Upgrade advice for processor

I am under the impression that the A5 uses a variety of upgraded parts. I could be wrong about that. You should consult your Anthem dealer.

You are right I will have to talk to my dealer. It may very well be that they use upgraded parts and it may be worth the extra money. Did you happen to listen to both amps before you purchased or no.

No, I did not listen to both amps. My advice was not based on any negative experience with the MCA-50. It was based on my highly positive experience with the A5. I used the A5 for both music and movies for two years. It is an excellent product at what is, by audiophile standards, a very reasonable price. You can click on my virtual system to get an idea of the system context in which I evaluated the A5.

I have also heard the D2 on a number of occasions (combined with the P5, which, although it is more powerful, sounds very similar to the A5). So I can make a reasonable inference about how the D2 and A5 will sound together. I believe that combination will meet or exceed your expectation, as described in the OP, of "high quality 2 channel performance" from a multichannel processor/amp. Good luck.

I contacted technical support at Anthem and kudos to them I had an answer within 30 minutes (very impressive). here is what they say the difference in the two amps is.

“A series” has these extra features over the MCA:

hand selected input transistors heat-shrunk together so positive and negative cycles track each other as temperature changes

4-layer circuit board instead of 2-layer for lower impedance

circuit breaker instead of fuse for convenience and lower impedance

I have the Arcam AVR 600 and only paid about $3500 for it. Outstanding unit in every sense. Amazing sound and simple operation. It is everything they claim and more. I think you will be happy even with 2 channel stereo. It is not on the same level as my Accuphase for 2 channel but not bad at all.