Arcam AVR300 no sound

nightrider1470 said:
Speakers = tannoy precision 6.4 , stereo only

I have a TX902B Panasonic so know composite..

:)
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I have taken the opportunity to read the manual for you. The green component connection also functions as a composite connection on your TV. Use this to connect the AVR and then customise the digital input for chromecast to output in stereo only. You’ll also be able to tell the amp that you only have stereo speakers.

Connect everything as per my previous post and enjoy.

Are you planning to upgrade to surround at some point? If not, I’d ditch the AVR altogether, but that’s another conversation entirely.
 
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tom_nieto said:
I have taken the opportunity to read the manual for you. The green component connection also functions as a composite connection on your TV. Use this to connect the AVR and then customise the digital input for chromecast to output in stereo only. You’ll also be able to tell the amp that you only have stereo speakers.

Connect everything as per my previous post and enjoy.

Are you planning to upgrade to surround at some point? If not, I’d ditch the AVR altogether, but that’s another conversation entirely.
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Thank you :)

This will strictly be a 2 channel setup for music.. I've read great things about this arcam for stereo..

I might just buy a composite to hdmi converter to make setup easier

Once again thank you kind sir

Jamie
 
what i did - if you have a soldering iron (surprising rca didn't hit anything on an oc search)

delete image
 
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jpaul said:
what i did - if you have a soldering iron (surprising rca didn't hit anything on an oc search)

40952818382_e9a1b3932e_z_d.jpg
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Confused me even more :)
 
My last question then leave you all in piece :)

As I can now do chromecast via rca to my avr300 and put it in direct stereo mode, adding a primare I22 after this wouldn't really benefit the audio quality vs trading the primare in for £550 and buying some other gadget like a projector upgrade etc
 
nightrider1470 said:
Just noticed chromecast does rca output cable :).. This would allow me to use direct mode now wouldn't it?....
https://imgur.com/i3bOrd2

I will hook up my primare Tom.... Chromecast ------ 300------ preouts--_-- primare I22
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The DAC in the chromecast will be poor, you should get better sound quality using the DAC via the optical connection in the AVR300 when it is not in direct mode compared to the chromecast connected via RCA in direct mode.

As you are only using the AVR300 for stereo and have a power amp spare, you would get better sound quality by selling the Arcam and buying a DAC to use with the power amp.
 
Can't help the feeling that the tail is wagging the dog here.

The AVR300 has a very respectable DAC. Yes, the sound does improve a little running it in pure stereo mode, and with a better streaming front-end source than the Chromecast then this wouldn't be an issue. That's really the crux of it as far as I'm concerned.

It's a £30 source device which, viewed on it's own terms, is tremendous value but somewhat flawed due to its cost limits. The CCA internal DAC isn't that good because at the end of the day it's built to a price in a £30 piece of hardware. The Optical out works okay if you enable High Res' Audio mode and stick to 16-bit/44kHz, but the jitter rises a lot when trying to run at higher bit rates.

I take nothing away from the Chromecast Audio; it's a remarkable little bit of kit for the money. However, the rest of the system is way better than it, and so the prospect of chopping in a really nice 2 channel power amp and spending hundreds on an external DAC when the existing amp's DAC is actually really good all to accommodate a £30 front-end source just seems completely back to front.
 
I don't think anyone is suggesting selling the power amp and buying a better DAC to use with the Arcam. As the OP is only using the Arcam for stereo and already has a very good power amp spare it would make sense to sell the Arcam and buy a better DAC and look at a better streaming source for the power amp.
 
I would get peanuts for the arcam avr300 and would rather keep it.. From reading its meant to be amazing for stereo... . I''m debating selling the primare at the minute

Thanks to the chap who mentioned I'm best to use optical input rather than analog, As I didn't realize analog would use the crappy dac of chromecast vs optical allowing for arcam dac

Thanks all :)
 
lucid said:
Can't help the feeling that the tail is wagging the dog here.

The AVR300 has a very respectable DAC. Yes, the sound does improve a little running it in pure stereo mode, and with a better streaming front-end source than the Chromecast then this wouldn't be an issue. That's really the crux of it as far as I'm concerned.

It's a £30 source device which, viewed on it's own terms, is tremendous value but somewhat flawed due to its cost limits. The CCA internal DAC isn't that good because at the end of the day it's built to a price in a £30 piece of hardware. The Optical out works okay if you enable High Res' Audio mode and stick to 16-bit/44kHz, but the jitter rises a lot when trying to run at higher bit rates.

