Anthem AVM 70 as replacement for Emotiva XMC-1 processor?

[Narcosis]

Thanks all for your insightful input, very much appreciated.

I own a XMC-2 and fortunately have not had any of those odd glitches many speak about. Have owned it for a little over a year. I had a Marantz and then a pioneer elite which then came the XMC-2. I do love it and strongly considered the Anthem AVM70 however the biggest reason I went with the XMC-2 is I wanted DIRAC as I am a huge fan of it over ARC. My subs and speaker do have ARC built in too so I do run that on top of DIRAC. I will say regardless its a tough call.

I went down the path of buying a factory refurbished XMC-1. The hiccups I've experienced were present since day 1, and just didn't consider that it might be the culprit being that it was factory refurbished.

 

[ttocs]

Thanks all for your insightful input, very much appreciated.

I went down the path of buying a factory refurbished XMC-1. The hiccups I've experienced were present since day 1, and just didn't consider that it might be the culprit being that it was factory refurbished.

I had a XMC-1 and currently have a XMC-2. I doubt that factory refurb is the culprit, the Emotiva processors can be sensitive to system setup, ie, might work great in one system and not so much in another. With that said, I don't experience the issues some have had, and I use mine as a mule to troubleshoot issues others are having to recommend workarounds. So mine has been very solid and sounds great.

Regarding the HTP-1, I agree with the posts above. There are issues it has that are not being handled well through warranty claims, and in some cases there is no warranty replacement available so folks have to wait months for a repair.

The quick answer is to go with Anthem. I'd go as high up the chain as possible for the better sound quality and get the AVM90. It's got more features than you need, but the better sound is appealing.

I'm getting a lot of mileage with using miniDSP for multiple subs so the number of subwoofer outputs is immaterial as long as there is at least one output. If Anthem would correct multiple subwoofer outputs then that would be ideal

 

[iluvboxing]

I do not have an anthem avm 70 (yet) but I'm in the similar situation only have a 5.1 channel set up and considering my first processor and the AVM 70 is one of my considerations, along with the Monolith HTP-1, Emotiva XMC-2, and Marantz 7706. Emotiva processors have their glitches that's something sadly you have to deal with when buying one. The AVM 70 would be much more stable, I haven't read many (if any) users having problems with the anthem.

The other thing to consider is the AVM 70 will be upgradable to hdmi 2.1 (hopefully with the same board in the avm 90), there is some chance the XMC-1 will get a modified hdmi 2.1 board that will be similar to their new line of processors but it was a 'maybe' from the insiders over at the emotiva lounge forum. Not sure if that is a concern for you besides stability.

I would say definitely go for the Anthem, if I could I would buy one today, many say that it was better than the Marantz 7706 and 8805A. Not sure about the XMC-2 but then the XMC-2 has many issues and bugs Emotiva is still ironing out and will be forever probably just like your XMC-1. I've heard the Monolith is really good, probably one of the best processors out there but good luck, they are usually never in stock and once in a while you can find a used one for sale.

Reviewers Spec of Tech, KPace Guy, and several others had reviewed the Anthem AVM 70. All of them reported issues and had complained about the Anthem releasing the product before it was ready. That said, we shouldn't single out Emotiva for having had bugs in their product because several big names like Marantz also did too, and the reviewers called them out on it. All of them have released firmware updates since their products' original release date, which many end users report resolved some and, in other cases, all their issues.

What issues remain with the XMC-2 that are not yet resolved with the past several firmware releases?

I say all this to make sure the OP doesn't knock Emotiva because of a false impression of 2022 performance based on the early release days of the product and his faulty XMC-1.

 

[iluvboxing]

Thanks all for your insightful input, very much appreciated.

I went down the path of buying a factory refurbished XMC-1. The hiccups I've experienced were present since day 1, and just didn't consider that it might be the culprit being that it was factory refurbished.

During the warranty period, did you converse with Emotiva and send the unit in for repair?

