Anthem MRX 700 wins "Best of 2011" Award

As you may recall, back in February 2011, Caleb Denison of Digital Trends reviewed the Anthem MRX 700 and called it "Every Bit an Audiophile's A/V Receiver".

It appears the love for the MRX 700 has not been forgotten, as Digital Trends just released their "Best of 2011 Awards" and the MRX won "Best A/V Receiver" in the Home Theater category.

"The Anthem MRX 700 earned its spot on our best-of 2011 list based almost entirely on its sound quality. While other manufacturers are cramming every feature they can into a single box, Anthem sticks to the simple art of making a great-sounding piece of equipment, leaving the Internet streaming tricks for a component better suited to the task... While the MRX 700 faces pretty stiff competition from A/V receivers like Pioneer Elite’s SC-57 receiver, it holds its position due to its warm, powerful and revealing sound quality"

Click here! to see the full list of Digital Trends "Best of 2011"
award winners in the Home Theater category.

"Once you hear what this remarkable integrated amp can do, you will be forever spoiled," says Digital Trends on the Anthem Integrated 225

Caleb Denison of Digital Trends reviewed the Anthem Integrated 225 amplifier and thoroughly enjoyed this special "middle child" so much so that it earned the Editors' Choice award. Here are a handful of teasers from the review:

Features and design
"Both the appearance of the front face and component layout inside the case are kept incredibly simple and straightforward... The Integrated 225's connection bay on the back couldn't be better laid out either."

"That’s part of the beauty of this piece, though. There’s an absolute minimum of components generating noise and surplus heat. Maybe it’s a purist thing, but we like it and, as we’re about to discuss, we think it makes a pretty significant difference."

Performance
"The Anthem Integrated 225 floored us with the very first note it produced... The very first second we heard the Integrated 225 doing its work, we knew we had a winner on our hands. In all the time we’ve spent reviewing A/V receivers, pre-amps, amplifiers and integrated amps we’ve never heard this track reproduced with such purity and pinpoint precision...." (Track: Tierney Sutton singing "I’ve Grown Accustomed to His Face")

"...we’ve used the same source and speakers with other receivers and integrated amps, none of which were able to match the Integrated 225’s authority, truth and pure muscle...The Integrated 225’s muscle proved useful whether we were listening to delicate, acoustic music or raw, highly energized rock."

"Good amps won’t just reproduce the notes, but expose sympathetic string noise and the subtle harmonics that go with it. Great amps will do all of that, then smack you right in the face when the rest of the band comes in. The Integrated 225 just about blew us out of our chair."

"The Integrated 225 handles music reproduction like a masterful sculptor who at one moment pounds clay into submission then turns around and exposes fine details with precision and finesse."

"The Integrated 225 worked with our turntable to provide a big, warm, highly detailed sound with powerful bass and wonderfully liquid midrange...found something new to enjoy every time we put needle to wax."

Conclusion 

"The fact that Anthem’s entirely solid state Integrated 225 is able to take listeners to that magical place for $1500 is not just a testament to its value, but also to the brilliant engineering involved in its design and construction."

"...once you hear what this remarkable integrated amp can do, you will be forever spoiled. We enthusiastically offer our Editor’s Choice Award to this fine piece of gear from Anthem."

When the only complaint holding us back from a perfect 10/10 rating is an overly sensitive volume control, we're ok with a 9.5! 

Click here! to read the entire Integrated 225 review.

Click here! for more information on the Integrated 225.

Anthem MRX 700 listed as "Best Home Theater Product of the Year" by About.com

About.com released the "Best Home Theater Products of the Year" for 2011 and the Anthem MRX 700 made it onto the list:

Click here! to see the "Best Home Theater Products of the Year"

The MRX 700 was also recommended by Canada HiFi in the "2011 Holiday Gift Guide from the Editors":

Click here! to see Canada HiFi's Holiday Gift Guide

And lastly, Digital Trends released their "Home Theater Gift Ideas" and recommended the MRX 700 without reservation!:

Click here! to see Digital Trends' Home Theater Gift Ideas

For more information on the MRX series click here.

