Product Review - Anthem AVM-20 Surround Processor
Contents
1. Analogue DSP or Analogue Direct http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 7 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM Analogue Direct as the name implies is a purely analogue pass through of the signal with only volume control applied Analogue DSP implies that an analogue signal gets converted to digital for the purpose of bass management delay and any other signal processing such as Pro Logic etc Note that this is a valid option for the 5 1 analogue input The more progressive among you will rejoice that you no longer have to worry about the bass management and delay capabilities or should say deficiencies of your DVD Audio player The more conservative folk will p00 poo the very thought of digitizing the analogue outputs of DVD A but with A D stages at 24bits 96kHz and D A stages at 24bit 192kHz the benefits of proper bass management time alignment and the center EQ more than outweigh the consequences of re digitizing in my view In addition to Analogue DSP and Analogue Direct any of the 7 basic sources can be assigned as Digital which implies a digital input to the AVM 20 Digital input can be any flavor of Dolby Digital DTS or PCM audio up to 24bits 96khz Each source has its own individual 2 band EQ bass and treble and each has its own input level trim Volume is managed by a Crystal CS3310 a digitally controlled analogue device This in and of itself is not so u2. It won t give you any more information than the front panel but it will help you initially by showing you all the elements in a menu as oppose to one line at atime After just a couple times through it no longer needed the on screen display lii t a te hi a is Bim gmi Everyday operations on the AVM 20 makes sense Input selection is direct not a cycle and pressing any of the input buttons will turn the AVM 20 on with that input selected if it wasn t already on Buttons are clearly labeled Press one and turn the master knob to make a change Hit THX for example and turn the knob to select between on and off Or press dynamics and use the knob to cycle through Normal Reduced and Late Night http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html ih PE 0 0 0 Git ji y Cr ID O00 lt gt oro 6 ao Or dle G0 0 CG Te rm dla iii ty Page 8 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM The remote is fairly large Indeed every function of the AVM 20 can be L S controlled with it and it has built in codes for virtually any mainstream i CD DVD player VCR TV Cable box Satellite dish and so on With the abundance of buttons available found it covered more of my equipment s functions than any other such multi function unit I ve ever seen This comes ata small price though The remote can only put on one hat ata time Itis either the AV
3. THX processing as well as all other digital audio manipulation It really is the brains behind the inner workings Here is where it s interesting to make a distinction about hardware vs software The Motorola processor is the hardware and the particular model of chip used by Sonic includes Dolby Digital and DTS software routines in on chip ROMS Other processes such as bass management time alignment and all the THX Home Cinema items are stored in external ROM chips see photo above This software can be changed and updated using a computer and a download from Sonic s website THX and the AVM 20 The primary numero uno directive of THX s surround sound processor spec is to account for compensate for and otherwise address the simple fact that a home theater is fundamentally a different space than that of a commercial 200 seat cinema A THX Surround Sound Processor includes several functions collectively known as THX Post Processing which are applied to the soundtrack after Pro Logic Dolby Digital or DTS decoding when THX Home Cinema is http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 4 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM invoked by the user The AVM 20 includes all the elements required for the THX Ultra Surround Sound Processor designation THX post processing is nothing new and while we at Secrets are not warm and fuzzy about everything which falls under the THX logo most of u
4. can be renamed to anything you like using letters and numbers to a maximum of 6 characters For outputs complete 7 1 sets are provide in both single ended and balanced formats Both include two jacks for the center and subwoofer 10 outputs per set total Stereo audio composite and S Video outputs are provided for Zone 2 and Zone 3 while a pair of coax digital audio outputs are available with a variety of formatting options Despite the abundance of jacks and the fact that at first glance it looks overwhelming they are actually easy to sort out All inputs are on a black background while outputs are all on a white background See below bar z prm A i if r i a i 1 ri ae z Cee ee OD 7 ces Con i Oo Oo 6 6 6 6 A ALATA a q J sia i T ui mE i 1 at zi Ma dbe i i T EET Fa Boki Ma Finished Oh no There are three 12V trigger outputs 1 8 jacks two infrared outputs also 1 8 jacks and a 12V terminal strip for IR receivers A DB 9 RS 232 serial port gets the AVM 20 http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 3 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM talking to home environment systems and although it seems banal antenna terminals are there for the built in radio The only spot on the back not populated has been conspicuously labeled IEEE 1394 Phast Connection so even that spot will get used up when a standard is laid down for It The AVM 20 s design is a l
5. sony KV 27S36 Trinitron TV Smart Theater Systems GC120 AC Line Purifier Copyright 2001 Secrets of Home Theater amp High Fidelity Return to Table of Contents for this Issue http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 11 of 11
