Price Paid:  $4000.00 from Sound Perfection

Summary:
Actually bought the AVM40, which is the same as the AVM30 except has HDMI switching. I use it in conjunction with McIntosh MC252 and Velodyne sub.
Sound: Smooth, detailed response in the 200-2KHz range, which makes it image beautifully. Not as edgy sounding as some pre's I've worked with, which can be good or bad depending on individual taste. I think these two things contribute to the "relaxed' sound described in some professional reviews of this product.

Strengths:
Bought in silver, good looking unit.
Smooth, detailed response in the 200-2000Hz range, which makes it image beautifully.
Build quality is good overall. Definitely not cheesy. But a little less than I would expect for a 4K unit. Main volume control is plastic, for example.
Nice remote. Buttons are well laid out and intuitive. Backlight iis also a big help in the dark.
Rear connectors are all good quality. Can plug monster cables, which grip very tightly, into them without worrying I'm going to break them off.

Weaknesses:
Headphone amp sounds like crap IMHO. Has a nasty 5KHz peak. Also has an upper midbass boost which makes it sound boxy. This with two different sets of headphones, one Beyerdynamic DT880's and the other Koss Pro 75. Perhaps some will like this sound. But not to my taste. I prefer the headphone amp in my HP laptop to this one. This is important to me as I live in an apartment. I'm looking into buying an outboard headphone amp.
Cannot convert composite video to HDMI output. Just an inconvenience as I have to switch my TV input.

Similar Products Used:
Sony TAE9000-ES.

Price Paid:  $2500.00 from X aound & design

Summary:
After much reading and haggling for the best price possible my dealer gave me a great deal on Avm 30. 2800 $ cdn funds. Brand new out of the box (NO DEMO). After having my Mca 50 for about one year now, i was running it with my Yamaha rvx 1000, and was waiting to have enough funds to buy my matching processor. Spent the whole weekend reading about what was soon to be my new purchase ( AVM 30). I have been drulling over this pre-amp for some time now and am very happy with the choice that i have maid especialy with the fact that Anthem offers the possiblities of upgrades at any time. I cannot wait to put this pre-amp to the test this weekend.
Cheers ...........and must i say Anthem Rules!

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Trutone

Summary:
I got a great deal on the AVM 30 (in black) so I had to jump on it. I picked up the stores demo model at fantastic price since I'm such a good customer. (the price I paid was in Canadian dollars). They are getting the newer AVM 40's and 50's in so they needed to get rid of their AVM 30.

Before the AVM 30 I was running an Onkyo 989 with an Anthem MCA 50. With the AVM 30 and the MCA 50 all I can say is WOW!!!!! The Onkyo was no slouch but the AVM 30 just killed it. My HT sounds so much more open. DVD playback in 5.1 DD or DTS is just amazing. The rear channels have jumped to life. I'm listening to all the same DVD's as before but I am now hearing new things. 2 ch is simply stunning. It's right in front of you.

The tweakability of the AVM 30 is fantastic. You can just set it up using the quick set up method and you'll love it. You can tweak more and more and really dial in your HT.

Overall I LOVE the AVM 30. It kicks some serious processor ASS. Can't wait to upgrade it to AVM 50 specifications.

It gets 5 stars because I didn't expect that much of a difference. It totally blew me away. Anthem all the way!!!!

Strengths:
Sound quality in 5.1 DD, DTS, THX and 2 ch; appearance (love the blue and red LED's) , tweakability via OSD; upgradeability for future proofing. (I plan on upgrading the unit to the AVM 50 specs.) back lit remote control.

Weaknesses:
I have the old remote which doesn't allow for macros. Having difficulties with downloading the latest soaftware version 1.14.

Similar Products Used:
First processor. Onkyo 787 and Onkyo 989 receivers.

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Pro Sound Sudbury On

Summary:
I will write this as a system review.Since I now feel that I have something to talk about the brains of the system the avm 30 does wonders to the brawn the mca 50 power amp.Both audio and video simply shine like nothing else I and my wife have ever heard and seen before. The sharp 45" lcd just fills the screen with vivid colour either from bev's 6100 hdtv satellite reciever or denon 3910 dvd player that's upconverting to 720p.Watching the Eagles latest concert or an NFL football game puts you right in the middle of all the action and the sound that comes forth from my B&W's is just simply stunning. Even my wife says it's definetly got the WOW factor and I couldn't agree more. Though I still have to learn how to record on the panny I'm sure that it will be fine.

Strengths:
EVERYTHING

Weaknesses:
NONE that I can see for now.

Similar Products Used:
None. This is the first REAL system worth writing about.

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from The Grahamaphone

Summary:
Moving from a receiver to a Pre-Pro was just a matter of time and money. I have been using a Denon 4802 for about four years and really had no complants. Music was clean and detailed,and movies did what movies do. I have a 7.1 system using (for the moment) a combo of B&W across the front and Mission's for the surrounds and rears. I listen to more music then I watch movies,so this was the main factor in choosing the Anthem.
I had it narrowed down to Parasound,Lexacon and Anthem. The other two were just a little to warm for me. But the Anthem added so much more weight to the music. It made my Denon sound thin by comparason. If you're reading this you've read some of the pro reviews about this product. It will make you go thru your collection and listen again. The detail this thing digs out of music is just stunning. There is a diffient WOW factor here. I almost had to learn to listen all over again,the dfifference is that pronounced.
Sacd and DVD-A will just about make your speakers disappear. The sound seems to float in the air. Soundstage can be tailored so many ways,you'll spend the first week just playing with it. And by all means do it.
If you like just plain stereo so be it. Soundstage is wide and deep. But there Anthemlogic mode will add your surrounds,with no center channle to make music truly room filling. I can't write enough about the sound of the AVM30. Movies soundtracks are much more involved thru the Anthem. Your surrounds and rears will come to life with sounds you were missing before. The way you can dial your room in with the OSD will keep you busy for weeks trying different configurations.
I've read reviews that say the AVM 30 is really good with music. It must the rest of the gear these people are using,cause my Anthem makes it hard to go to work. I could sit and listen all day. The Denon,well it's my power amp now.At 125 wpc into seven channles,where all smiles over here. If your looking to improve your entire system,just add the AVM 30. And try to do it on the weekend or when your on holiday. Trust me,you'll want the extra time.

Strengths:
You can own it. It excist in the world of sound reproduction.

Weaknesses:
I'll let you know.

Similar Products Used:
Denon 4802,Parasound.

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