Anthem cleans up with not 1, not 2, but 3 awards from Secrets of Home Theater's "Best of 2011"

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity released their "Best of 2011" award winners and Anthem brought home not 1, not 2, but 3 awards!  See below for award details:

Anthem Integrated 225 wins "Best Value Integrated Amplifier"

 Anthem MRX 500 wins "Best Mid Priced AVR: Audio and Arc"

Anthem MRX 300 wins
"Best Advanced Room Correction Firmware"

Click here! to see the full list of winners.

Anthem MRX 700 wins 2011 Best A/V Receiver!

 HomeTheaterReview.com announced the annual "Best of Awards" for 2011 and the MRX 700 took home "Best A/V Receiver"!

"The Anthem packs in all of the current features you need paired with many of the features from the lofty Anthem D2v AV preamp all for about $2,000. That’s a lot of value", says Home Theater Review.

Click here! to see the full list of winners.

Click here! for more information on the MRX series receivers.

Anthem & Paradigm Factor Tour from the Eyes & Ears of Sound+Vision's Geoffrey Morrison

Geoffrey Morrison of Sound+Vision recently jumped on a jet and  flew across North America to visit us so that he could take a spin of our state-of-the art manufacturing facility here in Mississauga, Ontario. Here are a few photos and words about his trip...

"...in a nondescript building in an nondescript office park that could truly have been located anywhere in the world, Paradigm speakers and subwoofers, Anthem electronics and amps, and even MartinLogan electrostats are manufactured."

"In an interesting twist, they've started to move some manufacturing back from China to their Toronto-adjacent facility. "Vertically integrated" may be a buzzword these days, but in this case, it's true. Paradigm does nearly everything in-house for most models."

"I came away right impressed... to see how much care and effort goes into them was eye opening. With so many companies outsourcing to China, and often (but to be fair, not always) not caring about the results, it's great to see a company focused on quality craftsmanship, and delivering a quality product."

Geoffrey is an excellent writer and a talented photographer (as you can see above).
For these reasons we highly recommend that you click here to read his thoughts in full and see the rest of the slide-show! 

The Anthem Statement M1 is Shipping!

Each piece has been perfected, manufactured, assembled and tested and now the M1 monaural amplifiers are shipping to an Anthem dealer near you... 

Click here to read all about it!

Anthem & Paradigm Proud to Take Part in Extreme Makeover Home Edition Keefer Family Project

When a gymnastics accident left teenager Brian Keefer paralyzed from the neck down, his father Steve quit his job to dedicate the entirety of his time to his son’s recovery, including escorting him to college day-to-day. However, given the layout of the Keefer family’s home, it became somewhat of a prison for Brian because he was confined to the main floor - but not for long...

 

The Extreme Makeover Home Edition team redesigned and built the home salvaging only a few key rooms of the old home, while designing an entirely new wing specifically for Brian, complete with a voice activated home automation system, a monitoring system and an aqua therapy pool on the flip-side of the motorized Draper screen that has become Brian’s new home theater.

And what better opportunity for Paradigm & Anthem to take part in this incredible project, then with the inclusion of a theater room? As soon as the opportunity presented itself we were quick to jump on board and donate an array of speakers and electronics to the Extreme team. In the theater room and throughout the home there are a total of twelve PCS and CS series in-wall speakers, two Reference Millenia 20 on-wall LCR speakers, an X-300 in-wall amplifier, Stylus and Rock Monitor outdoor speakers. From Anthem the speakers are powered with an MRX-300 receiver and a PVA 4 amplifier.

If you want to watch the Keefer Family episode of
Extreme Makeover Home Edition, see below for links...

If you live in the US click here!

If you live in Canada, click here!

CEDIA EXPO 2011 - A huge success and a whole lotta fun for Anthem & Paradigm

It would be impossible to say that CEDIA 2011 was anything but a success for Paradigm & Anthem. With the introduction of many products (and product lines!) three active demos and sneak previews of multiple unreleased products, the booth was buzzing with excitement and the mass amounts of show coverage by the press is proof of that.

