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Anthem AVM70 Review (AV Processor)

tparm

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Looking forward to hearing it when it ever gets released!

Who knows maybe 2023? ;)
I have one. And how dare I because it doesn’t measure perfectly, but I have a Ares 2 arriving Monday, hence my inquiry.
 

peng

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Looking forward to hearing it when it ever gets released!

Who knows maybe 2023? ;)

The AVM 70 has been released, tparm already has one afaik.. As I mentioned before, Anthem's documentation is not very good, the owner's manual don't seem to have enough details for some users. The analog path information is a good example, it should be in the manual.
 

Descartes

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The AVM 70 has been released, tparm already has one afaik.. As I mentioned before, Anthem's documentation is not very good, the owner's manual don't seem to have enough details for some users. The analog path information is a good example, it should be in the manual.
I mean the Anthem AVM90!
 

tparm

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Regardless of measurements the Ares II is spectacular. I’ll spare you the gushing details unless you asked me specifically, but the Anthem has an analog heart after all. A dedicated 2CH rig probably would and should outperform my multi-use system, but I am not sure my current system could sound better.
 

jhaider

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Confirmed (response from Anthem in an hour and four minutes) the AVM 70 has a pure analog path:

If you set convert analog to no you are activating analog passthrough. This means the signal is not being converted to digital and therefore there isn't and digital processing being applied. This means there won't be any bass management, ARC will not be applied, and you will not have any listening modes. Essentially you will have a 2 channel analog signal with volume control only.

Jamie Z.
Technical Advisor
Paradigm / Anthem AV

I guess there are tin-eared 2 channel fundies that will scream like anti-vaxxers if modern audio equipment can’t operate with a proverbial hand tied behind its back, but I find it unfortunate that there are enough of them to compel a fine company like Anthem to offer this kind of limp-mode. Better to go in the opposite direction and offer Auro upmixing!

Why would anyone want to kill their bass fidelity by gimping an AVP with good room correction and bass management?
 
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tparm

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I guess there are tin-eared 2 channel fundies that will scream like an anti-vaxxer if modern audio equipment can’t operate with a proverbial hand tied behind its back, but I find it unfortunate that there are enough of them to compel a fine company like Anthem to offer this kind of limp-mode. Better to go in the opposite direction and offer Auro upmixing!

Why would anyone want to kill their bass fidelity by gimping an AVP with good room correction and bass management?
Because there are some people that still care about 2CH music reproduction. I use all the modern gadgets for Spatial music, in native Atmos and not upmixed with something like Auro, and movies in Atmos and DTS where the AVM performs extremely well. What’s the harm in a product having an analog path? Does it take away from your experience? No. Does it add to mine? Yes.

Tin eared? Anti-vaxxer? I am sorry if you have less an idea hearing or take issue with the pandemic we find ourselves in. I find your remarks not only without purpose but juvenile.
 

jhaider

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Because there are some people that still care about 2CH music reproduction.

If they turn off room correction and bass management they elevate some outmoded quasi-religious notion of “purity” over actual fidelity. Tin-eared fundamentalist is exactly right.

I think fidelity has a place in 2 channel reproduction, too.
 

Newman

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Regardless of measurements the Ares II is spectacular. I’ll spare you the gushing details unless you asked me specifically, but the Anthem has an analog heart after all. A dedicated 2CH rig probably would and should outperform my multi-use system, but I am not sure my current system could sound better.
So we are back to promoting a 2 channel dac over a good AVR as superior sounding? On what basis? Sighted listening?

Should outperform a good AVR sonically? On what basis should it? Purist rhetoric?
 

RichB

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So we are back to promoting a 2 channel dac over a good AVR as superior sounding? On what basis? Sighted listening?

Should outperform a good AVR sonically? On what basis should it? Purist rhetoric?

Many just run REQ until the predictive graphs look good. I always compare the results to a pure direct mode and decide which is preferable. Dirac has not floated my boat and simple PEQ and delays for the subs have been effective.

- Rich
 

tparm

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Aside from some valuable conversations I’ve had with Amir about gear I’ve voluntarily sent him for the benefit of everyone here and the things I’ve learned from guys like @peng and @RichB I’m disappointed in the hypocrisy and misplaced arrogance on this forum. Most of you have proven nothing to earn it. I don’t need friends but I enjoy enthusiast in my areas of interest; namely Audio, Porsches and wine, and I certainly with the exception of few, don’t find that here.

Many of you remind me of certain political party who’s philosophy is people, in general, have no ability to think for themselves.

@jhaider process the shit out of your music to mask the inept quality of your system. Or just do it because you prefer it, like I prefer it pure on most occasions. Not all, I have a 2.2CH profile with ARC engaged for when the mood strikes. See, options without harm to your preference. If you can’t live without Auro, buy something that has that option and hang out on that thread.