6. M 20 remote or the TV remote or the DVD remote etc as selected by the buttons at the very top The exception is the volume control which you can set to always correspond to the AVM 20 no matter what other hat the remote has on The buttons are a little mushy leaving me uncertain as to whether I ve pressed one or not but it does illuminate whenever you are using it It s nice because there are so many buttons and finding the one you want by feel would be next to impossible You ll still need to memorize which button does what since labels for many functions are not on the button but on the background and thus invisible in a dark room despite the button illumination The AVM 20 is very responsive to commands from the front panel The same requests from the remote deceptively seem slower but that s because of its mushy buttons It is very quick to act on changes in the audio bitstream as you navigate through DVD menus and the like locking on to the bitstream and changing mode as appropriate with ease Initially there was some irregular popping when locking on to a bitstream but as of software version 1 10 which incorporates recent bug fix code from Motorola the AVM 20 s behavior is flawless The AVM 20 unlike the majority of AC 3 decoders actually reads the Surround Encoded flag in two channel Dolby Digital bitstreams and sets its playback mode accordingly So if the flag is Dolby Surround Encoded the AVM 20 goes into Pro Logic mode O
7. Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM Te fiome Theater High Fidelity The Premier On Line Audio Video Journal Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Surround Processor December 2001 Brian Florian Anthem AVM 20 Surround Processor Preamp Dolby Pro Logic D70 lo A DIO ILIMDE ESY THX Home Cinema THX Surround EX Precision 24 Bit 96kHz A D 24 Bit 192kHz D A 3 Zone 4 Path operation RS 232 Port 3 Triggers Size 6 3 4 H x 19 W x 16 3 4 D Weight 30 Pounds MSRP 4 499 Cdn 3 199 USA http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 1 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM Sonic Frontiers International Anthem 3535 Laird Rd Unit 16 Mississauga Ontario CANADA L5L 5Y7 Phone 905 828 4575 Fax 905 828 4585 Web htto Awww sonicfrontiers com Introduction Microwaves are a Curious thing Omnipresent they buzz around us each day carrying our cell phone conversations and some of the television we watch among other things But take the right wavelength at the right intensity and the little buggers will heat your food or even cook it if given the opportunity Unlike a stove which relies on an exchange of molecular kinetic energy between an element and a pan and subsequent similar exchange between pan and food microwaves create the kinetic energy right in the food Though microwave ovens are ubiquitous most would be chefs a
8. cially appreciate this ability for the AVM 20 to disappear in a darkened room without them prompting it to do so Input Input Format i Path Zone Each input has the option of getting a global delay In other words the entire program is held back as little as 1 millisecond or as much as 84 This is of particular interest to videophiles who are running their picture through a line multiplier which delays the picture With a global delay on the AVM 20 audio and video can be in perfect sync The AVM 20 knows what the time of day is and what day of the week you re on which is more than can say for myself at times Each zone has timers which can be set for weekday weekend or a combination of both As an example set it to power on at 5 15 pm to give the system a little time to warm up before get home and turn off at midnight in case forget On the weekend the wake up time is 8 00 am The active source at turn on is selectable as is the volume level and whether it is instantaneous or ramp up Music or a television turning on and off while you re on vacation is an added deterrent to theft The AVM 20 provides the option for a center channel EQ designed to compensate for the effect of putting a speaker above a big flat surface namely your TV That s not so new What s cool is that you don t need a 1500 real time analyzer to dial in a conventional 5 band EQ Instead the AVM 20 provides pre set EQs for various TV size ranges Pick the ra
9. e AVM 20 It follows therefore that interpretations of what a Surround Sound Processor SSP should be what it should include and what role it should play in a system are as varied as the manufacturers who create them After having lived with and tested the Anthem AVM 20 feel it is a pretty special piece because it embodies much of our interpretation of SSP art Witness the current state of consumer electronics technologies are in constant flux and as a result the mass market names can t help but yield short term investment products continually replacing their own models with newer ones as buzz words and marketing gimmicks change On the flip side are top shelf names including Lexicon Krell Proceed Theta and our Stacey Spears own favorite Meridian All these portray a feeling of Jong term investment and those who can afford themselves such a tier of product often do so for that very reason Take our editor s 18 000 Theta Casablanca II every process AC 3 DTS etc is on a card cards which can be added and swapped at will Stacey s Meridian while featuring card options for input and output takes a more PC esque approach by employing lots of generic computing power and then rewriting or updating software as needed This is peace of mind at a rather high price Can state of the art cost less Can it still have provisions for the future Yes The AVM 20 successfully weaves together fixed hardware with software processes delivering an exquisit