A photo of the Paradigm & Anthem booth after hours

Anthem introduced the state-of-the-art Statement M1 amplifier. Boasting 1 kilowatt into 8 ohms and only 1 rack unit in height, this powerhouse is the most powerful, slender and best-value amplifier on the market! Anthem also previewed the upcoming AVM 50v 3D and D2v 3D preamplifier/processors.

Anthem reveals the 1000 watt monoblock  Statement M1 amplifier

Paradigm introduced the all new Monitor Series 7 speaker line and showed off their acoustic muscle in a 7.4 demo for hundreds of show attendees. Also highlighted was the Millenia LP low-profile on-wall L/C/R, which hung proudly snug to the wall ...

Paradigm's Erin Phillips shows off the skinny Millenia LP

Paradigm introduced the new Cinema speaker line and had the Cinema   100's and Cinema Sub on demo and display in the Paradigm &   Anthem living room...

Paradigm's NEW Cinema line on display & live demo in the Paradigm & Anthem living room

Paradigm also provided a sneak preview of the upcoming Monitor Series  subwoofers flaunting wireless and PBK capability and thin-bezel Designer Series  in-walls.

Anthem introduced the state-of-the-art Statement M1 amplifier. Boasting 1 kilowatt into 8 ohms and only 1 rack unit in height, this powerhouse is the most powerful, slender and best-value amplifier on the market! Anthem also previewed the upcoming AVM 50v 3D and D2v 3D preamplifier/processors.

Also at the booth was the first ever listening bar from Paradigm SHIFT.  With all three earbuds (E1, E2m, E3m hooked up to iPad stations and the A2 powered speakers pumping tunes straight from a mixdeck, visitors tapped their feet and bobbed their heads while indulging in good quality audio catered to their individual musical preference.

The Paradigm SHIFT listening bar demoing three earbuds & A2 powered speakers

An up close shot of the Paradigm SHIFT E1 earbuds and A2 powered speaker

And last but not least, Paradigm & Anthem were nominated and received many industry awards this year.  Don't believe us?... here's the list:

• Resi Award winner for "Best Industrial Design Subwoofer": Paradigm Reference MilleniaSub (shown below)
• CEDIA Manufacturers Excellence award finalist for "Best New Product": Paradigm Reference MilleniaSub (shown below) 
• EXC!TE award winner: Anthem Statement M1
• EXC!TE award winner: Paradigm Monitor 11 Series 7
• CEDIA 2011 Attendees Choice Award entrant: Anthem Statement M1

Paradigm Reference MilleniaSub awards on display

Erin Phillips & Mark Aling accepting EXC!TE awards for Paradigm & Anthem

"This is a very impressive AVR and a must-hear" - Mark Fleischmann of Home Theater re: MRX 300

Mark Fleischmann of Home Theater magazine put the MRX 300 to the test and was more than pleased with what he heard. Giving us 5 stars for Performance and Value, 4.5 stars for Features and 4 stars for Ergonomics, we were more than okay with our average star ranking!

"The Anthem MRX 300 is the first A/V receiver to bring Anthem Room Correction below the psychologically potent $1,000 price point. It would be noteworthy for that alone. But there’s more. The AnthemLogic-Music mode is remarkably fine and may be especially well suited for systems whose center speakers are less than perfectly timbrematched. Dolby Volume is a superb addition for any system that you’ll use for movies. Altogether, this is a very impressive AVR and a must-hear"

 Click here! to read the full review at HomeTheater.com

"...the MRX 700 delivers an outstanding listening experience that is really hard to beat" - Robert Kozel, Secrets of Home Theater

Robert Kozel of Secrets of Home Theater reviewed the Anthem MRX 700 and wrote a very thorough review.  Here is a quote that sums up his experience...

"My overall experience with the MRX 700 was excellent thanks to the inclusion of Anthem Room Correction. Regardless of whether you are listening to music or a movie, the MRX 700 delivers an outstanding listening experience that is really hard to beat. While the initial setup of the MRX 700 may take a bit longer than the typical consumer receiver, the rewards are so worth it and will definitely appeal to the enthusiast who wants this level of performance at an approachable price."

