Anthem ARC-1 Room Correction System

Filed under: Home Audio


- Pictured: Anthem Statement D2

While most A/V receivers feature some sort of built-in automatic room correction/EQ system, the technology is still fairly new to high-end surround sound processors. Canada’s Anthem has created their own system called the ARC-1, which will be available as an add-on to existing Statement D1 and D2 surround processors or integrated into a new Statement D2. Developed with the help of acoustic research on “targeted response” by Canada’s National Research Council, the ARC-1 sends a full frequency sweep to each connected speaker, which is picked up by an individually calibrated microphone placed at various listening positions. Problem areas are highlighted, and a 64-bit floating-point processor calculates the correction curves and makes the necessary adjustments without affecting the quality of the incoming signal.

The ARC-1 features a set-up wizard for new users, a choice of auto or user mode, an interface that displays measurements for advanced users, Infinite Impulse Response Filters to prevent delay that would affect lip-sync and video game play, and PC backup capability. Statement D1 and D2 owners will be able to add the ARC-1 to their processors for an estimated $399. A new Statement D2 with Anthem Room Correction built in will cost $7499.