[SeanH]

Im new to all the technical aspects of home theater, but why is it that some of the so called jap brands seem to be making a better, or at least does more amplifier than say the avm20. I must be missing something?

[JackS]

Sean- Quality concepts differ. High end Yamaha could be the equal. Your choice might hinge on your personal attitude toward each brand and maybe your experience with one or both.

[SeanH]

I guess what i'm getting at is i've heard anthem is a good brand and i've used yamaha in the past, but looking at the anthem there are some video sources missing. like a dvi or hdmi input/output. or should i skip the pre/pro amp and go directly from the direct tv to the dlp tv in regards to video and only use the amp for audio?

Sean

[Jason GT]

There are very few currently available AVRs that switch DVI - in fact the only one that comes to mind is the Sony DA 9000ES (the Yamaha RXZ9 doesn't switch digital video sources). AFAIK you cannot currently buy an AV preamp or AVR with HDMI switching... stuff has been announced but nothing available.

In addition to features such as video switching there is always the matter of sound quality.

Video switching is strictly a convenience (or if one has insufficient inputs on the display device a necessity). Generally the best PQ can be obtained by running the source direclty to the display device.

Finally, please be careful with your abbreviation of "Japanese".

[Brian Fitterman]

I think it depneds on how much are you going to spend. If your budget is $1000, then Anthem is out. Even if you budget is $2000, then Anthem is out. Sure you can get a used AVM20 for $1800 now, but you still need amps. Now if you get to the $3000 range, I think the AVM with a nice 7 channel amp (PVA 7 or Sherbourn) is the way to go.

Also, Anthem has stated that the AVM-20 WILL be supported in the future. The HDMI/IEEE upgrade they announced was for all 3 of their processors (20, 30 and D1). So you are not getting something obsolete either.

If you do get a AVM20, visit a dealer and see if they have a left over demo or something like that. This way you get it cheap and still have a valid warranty.