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I like your style of reviewing! Enthusiastic and straight to the point 🎉

Having owned an AVM 60, then an AVM 70 and now an AVM 90, I can say the improvement in sound from the 90 is unbelievable. I was a skeptic at first, questioning how much better the 90 could truly be from the 70. But after making the jump to the 90, my room came to life in a whole new way and my speakers literally have disappeared. The open and precise sound of the 90 is just something you have to hear to believe. Of course a room needs to be designed and set up properly. But if you're a 70 user and love the sounds you are getting, the 90 just takes it to another level. Thanks for the video Theo.

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for offering that perspective for people looking at both processors.

@wesg92

3 ай бұрын

Is the sound better for movies? Some say the 90 is the same as the 70 for movies.

@luv2fly3

3 ай бұрын

@@wesg92 Absolutely. In fact, I just got into a mode of rewatching some of my movies because the sound is much better. I know many say that there isn't as much of a difference with video content between the two. But I also read many like myself who say there is a definite difference, which has been my experience. My room just opened up and has become enveloping with the 90 for both music and movie content.

Awesome! I love positive confirmation bias. :) I'm so glad I was able to get a 90 as well.

Thanks for this fantastic review! I currently own an MRX 1140 with an MCA 325 gen2 with Acoustic Energy AE520 speakers. I’ve been an audiophile for as long as I can remember, and getting to the best sound for the price I can afford has always been my goal. I think I’m there now. Unless the lottery gods shine down on me there’s no way I can get to the AVM 90 level, especially with the investment of amps required. No, running a 7.2.4 Atmos system with 2 Defiance subs (X12 & X15) using a Roon Nucleus and a Zidoo movie processor is about all I can handle!

cant wait for part 3 - ARC deep dive.

The fan noise is a deal breker for me, so I went for the Marantz av10, and i am very pleased

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

Congrats on the AV 10. It’s a beautiful unit. Anthem addressed the fan noise issue with a firmware update shortly after I received my review unit in the Spring.

@andygorton332

8 ай бұрын

@@TheoNicolakis - I have the AVM 90 and I do hear the fan quite a bit. I think I have the latest firmware - can you tell me what version you're running? With that rack and the item directly above the AVM 90 in your demo setup, that's about how much space I have above my AVM 90 - but you're saying the fan is very quiet - that's something I seriously would like to reduce and hoping maybe I don't have the latest firmware and can download and fix it - but I'm thinking I already do have it. FYI - I live in Phoenix lol, but keep the house at 77F in the summer.

@TheoNicolakis

7 ай бұрын

⁠​⁠@@andygorton332I have my AVM 90 about 18 feet from the main listening position. In my setup the Benchmark AHB2 is above the Anthem however and this is a big one: The Benchmark AHB2 is only 2/3 the width and about a half the length of a standard amp. Therefore my AVM 90 has ample 4-6 inches of additional vent space. I also have no side panels or rear panels on my salamander rack. It’s open. How close are you to the AVM 90?

Please compare it with the Storm, Which one would you go for ( if they are both around the same price ? ) Love what you are doing :)

Hey Theo, great video - thank you for putting it together. What amp or amps would you recommend to pair with the AVM70/90?

@TheoNicolakis

7 ай бұрын

If you already have a 70 or 90 then take a look at Anthem’s MCA or STR amps. They are well built and good values. My personal reference is the Benchmark AHB2. There are lots of other amps that I like, including the NAD M28 and Monoprice amps with the Hypex Class D modules. Gene put the Marantz AMP 10 on the bench and that too is a great performer and value. Lots of other options out there depending on your price range.

Hi Theo, great video, thank you. Semi-related question - do you recommend running fans to cool the AVM70/90? If yes, what is the upper-threshold for temperature? Thank you.

Great review! So did you personally prefer the mid range and female vocals on the avm90 or the amp10?