10. e statement on the proverbial home theater center piece Read on http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 2 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM The Goods began my affair with the AVM 20 as do so many by unpacking it The product is well built solid and robust It s heavy to the point you d easily mistake it for a receiver This weight is due in part to the beefy chassis whose fit and finish are like a fine exotic automobile s yet some weight comes from the two count em two separate transformers There s the main toroid and then a separate El core unit for standby power and other 12V needs outside of the audio circuit The requisite black face is available in addition to the elegant silver of our review sample A word on Inputs and Outputs Well maybe a bunch of words Just for starters there are 7 basic inputs each with stereo analogue audio single ended coax digital audio composite video and S Video Three of these have complete sets of analogue audio and video outputs to feed the record lines on those components There are 3 Toslink optical digital inputs and one high end AES EBU digital input any of which can be assigned to any of the 7 basic inputs Further there is a dedicated two channel balanced input and a 6 channel 5 1 single ended input A pair of component video inputs can be assigned to any audio line Here s a kicker all inputs
11. ial element on a home theater s overall sound The AVM 20 is clean comfortable and free of impurities Forget the analogue outputs of your CD player Unless you http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 9 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM paid four figures for it just feed the AVM 20 a digital signal and let it handle the rest Vocals are natural bass is defined and there is detail without the hash which is all too common in SSPs Dare say Supertramp on CD sounded awfully analogue reminding me of my reel to reel copy from so long ago Brass such as trumpets and French horns is something had practically given up on prior to the AVM 20 accepting that a reproduction which would please me was a metaphysic impossibility Then dug out an old CD John Williams conducts John Williams The Star Wars Trilogy and started calling and e mailing people You ve got to hear these horns preached They re real fed the AVM 20 some Chesky 24 96 DVD material and compared the sound when running it as Analogue Direct and Analogue DSP listened and listened and listened Then finally got something there was a miniscule difference in the treble Not even enough to describe tell you honestly in a single blind test would not be able to say which is which only that you were changing them In a double blind setting would probably miss the change all together It s that s
12. ifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 10 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM sonic Frontiers has demonstrated a genuine commitment to the product s life span by refining the AVM 20 over the last few months since its introduction via the 1 10 software update Owners can look forward to 1 20 which will add more features to the AVM 20 s repertoire Like all Motorola DSP based units the current crop of chips simply do not have the wherewithal for Pro Logic II processing but they Motorola are working on it Sonic is thus planning a 2 0 version software to accompany a replacement DSP board which will add Pro Logic Il and DTS ES among other things The cost of new units at that point will go up by the cost of the upgrade so there is no reason to hold off buying one and enjoying it right away As of this writing the target date for the 2 0 upgrade is April 2002 but actual availability rests on Motorola s shoulders We will be following Sonic s development of the upgrade and will publish a report on it when available Brian Florian Related Hardware used during the reviews Paradigm Reference Studio 40 and Studio CC speakers Paradigm Mini Monitor speakers Velodyne CT 150 powered subwoofer Smart Theater Systems 2X150VT amplifier Rotel RB 985 5 channel THX amplifier Yamaha RX V795a processor receiver Toshiba 2108 DVD player Yamaha CDC 695 CD player Nordost Blue Heaven Moonglow and S Optix cable
13. ittle like a personal computer in that it is based on a main board with various daughter cards A veritable highway of audio everything gets funneled through the big main board so Sonic Frontiers Anthem s mother company spent a great deal of effort in its design It is comprised of four layers with power and ground each getting their own plane Rather than let a computer draw out the ground plane Sonic did it manually a processes which took months of work but they feel it is well worth it for the audible improvements The main board manages all the audio ins and outs while a completely separate board manages the video I O Daughter boards which feed the main board include the DSP board and the converter board Analogue to digital conversion A D or ADC is done by a set of AK5383 ADCs running at 24bits 96kKHz These are two channel ADCs and you can see the set of three on the daughter card photo below Three are necessary for digitization of the 6 channel analogue input The digital to analogue converters DAC are AK4382s running at 24bit 192kHz Again these are two channel units so four of them cover a complete 7 1 output while a fifth takes care of stereo signals and or down converted material being sent to Zones 2 and 3 DSP crip f feces bocce EG Oar EE ea E A A ee E m AVM 20 Converter Board AVM 20 DSP Board On the DSP board is the Motorola 56366 a 24bit process datapath DSP chip which handles all the Dolby DTS and
