Specifications

asynchrony is the opposite of what hap-
pens naturally, where what you hear always
follows what you see. To see if the AVM 20
could correct this problem, I called up the
Audio Group Delay submenu and started
increasing the audio delay, waiting for the
sound and picture to come together. It took
a whopping 75 milliseconds of audio delay,
but, finally, Ms. Norman’s mouth move-
ments and voice were synchronized. The
AVM 20’s Audio Group Delay function
works exactly as claimed.
Adventures in SACD-Land
I’ve heard many demonstrations of SACD, but
it was not until Sony’s demo of multichannel
SACD at the Home Entertainment show in
New York that I felt motivated to check it out
for myself. The review of the AVM 20, with its
2-channel Analog-Direct and Analog-DSP
inputs, provided the opportunity to do so.
Sony was kind enough to arrange loans of
three multichannel SACD players, including
the entry-level DVP-NS500V and the top-of-
the-line SCD-XA777ES. By any standard, the
SCD-XA777ES is an outstanding player for
CD and SACD, but I was also impressed by
the two lower-priced models, even the $299
DVP-NS500V.
The SACD releases that I had on hand
were mostly hybrids (CD/multichannel
SACD) from Delos, DMP, and Telarc, and
they were an uncommonly good-sounding
lot in either format. Two that I was quite
taken with were Vodka & Caviar (Delos DS
3288), which I picked as one of my Records
To Die For in Stereophile, and Sacred Feast
(DMP SACD-09), a superbly atmospheric
choral recording produced and engineered
by Tom Jung and Tom Bates that I first
heard at the Home Entertainment Show. I
compared CD and SACD versions and, in
every case, the SACD sounded superior,
with smoother, more delicate highs, and
generally more like the real thing. The con-
tribution of multichannel was more subtle
yet more effective than I’ve heard with
DVD-Audio releases (which, in my limited
experience, tend to sound gimmicky), adding
a true you-are-there ambience to the listen-
ing experience.
I did several comparisons of the AVM 20’s
Analog-Direct and Analog-DSP inputs, the
most stringent one using the SCD-XA777ES
player and my Stax Lambda Pro/SPM-T1
electrostatic headphones, both of which are
extremely revealing of sonic differences.
Feeding the 2-channel output of the SCD-
XA777ES directly to the Stax headphone
amp provided the control condition, which
I then compared with the sound with the
signal first going through the AVM 20 in
Analog-Direct mode. Listening in Analog-
Direct mode to “Sabre Dance” from the
Vodka & Caviar SACD, I could hear an ever-
so-slight loss of transparency and a bit less
detail—but the differences were hardly
more than I would expect from the extra
contacts and cable. As an analog line-level
volume control, the AVM 20 is very good.
Switching to Analog-DSP mode, my initial
response was surprise at how similar it
sounded to Analog-Direct. However, as I lis-
tened more, my enthusiasm became tem-
pered. The sound in Analog-DSP mode,
although it evinced no added harshness or
change in tonal balance, was more hazy, not
as refined and airy in the highs as in Analog-
Direct. Those extra A/D and D/A conver-
sions do take their toll on the sound, but I’m
still surprised that the effect was not greater.
These comparisons were with the most
revealing equipment I had available, and,
arguably, are not the most relevant to the
home-theater experience. When I repeated
the comparisons with the home-theater sys-
tem, using five channels, the differences
between Analog-Direct and Analog-DSP
were not nearly so obvious, and the ability in
Analog-DSP to switch in the subwoofer was
most welcome. (The Dunlavy SC-Is are not
known for their bass performance.) I suggest
using the Analog-Direct mode to anyone
using five truly full-range speakers; those
with less-than-full-range speakers who wish
to get into the SACD experience will likely
find the Analog-DSP mode very satisfactory.
The Future
Preparing for future advances in surround
preamplifier-processor technology requires
upgradeable software and hardware. Soft-
ware updates are relatively easy, and, as
noted above, the AVM 20 has already had
one software update, which worked out just
fine. In terms of hardware upgradeability,
Sonic Frontiers anticipates that the AVM 20’s
hardware platform will have a life of three to
five years. While this may not seem that
long, it’s actually very good for a product in
this fast-moving area of technology. The
AVM 20’s central DSP board is replaceable
as a plug-in, and Sonic Frontiers expects to
have a new board available soon. The new
board, which can be replaced in the field,
will incorporate Dolby Pro Logic II, Discrete
DTS-ES, 24/96 DTS, and whatever else they
dream up in the meantime.
Conclusion
“We’ve raised the bar!” shouted the ads for the
Anthem AVM 2, the surround preamp-proces-
sor that was the AVM 20’s predecessor. For the
AVM 20, this was revised to read “We’ve raised
the bar—again!” Sonic Frontiers is not a com-
pany to hide its light under a bushel. And they
shouldn’t—the AVM 20 sounds wonderful,
and offers just about everything the home-
theater enthusiast would want, including fea-
tures like Center EQ, Audio Group Delay, true
HDTV-resolution video switching, and a
choice of Analog-Direct and Analog-DSP 2-
channel paths that are either not offered by
competitors or are available only in products
with stratospheric prices. The companion PVA 7
power amplifier is a standout in its own field;
together, they offer what is probably an
unbeatable combination of sound quality and
value in today’s home-theater market.
SONIC FRONTIERS ANTHEM AVM 20 & ANTHEM PVA 7
Stereophile Guide to Home Theater
MEASUREMENTS
The results presented here are for the left
channel, to the nearest watt, at a line volt-
age of 120V.
The Anthem PVA 7’s frequency responses
measured –0.15dB at 10Hz, –0.2dB at
20kHz, and –1.03dB at 50kHz. The ampli-
fier’s gain measured 28.7dB. THD+noise at
1W into 8Ω measured 0.011% at both
20Hz and 20kHz, and 0.007% into 4Ω at
both 20Hz and 20kHz at 2W.
With six channels driven into an 8Ω load
(our test load does not allow us to drive
seven channels simultaneously), the PVA 7
clipped (1% THD+noise) at 123W per chan-
nel at both 20Hz and 1kHz (and at
138Wpc with two channels driven at 1kHz).
Into a 4Ω load, six channels driven, clipping
occurred at 167Wpc at 20Hz and 179Wpc
at 1kHz (and at 241Wpc with two channels
driven at 1kHz).—Thomas J. Norton