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Anthem AVM70 Review (AV Processor)

What would be the serial numbers to identify late 2023 and beyond?
 
Some in the AVM 70 owners' thread on the AVS forum have said that the noisy fan issues they experienced were apparently caused by the fan profile programmed into the firmware installed in their units, because it disappeared after a firmware update. Others maintain that it's a random hardware issue, unrelated to firmware or build date, and that replacement of the fan on the CPU is the only remedy, short of returning the unit.

I won't speculate either way. Mine has been installed on a shelf in one of my 19-inch equipment racks, with about 2 inches of clearance above it, and I imagine it becomes warm, despite the back of the rack being open. Yet, I have never been able to hear its fan at all, even with my ear only an inch or two away from the unit's faceplate. I can certainly hear the 80mm variable-speed fan in the Crown CTs-4200 when its on and driving my height speakers, but not the fan in this. I purchased the unit in November, 2023, and it's a pain in the nether region to pull out the rack far enough to retrieve the AVM's S/N. I will if you really believe the issue is related to the build date, but I sincerely doubt that it is.
 
Some in the AVM 70 owners' thread on the AVS forum have said that the noisy fan issues they experienced were apparently caused by the fan profile programmed into the firmware installed in their units, because it disappeared after a firmware update. Others maintain that it's a random hardware issue, unrelated to firmware or build date, and that replacement of the fan on the CPU is the only remedy, short of returning the unit.

I won't speculate either way. Mine has been installed on a shelf in one of my 19-inch equipment racks, with about 2 inches of clearance above it, and I imagine it becomes warm, despite the back of the rack being open. Yet, I have never been able to hear its fan at all, even with my ear only an inch or two away from the unit's faceplate. I can certainly hear the 80mm variable-speed fan in the Crown CTs-4200 when its on and driving my height speakers, but not the fan in this. I purchased the unit in November, 2023, and it's a pain in the nether region to pull out the rack far enough to retrieve the AVM's S/N. I will if you really believe the issue is related to the build date, but I sincerely doubt that it is.

Based on what I read on AVSF and ASR right here, as well as my correspondence with Anthem, both are true. That is, the FW update(s) fixed the fan issues that were due to FW, but there are units, such as my first unit, were not fixable by FW, so it is reasonable to assume those likely had hardware issue that are not FW fixable.

My first unit’s fan would turn off within 30 minutes of powering up, and it would be so loud I could hear it and bothered by it from my mmp that is about 11 ft. I put a fan on top and that prevented the fan from turning on, even though the unit was cool to the touch without the external fan. That would mean the fan’s fan on setpoint was too low, turning the fan on prematurely, but the FW update did not fix it for whatever reasons. Also, the fan being so noisy is clearly a hardware issue.

Since using a cheap ext fan fixed the issue, I put up with it, and by the time I decided not to, it was already 3 months so I wouldn’t think it was reasonable to ask for a replacement. In the end I traded it in for the 8K version and it basically costed me about C$500 after using it for about 3 months.

That’s why I have been suggesting that others should probably pay attention to that kind of minor issues, that is, don’t wait. If the issue is there, request for a replacement right away, unless such issues don’t bother you at all.
 
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Just to update this thread, I decided to purchase the Anthem Avm 70 8k processor. The cost was within my budget and preference's.

Now the short wait. It should be delivered in 2 days.
 
Just to update this thread, I decided to purchase the Anthem Avm 70 8k processor. The cost was within my budget and preference's.

Now the short wait. It should be delivered in 2 days.
Great choice! The official Anthem manual includes quite a bit of irrelevant MRX information that may inadvertently make setup more complicated than need be, but I can send you a copy of the AVM-specific documentation that I pieced together from the manual and Anthem's website if you message me your email address. Also, I'd be happy to help with any specific questions that may arise during installation and setup.
 
Great choice! The official Anthem manual includes quite a bit of irrelevant MRX information that may inadvertently make setup more complicated than need be, but I can send you a copy of the AVM-specific documentation that I pieced together from the manual and Anthem's website if you message me your email address. Also, I'd be happy to help with any specific questions that may arise during installation and setup.
Hi Anton,

That's very generous of you and very much appreciated. I always like to do the same myself.

Message sent!
 
Just to update this thread, I decided to purchase the Anthem Avm 70 8k processor. The cost was within my budget and preference's.

Now the short wait. It should be delivered in 2 days.
wOOt, A new AVR. I''m sure after you get it all dialed in you'll be thrilled with the new immersive audio codings. Let us know
how much in love you are. ;)
Sal1950
 
Can you use the usb input on the Anthem AVM 70 for usb audio? I would like to connect my Aurender N100H.
 
Not sure that is correct: you should be able to do this
But do not hot connect USB to Aurender: could cause damage
Yes it is correct the manual mentions nothing about USB being available as an audio input.
 
Not sure that is correct: you should be able to do this
But do not hot connect USB to Aurender: could cause damage
Thanks but what do you mean by “Hot connect USB to Aurender”? What I would like to do is connect my Aurender USB output to the Anthem USB input.
 
Thanks but what do you mean by “Hot connect USB to Aurender”? What I would like to do is connect my Aurender USB output to the Anthem USB input.
You cannot do that the Anthem USB port is for *service* only it does not support a USB audio device like the Aurender.

The poster is confused because some Anthem STR devices do support USB audio input however the AVM devices definitely do not.

What the poster means by ‘hot connect’ is connect while devices are powered up again the poster is mistaken USB is explicitly designed for this.
 
^
I am sure others know more about this than I do but…I did this between an Aurender USB out to a Benchmark DAC and caused damage to both units.
Aurender explained that while hot disconnect of USB is normally OK, it is not with their USB port for HD audio: and there was a warning in the instructions to turn the units off first.
Aurender repaired the unit at no charge: the Benchmark unit was new so I returned it
Just my experience
 
^
I am sure others know more about this than I do but…I did this between an Aurender USB out to a Benchmark DAC and caused damage to both units.
Aurender explained that while hot disconnect of USB is normally OK, it is not with their USB port for HD audio: and there was a warning in the instructions to turn the units off first.
Aurender repaired the unit at no charge: the Benchmark unit was new so I returned it
Just my experience

They claim a ‘proprietary filtered and isolated USB2’ it sounds like it’s not so isolated, the most likely way for damage to occur is if they screwed up the design in such a way that significant ground loop currents could flow.
 
Yesterday, I downloaded and installed ARC Genesis version 1.11.3. Afterward, I ran it through all of its paces, including a full 7.1.4 remeasurement and automatic phase adjustment. I didn't encounter a single glitch and am very pleased with the outcome. Just passing this along for other Anthem owners who are unaware of the latest ARC-G release.
 
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