Anthem AVM 90

Steve Withers has an object-based audio ball with the Canadian corp's high-end AV processor

- Steve Withers

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'.