Anthem D2/D2v/AVM50/AVM50v/ARC1 tweaking guide - Page 729

Yeah I can't believe it either, I stopped by to pick up two Anthem amps and my buddy explains to me a customer of his had order the D2v and no longer wanted it

Nothing wrong with being in the right place at the right time...

I was just surprised..... Your a lucky dog...

Congrats....

True! I'm very lucky dog
I didn't believe it myself until he brought out the box...
Double checked to make sure it read D2v...2.04 version
Big blue sticker that read SPECIAL ORDER

Can't wait to fire it up and hear the difference in my HT

Was it a rack mount version, or one of the narrower versions without the curved wing extensions on the sides of the front panel? Those would be the usual "special order" cases. I'm interested because I think this would be the first report here of someone taking delivery of a one of those special configurations (even though you didn't actually place the order yourself).
--Bob

I got my D2v months ago with the rack-mount ears. When my dealer called, it was the only D2v available, and he snapped it up.

Ah, OK, I forgot about yours.
--Bob

I got the Plain non rack mount no ears version, ordered on March 2nd, took delivery
May 12th.

Bob honestly I haven't open the box yet. I will after work.

Warp awesome setup!!! must sound incredible

I have an AVM50v and just have a couple of questions:

1) When using ARC, what is more important, to keep the mic at ear height or at tweeter height? My speakers tweeters are about 4-5 inches below ear height. When I measure my speakers with ARC - there is a significant drop-off after 10K Hz. I don't know if this is typical or the result of the tweeters being below ear height.

2) I just received an Oppo BDP-83 (by the way a great universal disc player). It has the capability of outputting DVDs at 1080p/24. Is there any way to have the AVM50v automatically switch from 1080p/24 to 1080p/60? The reason I ask - is that I am not sure which DVDs are 1080p/24 capable and it is a hassle to manually switch the AVM50v video output mode. I know many current receivers can do this automatically.

Thanks

That looks like an OVERHEAT problem waiting to HAPPEN.

Good Luck.

ARC's job is to make things sound good to your ears. To do that, it has to listen where your ears will be.

So set the ARC mic at seated ear height.

If you have speakers mounted above or below ear height, see if you can adjust their vertical pointing. Many speakers have worse vertical dispersion of treble than their horizontal dispersion. Treble drop in a short range of frequencies can also come from things like grill mounting hardware in front of the tweeter or even the choice of grill cloth.

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The Oppo BDP-83's 1080p/24 Auto setting, and even the 1080p/24 ON setting will not send out 1080p/24 from Blu-Rays that are video frame rate. It will send out 1080p/60.

If you have 1080p/24 Auto set and also have DVD/24 ON set (and you are using explicit 1080p output resolution from the Oppo) then the Oppo will switch to 1080p/24 when it believes it has detected a film based DVD. It will remain stick in 1080p/24 which can be a problem if the DVD is a mix of film-based and video-based stuff (as sometimes happens in "extras" content) for example. [The alternative is a new HDMI handshake at every such change.] So I would suggest you only use DVD/24 ON in the Oppo while playing a feature film from SD-DVD.

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Meanwhile the AVM 50v has the Frame Lock feature (Video Source Adjust > Output for each source) which does the sort of automatic output switching you are talking about. However, that is currently disabled in the V2.04 firmware for the AVM 50v and D2v since it is about to be replaced by the "inverse telecine" feature which is currently making its debut as kind of a "work in progress" in the "test" V2.05 firmware.

The way you use the inverse telecine stuff in the V2.05 firmware is you use a video output configuration for that source that specifies 1080p/24 and you set Frame Lock to Auto. If the input is 1080p/24, or if the Anthem believes it can convert 480i/60 or 1080i/60 to 1080p/24 then the output remains 1080p/24. Otherwise the output switches to 1080p/60. Expect the handshake to take a little longer.

For SD-DVD playback in the Oppo, that would mean you could leave DVD/24 OFF and set 480i output resolution, and the AVM 50v (V2.05) would attempt to do the conversion to 1080p/24 if it finds the input stream is film-based.

If you set DVD/24 ON in the Oppo then the Oppo is making the decision and the video sent to the AVM 50 is already 1080p/24 and will stay that way (which will still be incorrect if the content switched to video-based and the Oppo is still sending out 1080p/24).

