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A series of less priced audio electronics called Anthem was first produced by the Canadian company Sonic Frontiers, which in the 1990s was well-known for its tubed components. After being purchased by the loudspeaker company Paradigm in 1998, Sonic Frontiers developed a solid reputation over the following years based primarily on their solid-state power amplifiers and their AVM and D series of audio/video processors. Eventually, the Sonic Frontiers name was changed to Anthem. Even though Anthem has produced a few stereo products over the years, including the affordable TLP preamplifier, the powerful P2 power amplifier and, of course, their original tubed components, I would say that Anthem has never been regarded as much of a player in the high-end stereo market.
Why would a business that is best known for its multichannel goods create a line of rather expensive two-channel parts? perhaps since they are capable. Past Anthem products including the D-series preamplifier-processors and the P and M series of power amps set new records for value and performance at incredibly affordable rates thanks to a team of outstanding designers based at the Paradigm Advanced Research Center (PARC), in Ottawa, Canada. The highly regarded Anthem Room Correction (ARC) software was also created by the PARC team and is now used in all Anthem pre-pros, Paradigm subwoofers, some Paradigm wireless products, and now, with MartinLogan now owned by the same private equity company as Paradigm and Anthem, some MartinLogan speakers and subs.
We find it a little surprising that Anthem has waited this long to create a sophisticated stereo product like the STR Integrated given the wealth of design knowledge, R&D resources, and superior production tools at their disposal. This substantial integrated amp is 40 pounds in weight, 17″W x 6.75″H x 17.5″D in size, and comes with a five-year warranty. It looks and feels like a high-end stereo product. Let’s go through this article and find out more details about STR Integrated Amplifier.
Our Verdict
Anyone building a high-performance stereo system should give Anthem’s STR integrated amp a must-audition. This is because it features ARC room correction.
Pros
- Effective, easily configured room correction
- Flexible bass-management
- Powerful stereo amplifier
- Extensive phono input settings
Cons
- No built-in network streaming capability
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Highlights
- 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at <1% THD
- 400 watts per channel into 4 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at <1% THD
- 550 watts per channel into 2 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at <1% THD
- 2-ohm capability allows use with a wide range of speakers
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 120 dB
- Large precision-wound triple-shielded toroidal transformer with oversized filter capacitors for stable, noise-free operation
- Advanced Load Monitoring (ALM) circuitry constantly monitors the amp’s temperature, current, and voltage to ensure optimum long-term performance
- ARC (Anthem Room Correction) Genesis speaker calibration kit (software, USB microphone, and telescopic stand with boom included)
What’s in the box?
Stereo integrated amplifier, AC power cord, Remote control (RC-ST 1), 2 “AAA” batteries, USB-B to USB-A cable, miniUSB-to-USB cable, 3.5mm Microphone cable, USB microphone, Mic clip, Telescopic stand w/ boom, Ethernet cable and Operating Manual.
Price and Availability
The Anthem STR Integrated Amplifier is available for just under ₹440,900. You can get more detailed information about the STR Integrated Amplifier current price and availability by consulting us.
Design
This Anthem STR Integrated Amplifier has features like room correction and a variety of inputs, including digital inputs (they are near similar price points too). Its physical size is where it differs noticeably; it is huge. This is larger than an AV receiver! Which is excellent because the inside arrangement is dominated by an enormous precision wound toroidal transformer. This transformer, which has huge capacitors, can deliver 200W into my Kanta speakers, which have a nominal impedance of 8 Ohms, or 400W into 4 Ohms.
A moving coil turntable and a moving magnet both have inputs for the STR. Four RCA inputs, a balanced XLR input, two digital coaxial inputs, and two more optical Toslink inputs round out the list of available inputs. Another input is a USB B port for devices like PCs.
Sound Quality
Right out of the box, the Anthem STR Integrated Amplifier sounded fantastic, but it sounded much better after ARC-2 finished its work. The STR Integrated cannot be utilised to its best potential unless you use ARC and are precise in your setup and have a pretty good-sounding room to begin with. With either the Persona Bs with two subwoofers or the MartinLogan Masterpiece Classic ESL 9s, turning on ARC-2 enabled the STR to play at any volume, from extremely low to extremely high, with complete composure and coherence over the entire audioband. The overall sound quality is excellent, making this amplifier a favourite for listening to music.
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Specifications
| Brand : | Anthem |
| Model : | STR Integrated Amplifier |
| THD (400 W) : | 0.002% (1 kHz), 0.015% (20 kHz) |
| Frequency Response : | ± 0.1 dB |
| Weight : | 40 lb (18 kg) |
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Conclusions
With advanced microprocessor control of all operations, including room correction, bass management, and a user-configurable phono stage, Anthem’s STR Integrated Amplifier produces sound of astonishingly high quality from a single enclosure. The PC-based Anthem Room Correction software’s most recent version, ARC-2, is quick and simple to use, and the STR’s large, user-friendly menu system and colour touchscreen made it a pleasure to use. I can’t express enough how amazed I was with how well the design as a whole was executed. The STR Integrated is one of the most amazing instances of a completely equipped audio device I’ve seen in my years of reviewing audio equipment.
The STR Integrated pushes the integrated amplifier-DAC concept about as far as it can go, despite the fact that it cannot stream music over a network or from a storage device that is connected. There is no better method to attain reference-quality sound if you’re willing to use room-correction software on your system, including bass management for subwoofers, than by purchasing a STR Integrated Amplifier. The performance of the STR Integrated never left me wanting more, even though it wasn’t quite on level with my more expensive Anthem singles. I can’t express how much I adore this special product.
