Anthem AVM 50V

We recently had the pleasure of having the Anthem AVM50v land into our demo rooms for a full blown workout. We unboxed and set about connecting this to our SIM2 Lumis 1080p projector. I had been looking forward to seeing how this processor performs on Video as well as Audio as I had read about the high level of picture processing in other reviews. We connected our Oppo BDP-95SEU and I have to say it did not fail to impress me: the picture was razor sharp and even on this 2D projector, looked three dimensional in depth. Moving onto the sound, I fired up Tron and skipped the movie along to the bike scene. Again the depth and full control of each speaker amazed me and the hairs started to climb on the back of my neck. This quality of sound had transported my cinema room to a totally different level, the transition from left to right and then rear to EX channel was by far the smoothest experience I have had In Dolby HD Digital 7:1.

One thing that all we CI guys look for in kit is the ability to setup the kit quickly and logically, and again the Anthem processor did not let me down in this department. The inputs are easy to assign to whatever audio input and video input configuration is thrown at you, and up scaling on all video sources to 1080p is a great bonus if your client insists on still connecting his 1970 composite out karaoke machine! All usual connections are there for control, with IR receivers on front and 3.5mm jacks (CI guys preferred choice) on rear.  This is the first time I have been able to feel as comfortable with a processor's build and setup since the all mighty Lexicon MC12 was launched.

AND THEN THERE'S ANTHEM ROOM CORRECTION (ARC)
Even when the finest speakers are perfectly positioned, the room itself still has a dramatic impact on a system's sound, an impact more profound than that of any individual component. Various solutions have fallen in and out of favour over the years, but none has solved the problem of "the room." Until ARC. Using proprietary processes and the power of your PC the ARC system, years in development and included with your Anthem AVM 50v, analyzes each speaker's in-room sound and then computes the required correction to yield optimal performance from every speaker. It's a process that takes less than five minutes! Anthem's approach is a true audiophile solution to the problems of the room. ARC is gathering rave reviews across the industry. For more information, see the ARC data sheet in the downloads & support section.

Pros

Crisp clean sound, 1080p video conversion with easy setup menus.

Cons

We had the odd handshaking moment when locking onto sources (this was cured by putting macro in to control system to switch projector inputs at same time), however this is more of a HDMI issue than processor fault.

All in all a great processor and easily the best we have had on demo this year.

Setup
Anthem AV50v
Anthem MCA 50 5 channel 225 watt amp
Anthem MCA 20 2 Channel 225 watt amp
Oppo BDP-95SEU
B&W 800 series speakers x 7
Paradigm Signature Sub 1   

Click here for Athem web site