Holy smokes!! The anthem d2 preamp amd p5 power amp

[3db]

got nothing but glowing reviews from Home Theater Magazine in Novembers edition. The P5 is 5 channel 130lb pound monster containg an independent power supplies for each of its channels as well as two power connections.

 

[agarwalro]

I have been drooling over than one since Secrets covered it in this article, P5 Review

The technical tests bring tears of joy to my eyes every time.

 

[ggunnell]

Does the D2 have non-volatile memory, or like my ex AVM30 if the power company even blinks the line all setup is lost and has to be re entered?

 

[agarwalro]

Probably best to call Anthem tech support and get a confirmed answer.

It would be a shame if a $6,000.00 pre-pro cannot have such a basic feature found in almost all receivers irrespecitve of cost.

 

[JaceTheAce]

Any magazine advertiser who purchases the most amount of ad space will get the most glowing reviews by the magazine.

 

[LEVESQUE]

All those glowing reviews for the Anthem Statement line are well deserved.

I'm using the D2 since 11 months already, with a P5 and a P2 amps, and I'm more then satisfied. The D2 is the only pre/pro on the market with a true high-end scaler using the Gennum VXP chip. And it was the only pre/pro ready for the new HD format and players, since the D2 came out with LPCM multi-ch over HDMI 1.1 and 1080i per-pixel motion adaptive and 1080i true inverse telecine 1 month before the Toshiba HD-A1 came out.

I was able to compare the D2 scaler to the new DVDO VP50 last week, and the D2 was better. Imagine. A pre/pro with a better scaler then a true high-end external scaler. The DVDO IScan VP50 went back. With the newest 1.10 firmware, the D2 was simply better.

The new Crystalio II and the upcoming top-of-the-line Lumagen are using the same Gennum VXP, but Anthem were the first to get a Gennum scaler on the market.

I'm using my D2 with the Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player and my Panny Blu-ray player and everything is working flawlessly over HDMI 1.1 (1080p and the new HD audio formats).

For exemple. The newest Lexicon HDMI is not even able to pass 1080p. The Halcro SSP100 came out 1 year ago and is still not able to do multi-ch LPCM over HDMI 1.1! It's still limited to 2 ch audio over HDMI after 1 year on the market. The Anthem D2 can do both. 1080p and multi-ch LPCM over HDMI for all those HD-DVD and Blu-ray players out there.

The D2 can pass up to 1080p60 and do multi-ch LPCM over HDMI 1.1. It can accept 1080p24 or 720p24 and frame-lock it to 1080p24/48 or 720p24/48/72. Something not even the mighty Crystalio II can't do properly. So if you buy the upcoming Pio Elite or Sony Blu-ray players, you will be able, and all ready to use, that sweet 1080p24 output...

With the new firmware 1.10, the D2 now has multiple per-input memory banks, custom resolutions (anything your display can accept you can do it with the D2), custom gamma curves, frame-lock (for those 1080p24 players coming out soon)...

There is nothing like the D2 on the market right now. Paired with a true 1080p projector and the new HD players (HD-DVD and Blu-ray), the D2 is alone at the top for both video and audio processing over HDMI. All the other pre/pro manufacturers are lagging way behind...

 

[AVRat]

One thing that perplexes me about the Anthem pre/pros is that they only offer 6-channel analog inputs not 8-channel, but do feature dual center channel pre-outs. Any thoughts?

 

[Doug917]

AVRAt,

Only having a 6-channel input was one of my biggest concerns before I bought the AVM30. As the new audio formats will be passed via HDMI, this is a non-issue.

I am currently running a 7.1 setup. The really sweet thing about the AVM30 is how you can have a normal 7.1 setup, but when you use the 6-Channel Direct mode (for DVD-Audio in my case) the processor can shift the surround channels from the side surrounds to the rear surrounds. This, to me, is worth its weight in gold! If I listen to multichannel music, I want the surrounds behind me.

The dual center and dual sub balanced outs are something I do not use right now. However, these balanced outputs can be switched and used for Zone 2. I am going to use these outputs in this manner for another stereo setup.

I was trying to choose between the Emotiva DMC-1 and the AVM30. The DMC-1 had the 8-channel input, the AVM30 did not. I can say after owning the unit for about 6 months, I have no regrets and MY search for the perfect pre-pro is over.



ggunnell,

I have lost power in my HT room and have not had to reenter the AVM30's settings. However, even if this was the case, Anthem's website has software that allows a person to configure the unit as well as back up and restore the configuration.

 

[yettitheman]

I really like this part:
"We also asked Anthem specifically if it was fine to use a fork as a speaker. They didn’t say no, leaving us with only a simple warning: use a fork with a long handle, as it might get a little warm."
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_4/anthem-statement-p5-amplifier-12-2004.html