Moderator wrote:

T Cobe wrote: Imahawki,

I think the AVRs have a solid reputation and a long track record. I would imagine a few bugs may be possible with Atmos but I think they have the AVRs down.
T Cobe

I can tell you that many of our dealers sell the Anthem AVR's and we have heard no reports of them having any issues or "glitchiness".

My local GEt dealer, in fact, sells Anthem (as well as Cambridge Audio). Thanks for the feedback.

Probably unfounded as the AVM 60 is a direct descendant from the AVR's, not a Canadian-built piece like the AVM 50, D2v, etc.

Moderator wrote: Probably unfounded as the AVM 60 is a direct descendant from the AVR's, not a Canadian-built piece like the AVM 50, D2v, etc.

That's part of what makes me even more nervous...

T Cobe wrote:

Moderator wrote: Probably unfounded as the AVM 60 is a direct descendant from the AVR's, not a Canadian-built piece like the AVM 50, D2v, etc.

That's part of what makes me even more nervous...

I guess it depends on what you expect. Its not like this is a low end mass market AVR. Anthem's AVRs already deviate from mass market AVR design philosophy (and thus in price). It looks like they've taken the MRX 1120 and removed the amps (and thus all of that extra internal circuitry and power needs) getting that extra space hogging stuff and the related EMF etc. out of the chassis. I'm sure they also do things like improve the quality of the components in the input/output stages, especially on the analog side to squeeze better overall performance out. Also this gives the flexibility for the purchaser to choose amps other than Anthem. Recycling the R&D from the AVRs seems logical and allowed them NEARLY cut the price in half.

I'd get the hesitation if this were a mass market AVR company taking a similar approach but...

Maybe I'm missing something

Maybe have a read of this...

www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/...-and-avm60-processor

Imahawki,

I have read the article from audioholics. Is doesn't delve too much into the AVM 60, or at least nothing I found meaningful. The 106 dB signal to noise ratio isn't very helpful. As far as I could tell, nothing meaningful in the description to differentiate the AVM 60 from the 1120.

That said, I completely agree with everything you say. Anthem is a top notch brand and have been putting out quality products that sound great for decades. Their support through their dealers is also top notch. If I were buying an AVR, I'd go with them in a heartbeat. There are just a few things about the change to the AVM that give me pause.

First is the price. Anytime something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. To go from $6,500 in the previous generation to $2,999 seems too good to be true. Economies of scale is one thing but without reviews and data, you just don't know if there were too many sacrifices made. They have not done a great job marketing the new AVM. I think they feel between the price and their reputation that they don't have to do anything to market the product. Just look at how much GET does when they launch a new product. You get first hand info, press releases, and professional reviews ahead of the product being released for sale. IMO, that's doing it the right way.

For the second point, it would be easier to parallel an automobile analogy. Let's use Audi as a reference. What would happen if Audi announced it would be building the R8 in the body of an Audi TT and that instead of manufacturing it in Germany, they would manufacture it in Mexico at the same plant that makes Volkswagens. Also imagine that the discounted the price to $70,000 but didn't really tell you how the R8 would differ from the TT. Would you be rushing out to buy the first model off the line? Would it be worth $70,000 or would you simply be buying an overpriced TT? There are just a lot of questions and I won't follow any corporation blindly.

I received a call from my local GET dealer today that they received their floor model AVM 60. They also have the Marantz AV 7702 MKII. I will do an audition to see what meaningful difference their is between the Anthem and Marantz. I expect the Anthem to sound better but want to be sure. I like the fact that it doesn't have all the video processing circuitry and expensive add-ones that I don't need. Less that can go wrong and less to interfere with the audio.

Hopefully I didn't come across as though I was bashing Anthem. I hold them in very high regard and that's why the AVM 60 is on my list. It could well be the pre/pro bargain of 2016! Thanks for bearing with me.

Cheers,

T Cobe