The Anthem MRX 1140 is basically an MRX 740 with 4 additional amp channels, an upgraded toroidal power supply for improved performance, and a few more goodies. We won’t repeat all the great stuff we said about the MRX 740 in the notes above. What you get with the 4 additional channels is the ability to install a complete Dolby Atmos system with left, center, right, surrounds, rear-surrounds, top-front Atmos, and top-rear Atmos speakers with all of the needed amps built right into the receiver. We feel it also sounds slightly better from an audio standpoint than the MRX 740 — but the difference is not huge — it’s more about having the extra amp channels on board.

There are two other things that are really cool. First, it has processing for 15 channels inside. This means you can go all the way to a 9.2.6 Dolby Atmos system just by adding a four-channel power amp. Secondly, it has two totally independent subwoofer outs. These are tuned individually using the new version of ARC Genesis to perfectly blend each subwoofer — no matter where it is positioned — with the rest of your speakers. To us, that is a huge deal!

If you are going to take a full Atmos dive and get 11 speakers now or later on, this unit offers amazing sound in one package — saving you the space that will be taken up with an additional amp or amps that you would need to add to the MRX 740 later. However, if you are just starting out with 7 channels, you could go with the MRX 740 and add the additional amps or amps later for the remaining 4 channels, if you think you will stay at 11 speakers. But, if you think you might want those wide fronts or 3 pairs of Atmos, the MRX1140 is the way to go.

If you are going full-blown Dolby Atmos the MRX 1140 is our clear winner under $5,000!