January 24, 2005

I have read several reviews of quality surround-sound processors such as the Anthem AVM 30. What I don't have from reading the reviews is a sense of how the units' performance stacks up against two-channel preamps for two-channel audio. I don't have the space for separate home-theater and two-channel systems, so my room serves double duty. Q: Will someone like myself who listens critically to two-channel audio and listens to surround sound with movies -- where I find myself immersed in the video more than audio -- make do with a surround-sound for both purposes? If not, then I would purchase a low-end surround-sound processor for movies and continue with my existing preamp for music. I can't afford the really high-end pieces, so money is a factor.

Gary Seller

A: The Anthem AVM 30 provides excellent performance and a multitude of features at a great price, and I am sure that it would sound wonderful in your system. That being said, it might not sound as good as a dedicated, high-quality two-channel preamp via its analog stereo inputs. But all is not lost. I am currently using the Anthem Statement D1 processor in my reference system for both stereo and multichannel sources. It costs considerably more than the AVM 30 ($5000 vs. $3000), but I find that by using its high-quality internal upsampling DACs, I do not require a high-quality CD player or outboard DAC for stereo sources. The D1 provides me with reference-quality stereo and multichannel sound, with the preamp, DAC, and multichannel processing all conveniently and cost effectively packaged into one component.

If you are serious about two-channel audio, I think that a surround processor like D1 could be to your liking. I traded in my multichannel analog preamp, DAC, and CD transport for a D1.

...Roger Kanno