Meanwhile for Blu-Ray movies with 1080p/24 Auto set in the Oppo, the video sent to the AVM 50v will be 1080p/24 and will stay that way in the AVM 50v. For Blu-Ray "live concerts" and other video-based content, the video sent to the AVM 50v from the Oppo will be 1080p/60, the AVM 50v will determine it is video-based, and so it will leave it at 1080p/60. So the Blu-Ray stuff is pretty straightforward.

For TV viewing, send 480i for SDTV to the AVM 50v and send 1080i for HDTV. The AVM 50v will try to determine if you are watching film-based stuff and if so convert it to 1080p/24 for output. If you are watching video-based stuff it will convert it to 1080p/60 for output.

Keep in mind that there's a lot of flaky SD film-based content out there with screwed up edits and mixed in video rate stuff (e.g., special effects). Such SD content, whether from SD-DVD or SDTV, will give any inverse telecine process problems. So be prepared to have to turn off the inverse telecine stuff for all but the cleanest film-based content. In the Oppo, that means setting DVD/24 OFF. In the AVM 50v (V2.05) that means setting Frame Lock OFF and Video Output to 1080p/60.
--Bob

My pioneer receiver that the D2v replaced ran hotter then the D2v does in there, its all open backed and I'm monitoring the temps, so far its cooler then what I was running before, but I already have vent fans on the ready, just need to plug them in, so I'm not concerned.

Bob, do you have an idea when the new update 2.05 will be on the public site

Probably sometime in the next two weeks. It think they've still got a few more things they want to fix before it goes out for general use.
--Bob

Thank you for the advice.

One other question - does the AVM50v have a dynamic range setting specific to DolbyHD? I know the Oppo has an Auto setting and many receivers also provide that option in their setup for TrueHD. I would assume that the Auto setting is better than using the standard late night setting in the Anthem as we await the release of Dolby Volume.

I hope v2.05 will help
Everytime I power up AVM50v a loud popping sound occurs thru all speakers and when I power down a loud thump thru sub

Well, well, when it rains it pours. As I was getting ready to switch the LF and center to confirm that my center speaker was indeed bad, I decided to check the internal fuses of my center/surround amplifier. After opening it up I noticed that one of the fuse holders was loose. It turns out that it was being held by a thread. As I tried to put the fuse back, the fuse holder broke. So now I have to send the surround/center amp to the factory. B&W is going to send a tweeter to my dealer and might get that taken care of quickly.
I went ahead and redid ARC with just the front speakers and the subwoofer. It sounds fine, but I prefer a 4.1 configuration (the 2 fronts + 2 surrounds + sub). Once I have everything back and working correctly, I may prefer a 5.1. It may be a week or two before I know for sure.
Lots of rain here lately!

I'm trying to decide between an Anthem D2v2 and a Denon AVP-A1HDCI. For more background on what and why, see this post or this post. To help make the decision I would appreciate any and all input (especially since I am not going to be able to audition these units prior to purchase, darn it), but I have some specific questions that I presume can be answered straightforwardly by folks on this (massive!) thread:

* What was the cost of the upgrade from D1 to D2?
* What was the cost of the upgrade from D2 to D2v?
* Is "D2v" the same thing as "D2V2"? (Anthem's site only refers to "D2v" in terms of actual, current model numbers.)
* Does modern HDMI always include audio as well as video? (I noticed there were only 3 Toslink inputs, which I would overflow way too quickly if even one of my HDMI-capable components requires Toslink in addition to HDMI. And I set up my HD system 10 years ago, when everything was component, so I'm not intimately familiar with the behavior of HDMI yet.)
* What is the difference between a D2v and an AVM 50v? Anthem's comparison chart shows only 3 differences, total: 1) "Yes (differential circuit)" vs. "Yes" for "6 channel analog input", 2) "special order" vs. "optional handles" for "Rackmountable", and 3) "Yes" vs. "No" for "Premium faceplate finish". What value is that "differential circuit"? And are there any other internal differences? (I can live without a "premium faceplate".) What is the price difference between these two units?
* It has been said that Denon might be preferred for its features. What features? Yes, 6 component inputs vs. the Anthem's 4, but only 6 HDMI inputs vs. the Anthem's 8, and I suspect going forward that the Anthem's will be the better mix. The Denon has 4 TosLink inputs vs. the Anthem's 3, but if most audio is provided via HDMI, that's acceptable. The Denon has 12 channels, supporting 3 subwoofers, vs. the Anthem's 10 channels, but I have no intention of using more than one subwoofer. Aside from the one extra Toslink input, I haven't found any flexibility that makes me prefer the Denon over the Anthem.
* Does the Anthem output video and audio simultaneously on all outputs of equal or higher bandwidth? (I believe the Denon does.) Does it do any downconversion (so a 1080i or 1080p input signal is output over composite, say)? (The Denon does not, though it will output a 480i or 576i input signal over composite out.)