I take nothing away from the Chromecast Audio; it's a remarkable little bit of kit for the money. However, the rest of the system is way better than it, and so the prospect of chopping in a really nice 2 channel power amp and spending hundreds on an external DAC when the existing amp's DAC is actually really good all to accommodate a £30 front-end source just seems completely back
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Can you recommend anything else over the chromecast ?... I stream via network drive and tidal

:)
 
Dangerous Dave said:
I don't think anyone is suggesting selling the power amp and buying a better DAC to use with the Arcam. As the OP is only using the Arcam for stereo and already has a very good power amp spare it would make sense to sell the Arcam and buy a better DAC and look at a better streaming source for the power amp.
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In post #12 nightrider1470 described the Primare i22 as a "power amp" - erroneously as it turns out as the i22 is in fact an integrated amp. Then in post #16 he went on to suggest that a serious DAC upgrade would involve p/ex'ing the i22. Hence my reference to part exchanging the "power amp".

There isn't really a stand-alone power amp in nightrider1470's system - to p/ex or use with a variable output DAC; so in the strictest sense we're both wrong, and we're both right! :D
 
nightrider1470 said:
Can you recommend anything else over the chromecast ?... I stream via network drive and tidal

:)
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Before making any recommendations I really think you should sit down and properly audition the the AVR300's DAC versus its analogue inputs. But to do that you'll need a decent and neutral source - this means not the Chromecast - you need to use a decent CD player that has both digital out and fixed-level analogue out.

The second part of the pre-audition configuration it is setting up the AVR300 so that you can switch between Stereo and Direct. That shouldn't be difficult really as both modes are running straight in to the Tannoy Precision 6.4 floorstanders, so you're listening to the same speaker configuration in both modes.

What this will show you is whether you can you tell a difference? I know that sounds really obvious, but the point is whether you can hear a difference in your room with your speakers the way you have things set up. That's far more important than whether there is an absolute difference or whether people in other rooms with other gear can tell a difference. You see, the room mostly and then the resolution of the speakers and how they're set up has a much bigger effect on the final sound than most people think. If you've listened to enough gear in plenty of rooms then you'll have discovered this for yourself.

If you can tell the difference (and it's not that you're hearing that the CD player is crap with one type of output and better with the other) then you can move on to trying to quantify how much of a difference there is. If you can't tell them apart then I would suggest that the room and possibly the speakers is masking the differences. If that's the case then stop fretting about it; use the AVR300's DAC with the Chromecast on digital out at 16/44.

Presuming that you do hear a difference, you then have the trickier job of quantifying how much of a difference there really is and what is actually better. Everyone has their own idea of what quantifies "good" sound. For some it's the simple black & white stuff such as deeper bass, more treble extension, greater detail and to tell whether there's change rattling in the pocket of the guitarist as he is sat playing his acoustic guitar. For others it's something harder to express in words but it's along the lines of whether the musicians are playing together, the feel of the music; its ebb and flow. That's something that ARCAM does, but it may not be the thing you're looking for.


On the the other hand if you just want a name of another bit of kit then I'd start with the ARCAM rPlay.
 
The simplest option is to get rid of either one of the amplifiers rather than using both.

Plug the chromecast into the AVR300 using optical and straight into the speakers and compare it to the chromecast plugged directly into the primare amp. See which you prefer.

Please don’t spend any money until you’ve decided which bits of your existing kit you like and dislike by actually connecting them up. If the answer is that you dislike everything that’s fine, but try it out first!
 
If your system stereo only why did you buy a avr ? Saying that I use a avr in stereo only Unless you use the hdmi switching.

Arcade Dac is better than chromecast so use arcam dac and use a stereo mode.
 
There's lots of good advice in this thread, the first bit you should heed is that you shouldn't spend any more money until you have done more comparative listening to what you have. I do have an issue with the comment:-

nightrider1470 said:
I would get peanuts for the arcam avr300 and would rather keep it.. From reading its meant to be amazing for stereo... . I'm debating selling the primare at the minute...
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Here's my understanding of what is written about the Arcam AVR300 which dates from 2004. At the time was rated at one of the best AVRs (at around £1300) for stereo, apparently it was likened to the Arcam A65 (read reviews on this if you like) which retailed around £380, of course it goes louder as the A65 is rated at 40W a channel, not 120W a channel like the AVR300. Now you stated you have a Primare I22 which is apparently a class D intergrated amp (not a power amp.) which is rated at 80W a channel which you can buy new for around £1000 at the moment and which originally retailed higher (£1250). The I22 could also be purchased with an optional DAC, or this could be purchased and fitted later.
So IMO 'from what I've read' the best solution if you only want stereo is to sell the AVR300 and get a DAC for your I22 (if it hasn't got one already), only I wouldn't, I'd do what you've been advised to. Compare the Arcam when connected as advised by Lucid, so you find out which inputs you prefer, then compare to the Primare so find out which device you prefer. Your house, your speakers, your ears, you may prefer one over another regardless of what you've read. Only when you've done this can you make an informed decision.
You could choose which solution you prefer the sound of most, or could keep the AVR300 because you'd get peanuts for it if you sold it and because you've read it's meant to be amazing for stereo, then sell the Primare because you could get £550 in part-ex for something else. The choice is yours!
Out of interest, is the AVR300 actually amazing for stereo and how does it compare to the I22, especially seeing as there wasn't much difference in their original msrp's (at least the ones I could find).
 
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