Click here! to read the full Secrets of Home Theater Review

"The MRX 700 is quite an achievement by Anthem... The result is a great sounding receiver and one that would make any audiophile on a budget quite happy" - LA Audio File

Under the hood of the Anthem MRX 700

Kevin Nakano of LA Audio File reviewed the Anthem MRX 700 and wrote a VERY thorough and well written review that we recommend you read especially if you are interested in what's in the box and under the hood!  Below are a few highlights specifically related to performance:

Anthem Room Correction (ARC):
"One of the premium features on MRX series receivers is Anthem's Room Correction (ARC) system... The ARC design makes sense and the performance we experienced with the room correction was excellent."

Video Performance:
"The MRX 700 handled any video we threw at it and did so with excellent results. Whether if was blu-ray running 1080p 24Hz/60Hz or standard DVD over HDMI, video was free of any objectionable artifacts. The high definition material looked unaltered and as good as we have always seen it in our system. Video revealed the same rich, well saturated colors we have always seen with no false contouring through changin gradations... we were thoroughly impressed."

Audio Performance:
"Anthem always pays a great deal of attention to sound quality, so it was not surprising to expect this receiver to perform well... The MRX 700 decoded Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio multi-channel audio from our bD titles without any issues and the sound quality was superb from the crystal clear dialogue to the deep, tight penetrating bass... exceptional fidelity with virtually no fatigue even at higher volumes with long durations." 

Conclusion:
"Those who are familiar with Anthem know their commitment to high performance, so their should be little surprise that the MRX series of receivers meet the critical demands of their followers. For those looking info an affordable receiver made by a company know for high-end gear, the MRX 700 is it."

 Click here! to read the entire review plus photographs.

"An incredibly high quality system that will bring you joy for years to come" - Chris Heinonen on the Anthem Integrated 225 and Paradigm Signature S2

After sitting through a demo at the Anthem and Paradigm booth at CEDIA 2010, Chris Heinonen of Secrets of Home Theater walked away with one request from our team - to PLEASE send him a pair of S2's and the Integrated 225 amplifier for review.

Knowing fully just how wonderful these little tykes can perform, we agreed and shipped him the gear. Months later, Chris wrote a fantastic review on his experience with the delectable duo.We encourage you to read the full review (via the link below) but have offered a few highlights for you to read here...

Anthem Integrated 225:

Under the hood of the amplifier

"Unpacked, this monster weighs in at almost 43 lbs. and a peek under the hood lets you quickly see why. A good-sized toroidal transformer is inside, along with two massive Nichicon filter capacitors in the middle of the board. Two massive heatsinks, one per channel, are visible through cut-outs in the bottom of the chassis which add to the weight, but also allow it to run without any fans to dissipate heat and interfere with the music."

Paradigm Reference Signature S2: 

The S2 in Chris' setup

"When I fired the system up... these qualities came through in spades. The soundstage of the S2s was very wide, but most notably was very deep. Much of the music seemed to radiate from beyond the back wall, really bringing the depth of the stage that it was recorded on back to your listening environment. The picking of a guitar came through with the metallic notes of the strings coming across, but it was a very easy sound to my ear. In person, the sound of someone picking a guitar is usually not something that would cause you to wince, but with many tweeters you can find that those higher notes will have a glare to them that is very fatiguing. The Beryllium tweeters were very detailed, but still smooth and very relaxing to listen to..."

Paradigm & Anthem working together:

On the Bench: The S2 & Integrated 225

"The Paradigm/Anthem combo presented a wonderful window into the recording studio. Though originally mastered digitally at 24/96 before the transfer to vinyl, there was exceptional clarity to the recording and the attributes that I had come to love with this setup really shone through again. The soundstage was wider than the speakers and again extended well beyond the rear wall in depth. The musicians and their instruments had their own clear space on the recording... The sense of being next to the studio while they recorded was brought home to my basement. I sat back to enjoy the show, only getting up from my seat to flip the record."