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

Oh boy! Now you went ahead and asked. 😂 I have to qualify my statement by saying completely different amplifier, speakers, and subwoofers, and room. Yes. I did. I preferred the AVM 90 😊 I think anyone comparing the two should hone in on the midrange area. As that’s what stuck out for me. The Perlisten subs are pure pistonic thunder and the JL in walls had no prayer for comparison.

For Hi Res music listening (24/192), with ARC on, does the AVM 90 down sample like many other Avr-Pre/Pro?

Hi! How about a video review of Anthem AVM90 vs. McIntosh MX123 and Mcintosh MX180

Hi Great review. Will you be doing a video where you guys are going to compare Avm 90 and Marantz Av10. Wondering because I am in the process of buying one of those. I use a Denon X4700h now. Speaks Arendal 1723 Thx Monitor. Preamps Nad C298 Thanks 😊

@Audioholics

8 ай бұрын

We are planning something, perhaps a livestream event.

@nodoubt1616

8 ай бұрын

@@Audioholicscan you also compare it to the JBL SDP 58

(sigh) I guess I should give it another try. I bought the AVM90 a year and a half ago when it first came out but there was a disastrous software bug which nearly blew out my speakers. I tried to work with Anthem's Customer Support, but they didn't acknowledge the problem and mostly blew me off. As a result I gave up and the AVM90 has been sitting unused for the last 18 months.

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

There was a major firmware in the Spring 2023 that apparently addressed many, many prior issues. I got my review unit in the Spring with that firmware installed. I have not personally experienced that nor have I seen that issue reported in the forums over the past 8 months or so. Perhaps others can chime in.

@aaronrandolph261

8 ай бұрын

when i first got my mrx 1140 the arc gneiss beta was a nightmare to deal with as it was full of bugs. couldnt even calibrate the unit as it wouldnt recognize the microphone. customer support was useless as the beta was so new they didnt have time to work out the issues. i was at the point that i was going to re-box the unit and take tit back to the dealer. instead i had the dealer hook the unit up to their network and low and behold the unit automatically updated the software and all bugs disappeared. apparently the anthem untit and my modem didnt lke each other and wouldnt allow the latest firmware to update. long story short i am super happy i chose anthem and believe i made the best choice for my system. you should definitely wipe the dust off your stored unit and try again as these units and the software are synched up nicely and support is much better

@junior-OG

8 ай бұрын

was it the volume bug ?

@juliananderson6264

8 ай бұрын

I’ll take it off your hands if you’re not using it 😊

AVM90 now, or wait for Dirac Active Room Treatment on the Marantz later?

@stevewithf5847

5 ай бұрын

AVM 90 or AV10 from Marantz should by the question

When part 3 coming?:) I am also guilty of replacing my AVM 70 to 90 :D

I have the AVM 90 and love it. I used the full calibration set up. I saw on audioholics with other processors they calibrate only 500 Hz and below. Should the same be done with the 90?

@Audioholics

7 ай бұрын

Sometimes I run room correction to about 5khz. Case by base basis. You can try and see what you prefer in listening tests.

@TheoNicolakis

7 ай бұрын

I calibrate to 5kHz (default).

Some constructive feedback and before I layout my "negatives" I want to start by saying I love you guys and appreciate all the hard work you do. Theo you come across great on camera but I feel you respond much better in a live environment than a scripted one. This video was a little bit infomercial for me. "AVM90"" being mentioned nearly 90 times in only 28mins resulted in me wanting to turn off the video half way through only for I know audioholics always has good subjective opinions added to measured data. So I stuck with it. The comparison between the Marantz AV10 came a bit late but really saved this video. Unfortunate that both devices where not reviewed by Theo himself in the same listening space with speakers etc. I would love to see Theo interview James Larson after both have spent time with the review gear unit and then discuss their views. Andrew Robinson is onto to something with the format of his videos. I think that if Audioholics was able to get a similar format right then the personalities and passion of Gene, Theo, James, etc will shine. The views and characters are so different in audioholics that the average person would never even know that the video format is the same. Theo has the wide reaching softer approach on camera than the bombastic Gene. Gene could be the off camera wife to Theo........I hope you guys are getting a good laugh by now. (The only reason I mentioned Robinson is because I have never, if rarely come away from one of his videos, thinking the video itself is not doing justice to the subject matter) Plagiary is the best form of flattery Thanks Audioholics. I wish you every success and happy Christmas in advance.