@Newman better? It’s a matter of taste and mood, right? I’m not promoting anything, I’m stating the AVM 70 (unlike any MRX models) has a true analog path and I believe it sounds good with an external DAC. Nothing more. You guys all bitch because AV processors aren’t as good as cheap dongle and then rip someone who supports your notion.
Happy New Year.
 

Newman

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Don't be so bitter @tparm : you overstepped the mark, and got called on it, and now you call people arrogant and hypocrites.

OTOH if you have substantiation, other than sighted listening, that analog path=purer and better sounding, 2-channel DACs sound better than AVR because they are purely about audio, and your primary reason is because they should, then I'm all ears.

Until then, I call. And I'm not being personal about it, so would appreciate you returning the favour for a change.

cheers
 

tparm

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Don't be so bitter @tparm : you overstepped the mark, and got called on it, and now you call people arrogant and hypocrites.

OTOH if you have substantiation, other than sighted listening, that analog path=purer and better sounding, 2-channel DACs sound better than AVR because they are purely about audio, and your primary reason is because they should, then I'm all ears.

Until then, I call. And I'm not being personal about it, so would appreciate you returning the favour for a change.

cheers
Overstepped what mark?

And please understand the irony, you aren’t all ears are you? If you were, you’d plug in an external DAC and decide if it sounds better then your AVP. You’re all graphs. Besides having a seat beside me on my sofa how would you like me illustrate one thing sounds better to me in my room with my ears than another?

The Ares II measures better than the AVM 70 so wouldn’t you say it then sounds better based on a principal you support?

My Gustard that measures better than the Ares II didn’t sound better to me than the AVM with ARC engaged. So I gave it to a friend and lived with my system for a few weeks until I decided to try something different.

My system sounds better with the Ares in line than without. That’s all I’ve got. I don’t have a graph to prove it. At the end of the day, that is all that matters. Truly.

However, I’ll extend an invitation to come visit, stay at my place at no cost and I’ll feed you excellent food and provide one of the best drinking experiences you’ve likely ever had. I’ll message you my address. You can bring all the measuring devices you can fit into a carry on and we’ll see if science supports my sighted biased placebo-effected notion.
 

jhaider

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Many of you remind me of certain political party who’s philosophy is people, in general, have no ability to think for themselves.

I agree that there's a side here that's acting more elephant than donkey: a similar anti-science and anti-reason bent, and afflicted with the habit of lobbing personal insults to avoid engaging in substantive discussion. As your fellow-traveler would have tweeted back when he was allowed to do so - Sad!

The point I'm making that you're missing is, small rooms (using the acoustics term of art) just plain suck for bass fidelity.

If one cares about fidelity, we have a few tools available to mitigate the problem. The first tool, and possibly only one needed if just one seat is involved, is EQ, be it automated or manual. Whether subwoofer(s) are used or not is more a matter of extension and headroom demands than anything else. If you want several people to have a good experience, you need to consider not only good steady-state bass response for one listener but also seat-to-seat variance. That means multiple distributed subwoofers thoughtfully calibrated to work together and integrate with the mains.

All of these tools have the common trait of being much easier to implement in the digital domain. Anthem has a very good tool for doing so, ARC Genesis. (It would be even better if it provided more advanced multisub calibration, sure.) ARC is the main thing distinguishing Anthem's AVR/P's from other companies' products. But "pure direct" takes ARC about of the picture. Which makes "pure direct" a euphemism for "lower fidelity."

Sure, you can like or even prefer inferior bass fidelity. Bully for you. Preference is what it is. But there's no magic about "pure direct," and in fact it prevents you from doing the things that smart people do to improve fidelity. And if you imagine pure direct is better than just turning all the fidelity-improving processing off because then you get to add a bunch of superfluous extra boxes and feel like a real audiophile...may as well get in line for horse dewormer because reality is just not your jam.

You guys all bitch because AV processors aren’t as good as cheap dongle and then rip someone who supports your notion.

Who the hell are you talking about here? Perhaps you should read this post.

Furthermore, I'm pretty sure Amir stuck with the "headless panther" he gave the processor I currently have installed, regardless of additional data that came to light. Maybe it measures worse in this basic dimensions than a dongle. You know what? DGAF. It sounds better than legacy stereo components not because of how it ranks in electrical measurements with all of the sonically relevant stuff zeroed out, but because it has very good automated multisub calibration and integration along with a very well executed loudness compensation program.

PS: No offense, but since you brag about your gear at the bottom of every damn post it's fair game: someone advertising use of mediocre speakers and superfluous voodoo crap alongside a perfectly fine and fairly expensive AVP really shouldn't be casting aspersions on other people's systems!
 

tparm

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I agree that there's a side here that's acting more elephant than donkey: a similar anti-science and anti-reason bent, and afflicted with the habit of lobbing personal insults to avoid engaging in substantive discussion. As your fellow-traveler would have tweeted back when he was allowed to do so - Sad!

The point I'm making that you're missing is, small rooms (using the acoustics term of art) just plain suck for bass fidelity.

