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Anthem AVM 20 V.2, Outlaw 990, or ???

I'm interested in upgrading my circa 1998 Sony ES pro. My other equipment is as follows...Amp: Rotel RB985 (100x5)...Speakers: B&W Nautilus 805s (front), B&W DSMs (rear)...Sub: B&W ASW-3000...DVD: will upgrade to blue-ray soon!

I have been eyeing the Outlaw 990 for a while. I have always liked their approach to quality and value, and have heard mostly positive feedback on all of their equipment. With the announcement of the new 997, the 990 is going pretty cheap these days! I have come across other quality brands that represent a great value on the used market, notably Anthem. Any thoughts or recommendations on what would be a good complement to my current components. Because of my room layout, I don't see going to 7.1 so that is not a huge consideration. My primary use is movies followed by music. I don't necessarily have a budget, but both the 990 and Anthem can be had for less than $750 so lets say $1,000 at the top end.

I look forward to your thoughts. Thanks.
Dave
lodi
ultraviolet
105 posts
 
I actually had a chance to borrow a 990 for a day and I own an AVM 20 V.2 There's no comparison at all in sound quality (my use is, oddly enough, 95% two channel listening, despite not owning a dedicated pre)--the Anthem wins in a landslide. I figure at some point, if I really need all the blu-ray processing, I'll just pick up a cheap receiver for movies. At the moment though, I'm pretty impressed with how musical and clear sounding the Anthem is. I payed almost $1300 for it a while back used and I still think it was a good deal. I have no experience listening to more expensive processors though so I can't make any other comparisons.
lodi OP
15 posts
 

Ultraviolet, thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning in this direction.

Does anyone know the practical difference between the AVM 20 and 30. The 30 replaced the 20, right? Both seem to go for around the same price used, but I see lots of discussion around the 20 and little (other than good reviews) about the 30.

My biggest concern (I think) would be the inability to decode the latest audio formats. Is it correct to assume that a capable Blue Ray player will decode the formats and pass them to the processor via analog? Is there a huge disadvantage here?

How about HDMI switching? It seems like this is still a bit immature in that only the very latest equipment offers 1.3 (please excuse me if I'm wrong). Am i losing much without it.

Another consideration is the Sunfire TGP-5. Any thoughts here?
ultraviolet
105 posts
 
I very briefly looked into just the potential sound quality differences between the AVM 20 and AVM 30 before I got my AVM 20 (there is none). The only differences I can remember is a better display on the 30 and a faster processor for faster source switching and turning on. There's do difference in codec processing. I can't speak to HDMI as I don't do video switching.
lodi OP
15 posts
 
Thanks again UV. I've started digging into the Integra 9.8 (and its Onkyo Pro counterpart 885) too. Its gets very favorable reviews. My guess is that the Anthem does some things better, but given the HDMI switching and current formats that the 9.8 handles I'm now curious.
sthomas12321
408 posts
 
I know everyone has different taste, but...

Ive owned some high dollar equipment and when I bought a Anthem avm 30, I was blown away. Some will say theres better, but for me this unit plays as clean as anything Ive ever heard at any price. The only thing I could say might turn someone off is it is on the brighter side. As for blu ray, there are plenty of players that decode all the formats now, and can be connected via analog inputs(and the players arent to expensive). Ill be using the Anthem avm30 until the day it dies. And as far as spending 1K+ for the avm40/50 models, no thanks. Same processor, and the 40/50 doesnt even decode the new hd formats, the source blu ray player still has to do all that work even through the hdmi port. I often wonder if people even understand this. Put the 1k-2k extra the avm40/50 costs, in full range rear speakers that match the front models, and a blu ray player that decodes all formats, you will be glad you did :)
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