One interesting tidbit I noticed is that Denon says it does not provide its onscreen GUI over 1080p, only 1080i and lower, while Anthem clearly states that its onscreen graphics work for all resolutions (presumably including 1080p).

For context, this is going into the following system:
Being replaced: Krell HTS pre/pro (Home Theater Standard)
Krell 250a 2-channel left & right
Krell 250a/3 3-channel center & surrounds
Martin Logan reQuest left & right
Martin Logan Scenario rear surround channels
Martin Logan Logos center channel
Sunfire Signature sub-woofer
Sony VPL-VW70 (having recently replaced a lightning-damaged Sony G90)

Thanks! - larryy

toys ready to be install...
Friday the LUCKY day

Larry.....

A couple of things I can help weed out for you....

The upgrade from any of the Previous series prices haven't been announced yet, and they will not happen until all orders for the newest generation ( AVM50v and D2v) Current models have been filled...

Differences between the AVM50v and the D2v information can be found in this post.... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...ostcount=17883

Thanks, that's good to know. What about the D1->D2 upgrade that happened a while ago?


Excellent. That is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Thank you!

- larryy

Has anyone tried using a mono to stereo cable to connect IR from the D2v (IR out) to an Oppo 83 (IR In).

I'm using the Oppo supplied cable with no success. Thanks.

Is there a way to upload and download a D2v's user settings to/from a computer? So you have a complete backup of your various tweaks? (The Denon AVP-A1HDCI supports this.)

Not sure why this info would be relevant.....

If you are looking at the latest and greatest Pre-Amps, and choosing from the D2v or the Denon.... why would you take a step back and get a D1 upgraded to the D2, which neither of would compare to the D2v.

As far as I know I believe you can get either of these units, and have them upgraded from the D1 or D2 to the D2v.

Both the Anthem & Denon AVP threads are filled with tons of info, take some time to read back some pages, you can get a better feel for what each product offers.... Oh and tell your dealer that Anthem/Paradigm is a Canadian based company, not American...

I think that is a common place to be, considering these two fine processors at the same price point. I went through the same process myself.

The reasons I went with the Anthem are:

1. Access to the full ARC feature set vs. the Audyssey model where there are locked features and a pro kit involved. I don't like any equipment where I'm locked out in some way.

2. Support. Anthem is a smaller company and thus is more transparent and accessible to customers. You can see for yourself the interaction between Anthem and its customers on this thread.

4. History of upgrades. I may or may not take advantage of it but it does add a bit of value to this piece. More likely to hold value with time even if I decide to sell it down the road.

5. Implementation of video processing is more configurable. The Anthem is a lot closer to a stand alone video processor than the Denon AVP. In fact Denon seems to be moving to ABT and away from Realta, so I think this aspect of the AVP is significantly behind the Anthem.

The biggest thing I liked about the Denon over the D2V was the dual differential DAC implementation. The other features the Denon had over the D2V were not that significant to me.

Another factor that you may want to consider is availability. The lead time for the D2V is 60+ days from date of order. Not sure what the Denon is but I'd be surprised if it was that long.

Yes. Settings editor comes on the CD in the box.

I've had one of these for a couple of months. 17" no wings version.

It's relevant because if Anthem's upgrades cost a substantial fraction of the price of a new pre/pro, then their upgradability should not be as important a factor in my decision. Even if a new unit costs a bit more, you get all new components, and one might reasonably expect a completely new unit to be reliable longer than a unit with a mix of old and new components. But if the upgrade cost is a small fraction of the price of a new unit, then that upgradability is a big deal.

In response to your other comments, the thought of buying a D1 or D2 instead of a D2v never occurred to me.

Does no one know what the upgrade costs were back when D1s were being upgraded to D2s?

If this is what you are contemplating - why the 200 questions
about older units.

Exactly my reasons as well. The other + for the Denon is the media player, if that's of interest to you (it's not to me).