If one cares about fidelity, we have a few tools available to mitigate the problem. The first tool, and possibly only one needed if just one seat is involved, is EQ, be it automated or manual. Whether subwoofer(s) are used or not is more a matter of extension and headroom demands than anything else. If you want several people to have a good experience, you need to consider not only good steady-state bass response for one listener but also seat-to-seat variance. That means multiple distributed subwoofers thoughtfully calibrated to work together and integrate with the mains.

All of these tools have the common trait of being much easier to implement in the digital domain. Anthem has a very good tool for doing so, ARC Genesis. (It would be even better if it provided more advanced multisub calibration, sure.) ARC is the main thing distinguishing Anthem's AVR/P's from other companies' products. But "pure direct" takes ARC about of the picture. Which makes "pure direct" a euphemism for "lower fidelity."

Sure, you can like or even prefer inferior bass fidelity. Bully for you. Preference is what it is. But there's no magic about "pure direct," and in fact it prevents you from doing the things that smart people do to improve fidelity. And if you imagine pure direct is better than just turning all the fidelity-improving processing off because then you get to add a bunch of superfluous extra boxes and feel like a real audiophile...may as well get in line for horse dewormer because reality is just not your jam.



Who the hell are you talking about here? Perhaps you should read this post.

Furthermore, I'm pretty sure Amir stuck with the "headless panther" he gave the processor I currently have installed, regardless of additional data that came to light. Maybe it measures worse in this basic dimensions than a dongle. You know what? DGAF. It sounds better than legacy stereo components not because of how it ranks in electrical measurements with all of the sonically relevant stuff zeroed out, but because it has very good automated multisub calibration and integration along with a very well executed loudness compensation program.

PS: No offense, but since you brag about your gear at the bottom of every damn post it's fair game: someone advertising use of mediocre speakers and superfluous voodoo crap alongside a perfectly fine and fairly expensive AVP really shouldn't be casting aspersions on other people's systems!
I have a better than average amp too! No use in continuing this exchange. Ignored.
 

Dal1as

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1st can the political innuendoes please stop.

Back to the processor.

It's unfortunate this doesn't have the ability to eq 4 seperate subs. That's a deal breaker for some including me. The dlbc on some other processors is more enticing.
 
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1st can the political innuendoes please stop.

Back to the processor.

It's unfortunate this doesn't have the ability to eq 4 seperate subs. That's a deal breaker for some including me. The dlbc on some other processors is more enticing.
Agreed... But what are the AVM70's real competitors at or near this price point?
 

eycatcher

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This would be the main competitor list prices vary a few

Marantz AV7706/AV8805
Rotel RSP-1576MKII
Yamaha CX-A5200
JBL Synthesis SDP-55
Monoprice Monolith HTP-1
Emotiva RMC1/XMC2
McIntosh MX-100
LEXICON MC-10
NAD MASTER SERIES M17v2i
ARCAM AV40
Audio Control X9/X7
Lyngdorf MP-40/50

I believe channels on the Arcam AV40 can be reassigned to 4 subwoofers, and the Anthem AVM90 otherwise you could get away with adding a miniDSP
 

Descartes

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This would be the main competitor list prices vary a few

Marantz AV7706/AV8805
Rotel RSP-1576MKII
Yamaha CX-A5200
JBL Synthesis SDP-55
Monoprice Monolith HTP-1
Emotiva RMC1/XMC2
McIntosh MX-100
LEXICON MC-10
NAD MASTER SERIES M17v2i
ARCAM AV40
Audio Control X9/X7
Lyngdorf MP-40/50

I believe channels on the Arcam AV40 can be reassigned to 4 subwoofers, and the Anthem AVM90 otherwise you could get away with adding a miniDSP
No Anthem are available to buy unfortunately
 
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This would be the main competitor list prices vary a few

Marantz AV7706/AV8805
Rotel RSP-1576MKII
Yamaha CX-A5200
JBL Synthesis SDP-55
Monoprice Monolith HTP-1
Emotiva RMC1/XMC2
McIntosh MX-100
LEXICON MC-10
NAD MASTER SERIES M17v2i
ARCAM AV40
Audio Control X9/X7
Lyngdorf MP-40/50

I believe channels on the Arcam AV40 can be reassigned to 4 subwoofers, and the Anthem AVM90 otherwise you could get away with adding a miniDSP
Thanks! Considering the specs required, it looks like only the Marantz AV7706 or the Monoprice HTP-1 are comparatively priced.
The HTP-1 looks to be superior in pretty much every way, so I guess it's down to that or the AVM70...
 
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eycatcher

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It looks good on paper and in the tests. Monoprice has an newer DAC and measures well and has a good warranty and minimalistic build. It does have a SMPS power supply where the Anthem has a torodial. Dirac Live Bass Control is not included, and you must buy your own calibration microphone, so add about $600.

There is also the Trinnov and Storm but they are over 10K.
 
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