ANTHEM'S AVM 90 has been a long time coming, but it heralds the completion of the Canadian brand's upgraded AV lineup. And the delayed arrival of this top-flight processor hasn't really harmed it, either, allowing Anthem to offer HDMI 2.1 compatibility out of the box.
The asking price is admittedly a sizable chunk of cheddar, but backing it up is an uncompromising approach, with a discrete 15.4-channel experience - Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced on the menu.
Selling for around £3,000 less is Anthem's AVM 70 (HCC #326), which looks outwardly similar and shares many features. Yet there are key differences between the two. First, while both support the main object-based audio formats, the AVM 90 decodes and processes them using a total of 19 channels with four independent subwoofers. It also features a comprehensively overhauled interior, one that Anthem believes represents the 'culmination of everything we know'. A new 32-bit/768kHz ESS Sabre DAC stage applies conversion to all 19 channels, while an 'oversized, high-efficiency' toroidal power supply is employed to help isolate power signals from the critical audio circuits. The entire signal path has also been upgraded, with op-amps and resistors chosen for their 'distortion limiting capabilities'.
This story is from the January 2023 edition of Home Cinema Choice.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2023 edition of Home Cinema Choice.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AV Avenger
You should think twice before accepting an invitation to play Resident Evil 4 with spatial audio in a haunted prison, warns Steve May
Catalogue classic Star Wars: Ep. VI - Return of the Jedi → Ultra HD Blu-ray, Disney
Forty years on from the movie's cinema release, Anton van Beek ponders what might have been if things had gone a little diff erently during the making of Return of the Jedi…
Feedback
Got an axe to grind? Need to comment on current tech? Want to share your knowledge with our readers? Team HCC is here to help
M&K Sound V12
TIME ON TEST: Three years REVIEWER: Steve Withers
Sony 'bar demands to be upgraded
This well-specified Dolby Atmos soundbar may have a mid-range price tag, but you'll soon want to spend more, cautions Steve May
Short and sweet
Marantz's compact AV receiver returns with a new look and boosted features – Jamie Biesemans slips it into his AV rig
Discreet delivery
A slim, stylish Scandinavian on-wall system impresses Mark Craven with its handling of the sweet stuff
One project, two rooms
Dan Sait reports on a custom install where a JVC PJ/ Atmos system is joined by a stylish media den
THE KING OF B RDA HOLLYWOOD
Three of his movies have taken over $2billon at the global box office, he's pioneered SFX and 3D technologies, and he's been to the very bottom of the Pacific Ocean. That's James Cameron by the way, not Anton van Beek
System selector!
Given three similar budgets, Mark Craven, Steve May and John Archer assemble three different AV setups focused on movies, streaming and gaming