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

Great feedback and please keep it coming as to what you all would like to see in order to make these most meaningful! Any other points welcome.

@Audioholics

8 ай бұрын

No thank you on copying Robinsons format. While I applaud his success and incredible production quality, I simply can't make stuff up every week about how products allegedly compare when the comparisons are typically off memory or anecdotes rather than controlled listening tests. I won't throw highly smoothed in-room measurements of speakers on screen as objective data. I also won't have my wife off screen giving an opinion on products when she's not a subject matter expert. It's just weird to me, and it's not the vibe of this channel. I prefer not to take the fast food approach to covering audio topics here. Thanks for your feedback, as I agree that consistent format between reviewers on this channel would be a good thing.

not happy with my EMOTIVA RMC1L. want the avm 90.

Hi there, did you do your music and movie testing in any sort of sound processing ON like Movie or was the processing Off.

@TheoNicolakis

7 ай бұрын

When I listen to 2 channel music I keep any artificial upmixing off. I personally prefer the sound of the original 2 channel mix. The same goes with movies. If it’s an Atmos or DTS:X or IMAX enhanced mix that’s what the processor decodes.

@TheoNicolakis

7 ай бұрын

A side note that I did not mention in the review. Anthem has its own proprietary processing for music and movies called Anthem Music and Anthem Movie. Anthem music maintains a stereo signal (no center channel) and lightly bleeds ambient sounds into the surround channels. It’s a much better solution for those who want to try an expanded sound field vs the other sound processing modes.

Nice

Great review, need all matching amps now :) Would you say your amps are the bottleneck now?

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

😆 I think your point about the bottleneck is especially key with the front soundstage. It’s precisely for that reason why I have used the Benchmark AHB2 for years. Their dynamic range is 132dB. They are about as transparent as they come. If you look at the measurements they have a noise floor below that of the test equipment. I’m likewise impressed with the Monoprice 8250X Class D amp it’s been an exceptional value for the bed layer surrounds and for someone looking for a high value multichannel amp, this deserves some serious consideration.

Can someone here suggest whether toroidal power amplifier or smps like emotiva are better choice for home theater?

@michaels3003

7 ай бұрын

Sadly, the better transformer does not guarantee a high quality power supply.

@myhomeaudio8751

7 ай бұрын

@@michaels3003 means?

How is it with vinyl and what power amps and speakers are you using?

Did you test the Avm 70 against the Avm 90? I see no review on it from you yet, so how can you say the Avm is better. I do not trust in the fact that the avm 90 is twice the price, so it has to be better. Please do a review on the Avm 70. I am on the edge of purchasing one of them, but I need to know if the Avm 90 is really worth double the cost.

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

I’d suggest you have your dealer set up a head to head so you can listen for yourself. As I mentioned in Part 1, I auditioned the AVM 60 head to head vs the AVM 90. The AVM 90 objectively measures better with a lower noise floor and better dynamics and has upgraded audio circuitry vs the AVM 70. There are lots of testimonials of folks who have been in the same dilemma and chosen the AVM 90 from what I’ve read in the forums. The ability of your supporting speakers and amps to resolve that difference and how much that means to you is something only you’ll be able to determine.

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

There’s a great AVM 70/AVM 90 Owners’ forum on AVSForum. In addition to having your dealer set up a head-to-head you can hear from folks in the forum with the similar conundrum and the areas they perceived to be the game changers for them.

@lardrell

8 ай бұрын

​@@TheoNicolakisI am sure the Avm 70 is leaps better than the Avm 60 because the 70 is close to the 90. I guess I will have to wait for a comparison video because I do not have any Avm dealers near me.

