Anthem AVM90 AV Processor Review

[Neric]

I now have an AVM 90, replaced my AVM 60. It's the local dealers demo unit so I got it for a good price.

ABing with the AVM60 some music tracks - the transition from loud to soft happens much better then the AVM60 and a little better then the STR Preamp. Example Taylor Swifts the Man it's beat then silence then beat - it's much cleaner on the AVM90 (the STR is cleaner then the AVM60, but not as quick as the AVM90, but I also have much more expensive speakers on the STR). This was the biggest difference I could find, my wife agreed when not knowing what she was listening to (I was swapping between them)

This helps when watching Dune, the thumper is much crisper. It seems to improve speech a little. Gotta love the small gains you get with a higher end processor.

I think this may be why folks say the AVM90 does music better then the AVM70/60 (I've read that people who ABed the AVM70 and AVM60 don't notice a difference)

 

[peng]

I think this may be why folks say the AVM90 does music better then the AVM70/60 (I've read that people who ABed the AVM70 and AVM60 don't notice a difference)

Fortunately lol... I didn't hear a differene in the dealer's demo room so I happily took the 70 and saved thousands.

To me, RC makes much more difference than better ICs would ever do.

Regardless, when the 100 is out, if the 90 is on a big discount, I will still the 70 in for the 90 as I value the better ICs used and the excellent test results.

 

[Neric]

Fortunately lol... I didn't hear a differene in the dealer's demo room so I happily took the 70 and saved thousands.

To me, RC makes make much more difference than better ICs would ever do.

Regardless, when the 100 is out, if the 90 is on a big discount, I will still the 70 in for the 90 as I value the better ICs used and the excellent test results.

A lot of music you couldn't tell the difference. I saved a bunch since I got the demo unit. I wasn't really looking to drop 7500 on a preamp.

 

[hwest]

As usual AVR Specifications are complicated, complex and require pages and pages of information to cover the expansive list of functionality and attributes. To try and copy and paste them here, to post in simple text format will eat up multiple pages of real estate. To facilitate access to this information for those who wish to do a deep dive. I am going to just drop a link to the Manufacturer’s listing. This is in “no way” any form of endorsement or collaboration with the Manufacturer. As none exist.

View attachment 336213

AVM90 | Demand Excellence, Demand Anthem

New features, capabilities, and robust integration position Anthem’s AVM Series as the ultimate control center of premium home theater and audio.

products.anthemav.com

I'm shocked to see the AV10 coming in higher on the overall scale but these are just numbers and sitting in front of both of them is a completely different experience with the 90 sounding so much better doesn't even seem close to me. However, I'm happy the number look good.

 

[Descartes]

I'm shocked to see the AV10 coming in higher on the overall scale but these are just numbers and sitting in front of both of them is a completely different experience with the 90 sounding so much better doesn't even seem close to me. However, I'm happy the number look good.

Have you heard both in the same room with the same speakers, the same cables, the same source, the same volume, the same day and time, the same temperature, the same state of mind?

 

[peng]

Have you heard both in the same room with the same speakers, the same cables, the same source, the same volume, the same day and time, the same temperature, the same state of mind?

You are asking too many questions.

 

[hwest]

You are asking too many questions.

There are too many questions but the answer is yes, I have brought in the following products to plug into my existing setup which are B&W 804's and 3 Subwoofers Emotiva DR3 Differential AMP. Lyndorf MP 60 2.1, Trinnov Altitude 16, Marantz AV10, Denon AVR A1H, Audiocontrol XR-8 AV. Also did a demo on McIntosh, not super impressed vs Emotiva DR2/DR3 and XPA Gen3. Tested some other generations of Denon and Marantz none impressed me throughout the entire line. Muddy sounding.

 

[hwest]

I'm shocked to see the AV10 coming in higher on the overall scale but these are just numbers and sitting in front of both of them is a completely different experience with the 90 sounding so much better doesn't even seem close to me. However, I'm happy the number look good.

The one thing I don't like about the AVM 90 is the fact that it has a fan, it never comes on but the fan is there and shouldn't be. It's tucked away in my cabinet so doubtful I would even hear it but definitely bothers me. ARC software is a little buggy but all windows apps aren't great.

 

[Descartes]

The one thing I don't like about the AVM 90 is the fact that it has a fan, it never comes on but the fan is there and shouldn't be. It's tucked away in my cabinet so doubtful I would even hear it but definitely bothers me. ARC software is a little buggy but all windows apps aren't great.

ARC works great on macs

 

[Descartes]

Anyone who owns a Anthem AVM90 think that it gets really hot!

 

[hwest]

Anyone who owns a Anthem AVM90 think that it gets really hot!

