The Upgraded Anthem AVM-20 2.0 Thread (1 Viewer)

[Wayne_T]

Miguel, I went to Radio Shack and bought the little RCA jack that the Anthem uses, 1/8" I think, and then just connected it to the Bryston with a piece of light speaker wire, 18 guage I think. Not fancy, but it does the job. I got the solderless jack just so I wouldn't have to dig out the old solder iron.

Wayne

 

[Miguel Stanic]

Wayne_T,

I'm not sure what you mean. I have the 1/8" RCA JACK but it's like this on both ends. What do you mean by the "solderless jack" and how do you connect it to the speaker wire. I'm sorry but I'm not very technical when it comes to this stuff. Can you please explain more.

Thanks

 

[Mifr44]

Miguel,
For a trigger cable, you could purchase a cable that has 1/8" (mini) mono plugs on both ends, cut off the plug on one end, strip and divide the wires for the Bryston amp. The problem is most mini plug cables have very thin wire and are delicate to work with.
For a ready-made solution, you could try the following:
Buy an adapter for 1/8" mono plug to RCA such as:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=274%2D897
Buy a cable that has an RCA plug on one end and tinned wires on the other such as:
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=42%2D2371
Connect the tinned wires to the Bryston amp, connect the RCA connector on the other end to the RCA->mini plug adapter, which gets plugged into the AVM-20's trigger output. If you have a spare RCA cable available, you could cut off the plug on one end and make a version that is basically like the second item above. I think that the wire gauge should be sufficient (Bryston owner's?).
Michael

 

[JimmyK]

Radio Shack also sells a cable with a 1/8" mini plug on one end and bare wire at the other end.

I don't understand, however, why the Bryston would need such a large gauge for the low voltage trigger. I would think the gauge used on the RS cable would work fine.

The only connection that makes sense is the removable Block on the Anthem for Powered I.R. (Infra Red) Receivers. However, this is an INPUT on the Anthem so I can't have an INPUT going into an INPUT (the Bryston's are an INPUT).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the removable block on the back of the Anthem is actually a power supply for a powered IR receiver, not an input. I actually wrote to Anthem asking about how much power this block supplied, and they said up to 300mA.

Hope this helped.

JimmyK

 

[Evan S]

For those who want an update on my situation....

I stripped my system down and unconnected everything, rebooted the factory defaults and hooked everything back up.

I either experienced the biggest break in of an amp in history, or I had a bad connection in the chain somewhere.

Everything is back to normal, for what it's worth. Now that I have had 48 hours to play with the Rotel, it sounds pretty good for a small 70x2. I do think I will hear noticible improvement in the Odyssey when it arrives. The Rotel is a little laid back in character and I think the Odyssey will be a better match, but for the most part all the problems are solved.

Sorry to ruffle so many feathers.

 

[Mifr44]

Evan,

I either experienced the biggest break in of an amp in history, or I had a bad connection in the chain somewhere.

Given the choice, I would choose the latter. It will probably drive you up the wall as to what was exactly causing the problem, but at least the AVM-20 does not appear to be defective.

Michael

 

[Miguel Stanic]

Good News Evan S.

Michael,

I took your advice and bought the stuff from Radio Shack. It works like a charm (powering on/off the Bryston's via the AVM20 that is). However, I am not sure if it was there before or not, but now I hear a constant hum/buzz from the AVM20 upon being turned on. In a dead silent room, it's quite obvious there's a hum/buzz, but you can't hear it unless it's dead silent...but it's there. Obviously, it's not an issue when listening to music or watching movies.

What could be causing this hum/buzz? I've recheked the connections and all is good. I set the Trigger Relays 1 and 2 to ON for MAIN only on the AVM20.

 

[Mifr44]

Miguel,

What could be causing this hum?

Do you know if the hum was there when you were using the Anthem amps or did it just show up with the Bryston amp(s)? Just to check, you could disconnect the trigger wires and see if the hum is still there.

In my experience and listening to other "hum" stories, most of them seem to occur because of a ground loop problem, generally through the Cable TV system. Some amps and preamps are more susceptible with regards to reacting to a ground loop problem.

Michael

 

[Miguel Stanic]

Hi Michael,
So I went back to troubleshoot. I turned on the AVM20 and no hum/buzz For now, I am going to leave well enough alone. Everything seems to be okay.
Now, I am just breaking in the AMPS. I wonder if I really need to as Bryston supposedly does there own 100 hour burn in before shipping them out. These Bryston guys are just as helpful as Anthem's. Emails are immediately replied.
Thanks once again Michael. You're always very helpful and I really appreciate your help. As well, I always read your posts with enthusiasm as you are truly the pioneer for all of us.
Believe it or not folks, I am probably going to the movies tonight (the new John Travolta flick BASIC). Go figure..all this equipment and I am going to the movies. I should save the $12 bucks (YES, $12 bucks in Canada) to pay for the Bryston's.
Take Care everybody

 

[jason willder]

I bought a cheap lamp at Target. It holds two light bulbs. The switch is three way. When it is off or both bulbs are lit everything is fine. If I have only one bulb on I get a horrible hum from what sounds like the transformers on my AVM20, MCA50, and Servo-15. Needless to say the lamp has left the room. The AVM20 had the loudest hum by far. Scared the crapola out of me.