@lardrell

8 ай бұрын

In your honest opinion, is the 90 twice as good as the 70. Forget about the price of both. Is double the music Fidelity.

@Audioholics

8 ай бұрын

​@lardrell no its not. Subtle increases in fidelity at this level cost big money and not justifiable on a linear scale of gains.

so does it still blow up speakers?? because that happened and Anthem never solved the blown units of customers ...

@caseyleedom6771

8 ай бұрын

Not sure. I've honestly been too discouraged to test things after exchanging endless emails with them. For the record, the specific issue that I ran into was trying to use it as a Roon Endpoint (Apple Airplay at that point) and the AVM90 would constantly reset its volume to +10dB. Yes, "+10", not "-10" - so, beyond loud. This was despite me setting a Maximum Volume of -30dB. When Anthem's Customer Support didn't take the problem seriously after repeated emails, I just gave up and stopped using it.

@Linkone7

8 ай бұрын

I picked one up a few weeks ago and had no issues. I must admit though that it does sound louder when running ARC vs when i used to run Odyssey MultEQ- X with my AV7706.

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

I’ve had no such issues since receiving my AVM 90 review unit in Spring 2023. There was a major firmware update around that time that apparently addressed many prior issues. I mention the firmware in Part I.

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

@@caseyleedom6771I’ll do a re-test with my Roon Setup and see what’s what. In Part I I mentioned the specific issue with AirPlay when using an iOS device’s hardware buttons to control the Anthem that the volume steps are too large. It’s something like +12db. Grouping speakers eliminates the issue and using the app or another volume control has no issues with the volume steps.

@junior-OG

8 ай бұрын

many on avsforum had the same problem

I feel like 4 perlisten subs would make any other piece of equipment sound great...

@TheoNicolakis

8 ай бұрын

Quad Perlisten subs are thunder in any setup 😊

Still waiting on the Sony AZ7000 in depth review 🙄

23:34 99% of the time users won’t need the display once it’s been calibrated, so 99% of the time the less light pollution from an AVR is preferred in my book.

how much anthem give you for this????

@Audioholics

6 ай бұрын

nothing actually. How much did the troll farm give you to make this post?

@Peacemaker_1

5 ай бұрын

😂Great video!

Overpriced for what you receive, and the fact Anthem refused to design it using a fully discrete differential signal path makes this a failure before it is unboxed.

@w.harrison7277

5 ай бұрын

It has xlr outputs, where do you suspect it doesn't have a differential signal path? Are you saying they just stick a single-to-diff converter at the output stage?

@Snoman00

5 ай бұрын

Correct, the XLR connections are "fake", Anthem used an RCA to XLR converter inside the unit. SNR and THD are actually worse using them. Sources are ASR, AVS Forums and communication with Anthem. @@w.harrison7277

Speaker cables make zero difference to the sound according to you, some say amplifiers all sound the same, and apparently CD players all sound the same, what a joke, stop brainwashing us.

How does the AVM 70 compared to the AVM 90? I'm considering the '70 because of price, to drive the NAD M28 I want. I can't avoid the NAD M17, but how does that compare to the AVM 90? I would prefer the M17 to have a matched NAD set.

@Audioholics

5 ай бұрын

If you are only running 2 subs and your primary focus is more cinema than music, go with the AVM70 and get the NAD amps. If you're an audiophile, 4 subs, get the AVM90. I would choose Anthem over NAD for AV processors.

@kx8960

5 ай бұрын

@@Audioholics 'Afternoon! I'm more a music fan, but don't need (or have room for) 4 subs. I think that, when money allows, I'd go for the AVM70 and M28 combo. Barring the 2 extra subs, is the difference in music that dramatic between the AVM 70 and the 90? The NAD is an amazing amp, from your own testing. Thus one would think the NAD processor would be as good, so if money was no object for me (sadly not the case), why would you suggest the AVM 90 over the M17 V2i? Thanks for the response, and tell my Paisan Gene hi for me!