I'm considering the Emotiva RMC-1, Anthem AVM90, and the Arcam AV41, so I understand your desire to make the right next move.

 

[DaVinci Media]

Any Anthem processor users here?

I’ve had the opportunity to install a lot of anthem processors and at the price point I think they are the best out there. The arc software is superior to the comparable ballpark processors from Denon Marantz Yamaha.

 

[Robert D]

I’ve had the opportunity to install a lot of anthem processors and at the price point I think they are the best out there. The arc software is superior to the comparable ballpark processors from Denon Marantz Yamaha.

How is the reliability? I've got a Marantz receiver that's only about 4 years old and it has a problem already. I had one Marantz that was bad right out of the box and we had to send it back.

Maybe Anthem is better?

 

[MisterB]

How is the reliability? I've got a Marantz receiver that's only about 4 years old and it has a problem already. I had one Marantz that was bad right out of the box and we had to send it back.

Maybe Anthem is better?

I've had my AVM 60 for just shy of 6 years. Haven't had any issues except for a very rarely occurring system glitch where the unit got locked up and required a hard restart (unplug, plug back in). Happened maybe 2 or 3 times over the course of 6 years. I use mine almost daily, upwards of 5-6 hours a day, because everything video-wise runs through it, from regular nightly cable TV watching to Blu-ray movies to Roku/AppleTV streaming. My AVM 60 has been incredibly reliable.

 

[Robert D]

I've had my AVM 60 for just shy of 6 years. Haven't had any issues except for a very rarely occurring system glitch where the unit got locked up and required a hard restart (unplug, plug back in). Happened maybe 2 or 3 times over the course of 6 years. I use mine almost daily, upwards of 5-6 hours a day, because everything video-wise runs through it, from regular nightly cable TV watching to Blu-ray movies to Roku/AppleTV streaming. My AVM 60 has been incredibly reliable.

That's good. Sounds better than Marantz.

 

[Stefan_DR3]

Absolutely agree. Even my "ancient" AVM-50 v2 is a stunning preamp. Been running it for 10 years straight. Would never consider any room correction other than ARC. My second choice would be a Bryston SP-3 with no room correction.

 

[DaVinci Media]

How is the reliability? I've got a Marantz receiver that's only about 4 years old and it has a problem already. I had one Marantz that was bad right out of the box and we had to send it back.

Maybe Anthem is better?

I haven’t had any reliability issues the with anthems. And I have also found that their support is excellent.

 

[Robert D]

I haven’t had any reliability issues the with anthems. And I have also found that their support is excellent.

Sounds like several levels better than Marantz.

 

[codesx100]

Reviewers Spec of Tech, KPace Guy, and several others had reviewed the Anthem AVM 70. All of them reported issues and had complained about the Anthem releasing the product before it was ready. That said, we shouldn't single out Emotiva for having had bugs in their product because several big names like Marantz also did too, and the reviewers called them out on it. All of them have released firmware updates since their products' original release date, which many end users report resolved some and, in other cases, all their issues.

What issues remain with the XMC-2 that are not yet resolved with the past several firmware releases?

I say all this to make sure the OP doesn't knock Emotiva because of a false impression of 2022 performance based on the early release days of the product and his faulty XMC-1.

Can't comment on the XMC-2 usually I refer to the Emotiva boards to see what issues still exist or if new ones pop up. It's not like its total garbage and won't run, but you have to go in knowing that there is a chance your going to run into some issues with the Emotiva. Its not to knock their product, but too many people buy their product then complain because they are having issue or 2 and get fed up with it. Tbh if you go in knowing that they are usually some of the best sounding processors. I'm actually leaning towards an XMC-2 if I dont go with the Anthem but waiting to see what their HDMI 2.1 cost will be.

Not sure if the AVM 70 8K version is going to introduce new problems with the HDMI 2.1 board being that it releases end of this month. I haven't kept up with anything about the AVM 90 which already has that board.