14. mance equal to the op amps in the AVM 20 would end up being larger than a pack of cigarettes per channel with an obviously higher cost not just in parts but in production inventory etc The AVM 20 s sound is refined and exquisite In what heard nothing could be described as incorrect Never did think if only it was a little more or less such and such The sound was Intrinsically satisfying You forget about the wow of audio and just plain enjoy the music or the movie And isn t that the whole point Synopsis and Considerations for the Future The AVM 20 is a statement piece A statement about all that is important useful and desirable in a surround sound processor It s also a statement about fair value suppose no preamp processor can be all things to all people but the AVM 20 is the only one know of that at least has a shot at it It delivers excellent analogue performance and treats such material with reverence It offers eloquent control and misses no mark in terms of usability Hard core digital and home theater aficionados will be downright giddy to get one into their personal movie palaces sincerely cannot call to mind being as impressed with the efforts of a manufacturer as am with sonic Frontiers and their AVM 20 Three grand isn t chump change but when you consider what the AVM 20 is and what it does the word bargain or steal is not out of place Get to know one as soon as you can http www hometheaterh
15. nge one size up from what your TV actually is and start making your way down until you get the clearest dialogue Voila In my setup it truly made for a better match across the front three speakers Having a party in your living room home theater Try the Al l Channel Stereo mode for music It s not just a copy of the fronts to the rear which would cause nasty comb filtering while you enjoy the sushi hors d oeuvres No sir Sonic thought this through And although I m not big on such things myself there are a few acoustic simulations for stereo material such as Club Hall Stadium Theater and the like There is even an Al l Channel Mono mode the entire signal to all channels and a true mono mode featuring the lone center speaker The Cinema Logic mode is Sonic s own interpretation of a Matrix surround sound decoder which derives up to 7 outputs plus subwoofer from two channel sources with the algorithm adapting to the particular soeaker set up being used Personally found it very pleasant for music material but the lack of presence in the center channel seemed to break the relationship between visual queues and the associated audio when using in on 2 channel movie soundtracks or stereo television programming In future software revisions Cinema Logic will be expanded to include better channel derivation and separate modes for music and movies Pick Your Audio Flavor Any analogue source including the 5 1 input can be designated as either
16. nique but the AVM 20 is one of the few SSPs to really harness the convenience of such a volume For each of the paths you can set what the volume will be at power on no nasty full volume surprises You can also set a maximum volume for each path Being that the AVM 20 s settings are password protectable those with teenagers are already seeing the genius of this type of control Even the headphone jack has independent power on and max volume settings A pair of coax digital outputs are provided These can be a pass through of digital signals coming into the AVM 20 or if an analogue source is selected on the record path they can be a digitized copy of the signal In such case you can select the output to be 16bit 44 1khz expected by most consumer digital recorders or 24bit 88 2khz This last option will likely be supported only by pro gear or select PC sound cards so why would you want it Well chances are the AVM 20 is a better ADC than your PC soundcard so you could use it to bring in material at 24 88 giving lots of headroom in such programs as Sound Forge and CoolEdit to do EQs noise reduction and normalization before burning yourself a standard 16 44 CD The Experience Interacting with the AVM 20 is a remarkably intuitive experience When first getting acquainted with the AVM 20 particularly when setting it up for the first time recommend hooking it up to the television screen whether you will be putting video through it or not
17. oints so close together Time Alignment of the channels is something which is now somewhat common place but which THX mandated early on Unfortunately THX does not mandate how a user goes about setting it and we ve seen some very expensive products with extremely poor means of setting delay though if you manage to knife through it they do work The AVM 20 offers the simplest most elegant and comprehensive means of setting delay possible You just tell the AVM 20 how far each and every speaker including the subwoofer is from the main seat in the room You can chose feet 0 5 foot increments or meters and the AVM 20 handles everything else for you Further the speaker setup section allows you to distinguish between direct and dipolar speakers so that the AVM 20 can set its delay appropriately Sound from dipole speakers incurs a natural delay to begin with and the AVM 20 will account for this a first for THX processors In addition any delay induced by the bass management crossover is also accounted for transparently to the user http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 5 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM THX Surround EX is for lack of a better phrase the real deal when it comes to EX playback and has a few perks over the innumerable clones that are out there For one the AVM 20 processing is the genuine Dolby article as first used in theaters THX Surround EX respond
