilized in a smaller system that will not be driven to concert spl.

Keep me posted and Happy Listening!
geph0007's avatar
geph0007
165 posts
 
I tried an Anthem and really wanted to like it but felt it was kind of dry sounding Had an Exposure 210S2 next to it and i would have sworn the Exposure was the bigger amp Just more alive and sounding more like live music.
uncledemp
277 posts
 
I own the Anthem and like it. However I'm curious about other gear like Exposure, Simaudio, etc. My previous setup was a Sonic Frontiers Line 1 preamp and Monarchy mono block amplifiers. With that said, I like the simplicity of an integrated and will probably stay the course.

Oh well, something to look forward to!
steve59's avatar
steve59
268 posts
 
been living with the Anthem 225 for nearly 2 years now and am actively looking for comparisons to the parasound halo int, I have a pair of revel f52 in my listening room for nearly as long and the anthem has plenty of clean power but is dry paired with the revels and I know from experience system matching matters, my kav 300 il made hard sounding speakers musical and I would love a modern/new version of that integrated. I think the 225I is smart money and better sounding than much of the stuff out there powerful enough to drive anything but definitely solid state. 
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