 

[Mifr44]

Jason,

Certain lightbulbs do cause the problems you mentioned. Another one to be on the watch for is dimmer switches. I am not sure if the problem is the dimmer switch itself or the reaction of the light bulb to a reduced voltage, but if anyone is trying to troubleshoot a hum or buzz problem in their system (regardless of what you own), these are two areas to check for.

Michael

 

[PaulWK]

Long time thread follower...first time poster.

Not that it hasn't been said before, but this is a pretty amazing thread, or better yet - "Community" of AVM 20 enthusiasts. I have followed his thread for the past couple of months, and just brought home a new AVM 20 & MCA 50 about 10 days ago (AVM 20 ver. 2.09 - s/n 122257 - silver!)

First and foremost, I should say that I have been thrilled by this exciting new sound in our home. Not only does the sound draw me back to the couch over and over, but I have also been very impressed by all of the features the unit provides.

So...here's a description of my question (problem)...

I am getting an audible "tick" or "spark" in various channels when using my system. Regardless of the source (DVD, CD, TV, etc.) I get an occasional (5-10 times per hour) "spark" like sound made audible via the speakers. The audio volume seems not to effect the level or volume of the "tick." At first I thought it could be a speaker thing as I heard the first few "ticks" only in my right rear channel. So, I switched my rear speakers and checked all of my speaker connections. The "tick" persisted and I started to notice it in other channels, thought it appears to occur most frequently in the rear right channel. I tried checking all of my other connections and powered off my entire system and unplugged for about an hour to let everything cool and restart - no change. I have also used the pre/pro with and w/out my power line conditioner, again no difference.

One other anomoly I saw in the first weekend of use was that my center channel audio (information) seemingly disappeared during DVD playback on a few occasions with a couple of different dics - as if the processor lost the digital signal for the center info and stopped sending any info to the amp for that channel. Pausing or jumping channels brought the channel audio right back. I have not seen this anomoly since power cycling the equipment last weekend but the "tick" remains.

Any thoughts, wisdom, or direction would be appreciated.

 

[PaulWK]

Update - I informed my local Anthem dealer of the issues I described above, which have been persistent since the install about 15-20 days ago. My dealer contacted Anthem for me, and they have indicated that it is likely a "board" issue. They want to take care of issue offered to exchange my AVM 20 for another new one. They will leave the current unit in my set up until the new piece is at my dealer for me. This way, I do not have to go without. Another example of fantastic customer service!

 

[Chuck Hong]

I also had problems with the new board that was just installed - sound in front channels cut out; and clicking sound. My dealer contacted Anthem and they are sending a replacement board. In the meantime, my dealer re-installed the old board and I downloaded the old software.

 

[Ron Duca]

I'm looking for some information and/or advice regarding setting the "Bass Peak Level". On page 53 of my Operating Manual, the instructions say "...turn up the level of the test signal until distortion from the subwoofer begins to appear, then lower the level of the test signal until the distortion just disappears".

I've done this a few times and I always tend to stop when the volume setting gets up to about -20db. I actually have gone to -17db, which is where I have it currently set, and it could probably go higher safely. I'm not sure that I ever really hear any distortion. I stop turning the volume up because it becomes so loud and shakes the house so much that I'm afraid I'll blow the sub or something. If distortion from a sub is a really awful sound, then I don't believe I've heard it yet. Can anyone tell me what subwoofer distortion sounds like?

I have a Paradigm PW-2200 subwoofer. The controls on the sub are set as follows:
Crossover = all the way up
Volume = half way up (12 o'clock)

 

[Evan S]

Ron, I have my bass peak level set at 0db. What I do is adjust the gain on my sub to integrate with my main speakers instead of doing it internal to the Anthem.

I think rock solid bass should be felt and not heard specifically. I would think that at loud volumes, distorted bass would be that which draws attention to itself instead of sounding like it is coming from the main speakers (this is a music description of course, for movies, bass will more likely be much more prominent and probably SHOULD draw attention to itself, which in the terms of my definition does you not much good).

 

[Ron Duca]

Evan,

I don't remember what the volume range is for the sub/lfe within the AVM 20. I'm referring to the one controlled by the "Setup/Sub/LFE" button on the remote. I currently have that level set to -4db. Anyway, should I set that level to the midpoint of the range and then adjust the volume control on the sub to blend with the mains? Is that how you did yours? I've always wondered where the sub volume on a receiver or pre/pro should be set, as a starting point, when calibrating and integrating the sub.

 

[Miguel Stanic]

Does anybody know what brand of DAC's the AVM20 uses. How many DAC's are in the AVM20. The best seems to be Burr Brown that's employed in the high end receivers from Yamaha, Denon and Pioneer. How do the DAC's in the AVM20 stack up with the Burr Browns? Isn't the B&K Ref 50 using the same DAC's as the AVM20?
I love the Bryston AMPS with the AVM20

 

[Bruce N]

I have sad news to report. My AVM20 that I've only had for a week won't power up. Worked just fine the other day, now it won't turn on.

I talked to Nick at Anthem and he told me about the fuses. I already knew about the fuse issues in early models but this is a newer unit. Just to make sure I popped the top and tested both fuses with an ohm meter, both are good.

Back it goes I guess. I'm waiting for my dealer to return my call.

Bruce

BTW, the sticker inside said my unit was built March 18, 2003. That's pretty new.

 

[Jerry Klawiter]

Miguel,
B&K Ref50 = AKM DAC's :b