18. omments are shown below Colin Miller As a professional control freak very much like the command set in the AVM 20 The required length for each command is short which makes for easy buffering on the output side in case want to load a whole bunch of commands into a single selection sequence without specifying a bunch of separate delays In addition to the vast amount of control available through the RS 232 port which allows you to directly access almost any parameter you could think of a nice feature is that most of the parameters are number based in terms of zone or parameter value which makes string building very easy if you want to pull command values from or manipulate them with variables What I also like is that the command set is relatively straight forward and intuitive not requiring any strange calculations to generate the final string Checksums can be fun to write a subroutine for but sometimes it can become a bit of a headache particularly if the protocol isn t explained very well in the first place really like the ability to get feedback from the processor Most commands can be queried using a as the parameter which opens up possibilities for really cool integration Not many surround processors work with allow that kind of feedback All in all from a purely command side the level of control available on the AVM 20 is a control system programmer s dream like most of my colleges at Secrets am not fond of
19. priate energy balance requiring Re Equalization to be disengaged The AVM 20 is one of few THX processors that allow Re Eq to be switched off independently of the other THX processes THX Home Cinema and THX Surround EX As of software version 1 10 the AVM 20 allows you to make this choice Bass Management is another gem that THX mandated way back when and some form ot it is now found in every Dolby Digital decoding processor The crossover frequency and slopes for THX s bass management were not picked out of thin air It is comprised of a 4th order low pass 80 Hz to the subwoofer and a 2nd order high pass to any main channel set as small The mismatch of slopes is in anticipation of THX main speakers which exhibit their own 2nd order roll off 2nd order 2nd order 4th order The AVM 20 naturally provides the THX crossover but in light of many users not having THX speakers the crossover point is selectable from 40 to 160 Hz in 10 Hz increments the slopes remain the same Best results will be obtained when selecting a crossover point handy to but not below the natural roll off point of your speakers For those who are concerned with having a different crossover point for each speaker get over it Although at first glance it sounds like a good idea it can actually cause more harm than good and makes getting equal low end extension for each channel a real headache not to mention how problematic it is to sum the output at so many crossover p
20. re unaware of the fact that microwaves primarily heat the moisture within food It s this little tidbit of trivia that makes microwave popcorn a reality Popcorn kernels dry as they are to the touch have moisture trapped inside When the moisture is heated sufficiently it turns to steam and expands forcing its way out of the kernel and the proverbial pop ensues How convenient that microwaves are so good at heating up moisture like kettle popped popcorn as much as the next guy but you have to admit those small paper bags of 3 minute magic are pretty darn cool concede that not everyone will consider the microwave moisture kernel relationship a fascinating revelation but some myself included will dig that sort of stuff If you want to sell microwave ovens though the user manual had better talk about cooking times and not food physics The decoding and presentation of surround sound is pretty cool too And like popcorn most people don t care what makes it happen only that it does happen and that it happens nicely yet there is always the group who get their jollies from the nuts and bolts of the thing In that regard Surround Sound Processors are a special challenge for manufacturers they are by nature complex and must present a level of control worthy of the central role they play in a home theater But at the same time they must come across as simple and above all functional while not sacrificing an ounce of performance Th
21. s do highly advocate THX post processing and consider it a requisite element for an upscale surround sound controller The AVM 20 uniquely allows latitude on some THX elements so a quick refresher of what THX implies and how the AVM 20 executes it is in order Timber Matching alters the sound of the surround channels accounting for the fact that sources behind us sound different from those in front By making the surrounds sound more like the fronts a more seamless sound space is created Adaptive Decorelation was originally created in the hey day of Pro Logic It prevents the mono surround channel from sounding mono by subtly altering the time and phase of the two surround speakers Because 5 1 soundtracks can contain mono surround information at times the circuit adaptively kicks in only as appropriate on such material Re Equalization applies a specific roll off of high frequency information to address the fact that movie soundtracks made for a cinema have an overabundance of treble when played at home cinemas are equalized to the industry standard X curve and high frequency information bleeds off more readily in the large space of a cinema Re Equalization is a must for a good movie presentation at home Without it we are compelled to turn down the volume in response to the uncomfortable treble thereby missing the more subtle elements of the soundtrack But in recent years soundtracks are beginning to be remixed for home release with appro
