Hello Sir,
Here’s the story,
In 2013, I bought the ATC SCM11. Initially, I paired them with the ATC SIA2 amplifier, but I got Electrocompaniet ECI 5 integrated soon after. Then, I moved on to the ATC SCM40 actives, which I ran with various preamps, DACs, and streamers. Back then, I fell into the narrative pushed by magazines and forums, believing that costly cables produced better results. So, I bought a mid-level line of Wireworld cables.
When my son was about to be born, I needed to childproof the living room, where my system was set up. I wanted to secure the equipment and my son. That’s when I stumbled across a review of AVI speakers. AVI’s solution appealed to me because all the electronics (including dac and preamp) were hidden inside the speaker cabinet. This seemed the perfect way to simplify the setup while making it safer for a child.
Ashley James, the owner of AVI and the former marketing director of ATC, made big claims about AVI speakers being superior to ATC's. Customer reviews online were glowing, and in 2015, I decided to take the plunge. AVI only sold its speakers directly, so I couldn’t audition them unless an owner was willing to host me. Nevertheless, I ordered their cheapest active model, the DM5, a tiny cabinet with 5-inch woofers.
When I received the DM5s, I was underwhelmed. They had hyped mids and limited bass output. (I later discovered that small monitors like the Genelec 8030 and Neumann KH120 can deliver convincing bass.) I wanted to return them, but Ash refused a refund. Instead, he offered to credit the cost toward their next model, the DM10, a larger cabinet with a 6-inch woofer, built-in preamp, and DAC. He assured me that the DM10 would deliver the bass I was missing. An excellent marketer, after all. I wasn’t satisfied with the DM10, but I Invested further and purchased AVI’s 10-inch subwoofer. That combination gave better results, and by that point, I had become an AVI enthusiast, singing their praises on forums.
When AVI announced the DM12 (the same 6-inch driver as the DM10 but in a larger cabinet with a better tweeter and tone controls), I was among the first (if not the first) to order it. But around this time, I started exploring more objective audio communities and questioning some of my choices.
I purchased a UMIK measurement mic and tested the DM10 and DM12. It confirmed my earlier disappointment that they had significantly hyped mids. Other users’ measurements confirmed my findings. When I bought the Genelec 8030C, they sounded fantastic straight out of the box, delivering bass performance that the DM12s couldn’t dream of achieving and for three times less.
At that time I read Amir’s review of the original ATC SCM19s, in which he noted issues with bass bottoming out, a flaw I recognised in all the AVI models I had owned. At that point, I felt duped by AVI’s marketing and realised I had bought into the Hi-Fi hype. Looking back on how much I defended the brand is a bit embarrassing.
Today, I’m a happy Neumann KH150 owner. These speakers sound right, with no gimmicks or overhyped promises. It feels great to have left all the Hi-Fi nonsense behind.
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