"The weeks that I had the Paradigm and Anthem setup in my listening room were nothing less than a joy. While many people would scoff when you might say that close to $4,000 for a set of speakers and an integrated amp is a bargain, when a setup like this can provide so much enjoyment and remove the desire to need to upgrade anytime soon, I really feel that it can be classified that way... you have an incredibly high quality system that will bring you joy for years to come."

Click here! to read  the full review and graphs at:

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity

Anthem: www.anthemav.com

Paradigm: www.paradigm.com

"This Paradigm/Anthem system truly excelled on the surround-sound front"

System Clockwise from top left:

 Paradigm Reference Studio ADP-590

Paradigm Reference Studio 20

Anthem MCA 50

Anthem AVM 50v

Paradigm Reference Studio CC-490 (not pictured)

Paradigm Reference Studio SUB 12 (not pictured)

Paradigm PBK (not pictured)

Anthem ARC (not pictured)

Arlen Schweiger a long time fan of Paradigm and Anthem gear reviewed the above Paradigm & Anthem system and found the combination "natural and commanding" among other compliments...

Click here! to read the full review at CE Pro.

Click here! for the photo gallery and MSRP's.

"Great for Extensive Music Listening and Home Theater Use" Robert Silva of About.com, MRX 700

.Robert Silva of About.com reviewed the MRX 700

and gave it 4 out of 5 stars!

 

Below are a couple of the highlights from Robert's review...

"The MRX 700 delivers more-than-enough power for most rooms and provides exceptional sound. Practical features I really liked included: Comprehensive audio processing options, analog-to-HDMI video conversion and upscaling, 3D pass-through, and Anthem Room Correction System."

"A high quality receiver should have the ability to perform well in both stereo and surround modes. The audio quality of the MRX 700 in both stereo and surround modes was excellent, making it great for extensive music listening and home theater use. There was no sign of amplifier or listening fatigue."

"The MRX 700 offers practical setup and connection options, without a lot of feature and connection overkill... the MRX 700 is easy to setup and use, but also gives the experienced user more detailed setup options. The MRX 700 also has excellent build quality."

Robert Silva's MRX 700 review is very thorough.

We encourage you to Click here! to read the full review.

HD Living is Giving Away an Anthem MRX 500!

HD Living is giving away an MRX 500 A/V receiver. All you have to do is follow this link to a review of the product and then click on the banner at the bottom to enter! Contest ends Friday, so be sure to enter before it's too late!

Anthem MRX 500 reciever

Interested in a Career at the Paradigm Advanced Research Centre in Ottawa, Ontario? We're Hiring!

For over twenty-five years Paradigm Electronics, an industry-leading manufacturer and distributor of high quality consumer electronics products under the brand names Paradigm and Anthem, has set the standard for sonic excellence in every product category we offer. Our focus is on providing the best in performance and value, while continually pushing the boundaries in loudspeaker and electronics design.



With our continued growth in Research, two opportunities now exists for the right people to join our highly skilled staff at the Paradigm Advanced Research Centre (PARC) in Ottawa, Ontario. Read the position summaries below and if you are interest in learning more, click the links below each position for details and to apply directly online. We will be accepting applications until April 22, 2011.

EMBEDDED SOFTWARE DESIGNER:
To write, debug, and test embedded software for new product development, and to support and revise/update new version firmware for released products.
Click here! to learn more and apply for this position.


JUNIOR LEVEL HARDWARE DESIGNER:
You will be involved in the design of Paradigm and Anthem high-end consumer electronics equipment such as surround-sound pre-amplifiers and working closely with senior level hardware engineers.
Click here! to learn more and apply for this position.

"The MRX 700 satisfies on every score" - Daniel Kumin of Sound+Vision on the MRX 700

Daniel Kumin of Sound & Vision reviewed the Anthem MRX 700 receiver and gave it the Sound+Vision Certified and Recommended 2011 stamp of approval!