My AVM90 is the later version, it's locked up in a cabinet with two Emotiva AMP's and does get a little warm but never had a thermal shutdown issue or heat warning or anything like that. I do plan to open the entire back of the cabinet at some point, whereas today there are large openings but it's not a fully opened back. It does have two fans, a small one and a little larger one so if that's coming on all the time it's getting warm. I guess mine does come on but I can't hear it as it's locked up in the cabinet so well. Question for you, is your fan actually turning on? If so for how long? I heard from most that the fan doesn't even turn on.

 

[Descartes]

My AVM90 is the later version, it's locked up in a cabinet with two Emotiva AMP's and does get a little warm but never had a thermal shutdown issue or heat warning or anything like that. I do plan to open the entire back of the cabinet at some point, whereas today there are large openings but it's not a fully opened back. It does have two fans, a small one and a little larger one so if that's coming on all the time it's getting warm. I guess mine does come on but I can't hear it as it's locked up in the cabinet so well. Question for you, is your fan actually turning on? If so for how long? I heard from most that the fan doesn't even turn on.

My Anthem AVM90 is definitely getting warm after a two hour bombastic movie! It is in the open on a shelf with nothing to block the airflow on all three sides! It get fairly hot but not burning, since I can still put my hand on it without having any concerns. I have never heard the fan turning on!

Is there any way to see the internal temperature of the AVM my previous processor had a display that could detect the temperature and let you know?

 

[hwest]

My Anthem AVM90 is definitely getting warm after a two hour bombastic movie! It is in the open on a shelf with nothing to block the airflow on all three sides! It get fairly hot but not burning, since I can still put my hand on it without having any concerns. I have never heard the fan turning on!

Is there any way to see the internal temperature of the AVM my previous processor had a display that could detect the temperature and let you know?

They sell those inexpensive laser temperature sensors online, you can just point and shoot and it will give you an accurate reading externally and pointed into the chassis through he vent holes it should give you a good internal temp reading. The important thing to remember is this thing is simply a PC with a CPU and they do heat up more than you're typical system. Although all PC's have fans in them I would think Anthem could have invested in a much less noisy fan as part of the their resource on overall sound performance. Don't get me wrong the unit sounds amazing as you are now realizing compared to the Marantz's and Denon's of the world but it would be nice not to worry about a fan if it will or will not be turning on. I'm going to see about some different quality fan's to replace the existing two, if anyone knows of an option let me know.

 

[Descartes]

They sell those inexpensive laser temperature sensors online, you can just point and shoot and it will give you an accurate reading externally and pointed into the chassis through he vent holes it should give you a good internal temp reading. The important thing to remember is this thing is simply a PC with a CPU and they do heat up more than you're typical system. Although all PC's have fans in them I would think Anthem could have invested in a much less noisy fan as part of the their resource on overall sound performance. Don't get me wrong the unit sounds amazing as you are now realizing compared to the Marantz's and Denon's of the world but it would be nice not to worry about a fan if it will or will not be turning on. I'm going to see about some different quality fan's to replace the existing two, if anyone knows of an option let me know.

Why replace them and risking voiding the warranty if they don’t turn in and you can’t hear them?

 

[hwest]

Why replace them and risking voiding the warranty if they don’t turn in and you can’t hear them?

I won't do this until down the road a bit. But if there is a good option out there I would do it, that's just how I roll.

 

[Descartes]

I won't do this until down the road a bit. But if there is a good option out there I would do it, that's just how I roll.

Fare enough to each their own!

 

[peng]

I won't do this until down the road a bit. But if there is a good option out there I would do it, that's just how I roll.

In my opinion/experience, the ultra quiet Noctua fan is a good option, it really is silent from even 1 ft, at low speed. With this fan on, even on my previous AVM70 that clearly had the well know fan issue (turning on prematurely) the internal super noisy fan would never turn on.

 

[StigErik]

I've never ever experienced that the fan has turned on in my AVM70, even if it's got a shelf right above the top vents.

 

[peng]

I've never ever experienced that the fan has turned on in my AVM70, even if it's got a shelf right above the top vents.

View attachment 377451

I don't know if it was a QA issue, all we know is that only some (but seemed like more than a few) have/or had issues. As I mentioned, it was my first unit that had the issue, the second one's fine though I noticed accidentally it did come on once after it had been on for a long time, and the fan was too quiet to be noticed if I didn't happen to be very close to it doing something. That's when I put the fan back on regardless, I just don't want to internal fan to run period even if it was not noticeable, ymmv. Anthem did release a FW update to fix the issue, that likely just correct the trigger on setting, but the other half of the issue was that the fan was just too loud even at low speed and I doubt that was fixable with FW, not completely anyway. Again, there are many luckier owners who didn't have the issue, but the noisy fan is still going to be a noisy fan, if and when it gets turned on. It wasn't just the AVM70, some AVR owners experienced the issue too.

 

[Great Sun Jester]

Slightly off topic but the AVM70 8K is currently on sale at audio advice for 3,200

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