22. s to the EX flag on DVDs while still allowing you to override at any time early EX titles do not have the flag THX Surround EX also uses two outputs for the rear channel promoting the use of two speakers Even our own early experiments with EX found two speakers to be much preferred as a single speaker collapses the surround effect and can sound unnatural Get in your Zone Functionally the AVM 20 is in fact three independent preamps which share a pool of sources This is the path concept Any source can play along any of four paths The Main path is the multi channel surround sound processor Zone 2 and Zone 3 paths are each two channel preamps each with independent volume Record is the 4th path without volume for the purposes of recording Any source can be playing on any path at any one given time A source can be playing on more than one path at a time and the audio and video of a source can be broken up on the fly i e you can watch one source while listening to another If a multi channel source such as a 5 1 movie soundtrack is playing on a path other than Main the AVM 20 downmixes the material to two channel This includes Dolby Digital DTS and even the 5 1 analogue input Naturally control is a key issue with such a multiple personality piece Our own professional control freak Colin Miller poured over the RS 232 serial command set which would be used by a custom or whole home installer to talk to the AVM 20 His c
23. therwise it will go into Stereo mode though you can force Pro Logic playback if the occasion dictates Any decent SSP will remember the playback mode selected for each input but the AVM 20 goes beyond that also remembering your selections for Dynamic Range Control THX and so on For example DRC can be Reduced for the DSS satellite input and Normal for the DVD As per THX requirements the AVM 20 does internally attenuate DTS material by 4 dB equalizing it with Dolby Digital material at the default 27 dialnorm value for more information see our article on Dialogue Normalization The AVM 20 however does not provide a DTS music mode which would automatically attenuate the LFE channel by 10 dB for more information see our article on the LFE Channel In reality it is very easy to make level adjustments to any channel without disturbing the master calibration settings so for the DTS CDs which require it it is not hard to do And the Sound The AVM 20 sounds good Really good One can easily get over absorbed with the features and functionality of the AVM 20 but the sheer sound quality is not to be understated Ever since Dolby Digital started becoming mainstream I ve said that a surround sound processor is in facta DAC And as such an evaluation of its sonic quality should be along the exact same veins as if one were discussing a CD player or dedicated outboard DAC Next to your speakers the processor is the most influent
24. ubtle can t even tell you good or bad Either way the detail nuance and subtle inflections were perfectly intact The point is DVD A will certainly not be wasted on the Analogue DSP setting but if it bothers you mentally rest assured the purely analogue stages will serve your material well But under the circumstances say one would be foolish to give up the benefits of bass management time alignment and the center EQ DACs aren t the only thing At the AVM 20s outputs are Op Amps of renowned pedigree no less than Burr Brown OPA 2134s almost hesitate to say op amp because of late there has been some renewed criticism of them as output stages with the alternative being stages made from discrete components Sonic is not at all ashamed and cite their selection of the Burr Brown units as not just good enough but as a large contributor to the AVM 20 s sound Folks who have been in the biz for awhile will remember an article in name omitted magazine a while ago which trashed op amps conveniently leaving out the newest available at the time While there are still all too many examples of bad op amps sonically the best ones like the Burr Browns are just about ideal nowadays A discrete circuit would obviously have a thermal advantage but how much this matters comes down to how much current the load wants and better op amps handle the task in question without inducing a loss in sonic character A discrete circuit with perfor
25. video switchers Given the option will always run video directly from source to display But with a multi zone controller as powerful as the AVM 20 it only makes sense to have it The video switch boasts a published bandwidth of 100 Mhz 3dB which should be sweet for DVD s 480p In pro video circles 3 to 5 times the bandwidth is regarded as being required for safe passage questioning the AVM 20 s ability for 1080p material However to put it in perspective not only was unable to get good enough test equipment to check it but had I would have had no 1080p source to test with Given that HDTV set top boxes roll off their output anyway I m not going to lose sleep over such technicalities Form and Function http www hometheaterhifi com volume_8_4 anthem avm 20 12 2001 html Page 6 of 11 Product Review Anthem AVM 20 Processor 12 21 01 9 46 AM The display is a nice large illuminated dot matrix with two rows of information The illumination of the display and all front panel lights is functionally inspired There are three brightness settings each of which can be set ona scale of 0 off to 15 bright The i i display will stay at the selected Mode Volume brightness level until you interact with it at which time the display can go either to the next brightness setting up or right up to high your choice After inactivity the length of which you can set in seconds it goes back down Videophiles will espe
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