These two stunning amps lead the pack at their price point – and each has a particular advantage over the other
Those lucky people who are in the market for a multichannel amplifier at around the £6000 mark have some potentially tricky – or at least interesting – decisions to make.
Our two favourites at this level are close siblings with just a few crucial differences. Essentially, the Arcam AVR31 has a more future-proofed specification, while the JBL SDR-35 has the edge as far as ultimate sound quality goes – which is why it is our current Award winner in this category.
If you want to invest in an SDR-35, however, you will have to be quick: JBL is replacing the 35 with the SDR-38, which matches the future-proofing specification of its Arcam sibling – but at a price.
Features: the similarities
First things first, though: if you were to look at the headline specifications of both of these amps, you might run the risk of overlooking them in favour of more obviously all-singing, all-dancing rivals. We would urge you not to make that mistake – on-paper specs are far from everything.
Both the Arcam and the JBL provide 100W amplification for just seven channels; they can process up to 15.1, in a 9.1.6 configuration, but you will need to employ off-board amplification to power more than those base seven.
But then things start to look extremely positive. Both support Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced and Auro-3D, as well as Dolby Virtual Height, DTS Neural:X and DTS Virtual:X for systems without height speakers. All HDR formats (HLG, HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision) are embraced as well.
As for socketry, both have seven HDMI inputs and three outputs, with one output also capable of handling eARC from a TV. To go along with the HDMI socket count, there are six other digital (four coaxial and two optical) and six analogue inputs. And for wireless and streaming, there is support for pretty much everything a user could wish for: Apple AirPlay 2, Bluetooth aptX HD, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Roon.
Both the Arcam and the JBL also have Dirac Live Room Correction, a more advanced version of the set-up calibration facility that most AV amps have. The JBL also gets Bass control, which is an optional extra for the Arcam. Having said all that, for your six grand-plus it wouldn’t be at all unreasonable, we feel, to have your dealer set things up for you, so these extra features may not be deal breakers.
Features: the differences
One big specification difference between the two models is with those HDMI sockets.