First Impression
"Given my long history of reviewing A/V gear from up north, I'd expect any Canadian design to feature a no-nonsense feature set, sensible ergonomics, ruggedly attractive industrial design, and brick-lavatory construction, and the MRX 700 satisfies on every score."

Performance
"Despite its compact size and simple appearance, the Anthem receiver delivered impressive real-world power... The MRX 700 may be rated for a relatively modest 120 watts per channel... but its power-amp abilities seemed to me equal, or very nearly, to those of my everyday 150 x 5-channel power amplifier. And critical listening was just as satisfying... As for movies, the Anthem held its own with the best A/V receivers I've auditioned on the latest lossless hi-rez soundtracks"

Ergonomics
"It's clear that Anthem took considerable pains to keep this A/V receiver simple. On the whole, they succeeded admirably. Anthem's onscreen menus and displays are beautifully plain and lucid. The supplied backlit remote is a paragon of simplicity and readability, and its control layout and operation hierarchies are just as thoughtful."

 

Conclusion
"I loved almost everything about the Anthem's maiden AVR effort: its audio, its video, its outstanding usability."
 

Click here! or Pick up the Sound+Vision April-May 2011 issue from the newsstand to read the full review.

www.soundandvisionmag.com

Anthem & Paradigm make Donation to Support Relief Efforts in Japan and Asia-Pacific Region

After a week of global media attention, the mention of the Japan earthquake and Asia Pacific tsunami is no surprise to anyone around the world. But what has very quickly escalated into a historical natural disaster, that has and and will continue to affect the entire world. Non-profit humanitarian agencies and governments internationally are reaching out to lend a hand but the destruction created as a result of such a crisis requires more than that.

Which is why we at Anthem & Paradigm have decided to do what we can to help. Earlier today we donated $2,500 to the Canadian Red Cross and have reached out on our various social media sites encouraging our extended family (Facebook fans and Twitter followers) to consider donating money towards the relief efforts as well.

"Here at Paradigm and Anthem, our hearts go out to the people of Japan and the Asia Pacific region in light of the continuing events in their area of the world. To support the relief efforts, we've donated $2,500 to the Red Cross and encourage our extended family on Facebook to do anything they can." 

- Tim Valters, President & COO

 In response to the March 11, 2011 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese Red Cross has deployed medical tents and over 80 medical teams to the affected area. Volunteers are on the ground providing first aid and search and rescue operations. The Red Cross has started Restoring Family Links activities and emergency relief planning is underway.

 To donate to the Canadian Red Cross please visit: 

www.redcross.ca

To donate to the American Red Cross please visit: 

www.redcross.org

"When it comes to knuckle-whitening, ass-clenching performance, there’s just little else that can compete at anywhere near this price point." - Dennis Burger, HomeTechTell

To start, we'd like to apologize if the headline of this blog offends anyone... sorry. In our defense, it was far too tempting to down-play such a fun compliment when let's be serious, we're just like any parent gushing with pride for our new baby (the Anthem MRX 700 receiver that is).

After having a go with the MRX 700, Dennis Burger of HomeTechTell wrote a favorable review full of playful quotes like the one above - and yes we're proud!  So without further ado, here's a few teasers that we hope will entice you to read the entire review...

"...a significant factor in the MRX 700’s exceptional audio performance—is Anthem Room Correction (ARC for short), the exact same calibration system that ships with the company’s flagship Statement D2v A/V processor... The louder I crank the MRX 700, the more difference ARC makes. And crank it loud I do. A lot. Although the receiver only features 90 watts per channel in surround mode, I would put it toe-to-toe with any of the so-called 125-watt-per-channel receivers I’ve reviewed lately and dare the rest to try to keep up."

"...And it runs that hard, in typical Anthem fashion, without a lick of discernible distortion. Honestly, it’s easy to push the MRX 700 way past the point where you should be able to sit in the room with it."

Comparing Anthem to Corvette, Dennis playfully adds "As the old Corvette ad campaign boasts, 'They don’t write songs about Volvos.' There’s a reason they call the MRX 700 an Anthem."

Click here! to read the full MRX 700 review by HomeTechTell.