I thought that was the whole point of high fidelity, to be faithful to the recording and not transform it to sound better or worse. If it's an excellent recording, then it replays excellent, if it's hsit then it replays hsit. When I get around to completing my music system this will be on my radar. Currently Nas HDD drive, Sony Vaio small laptop, iTunes, Apple lossless, Xitel Pro HiFi Link toslinked to Denon AVR-2808 driving Arcam Muso & Logo in 2.1 mode. Looks like these AVI guys are nearly as forward looking as me. The Denon DVD-2500bt can then use the current system for just movies.
In practice, the user interface issue is not a problem. The pre-amp in the speakers does respond well to the remote and most users will only adjust the volume control. Most people will use the optical input so your interface will be a sonus, squeeze box or in my case an apple tv.
Stupidly expensive? If you look at what you are getting for your money and how these speakers sound then you realise these are in a different league to other active speakers.
I've listened for an extended period to these avi's.
Plus points: They have excellent imaging, 2nd to none at anything near the price.They sound very clear. Everything that's on the recording will be heard, which leads me to the bad points.
Bad points: everything less then perfect in the recording will show up. So much so I ended up only enjoying a small portion of the music I own.
Conclusion: very good, but not for me! Check them out if you have a preference for classical, instrumental, jazz music and prefer a cyrus like sound.
Wowed by glowing web reports and a small but loyal following of owners, I auditioned these apeakers earlier this year and basically was not drawn in by them. 'Accurate', according to some, 'harsh and tiresome' for extended listening, is the view of others. I am in the latter camp.
The remote does let the show down a bit, as does the lack of switchable inputs. the 9.1s are not a bad product, but definately not 5 star performer to me.
My frame of reference? I ended up with a pair of imho far bigger sounding Dynaudio Focus 110as. these better suit my eclectic tastes in music and also look far nicer - which pleases my wife. No internal DAC or preamp as with the AVIs, but a DACmagic (my 2006 product of the year, so amusing to see it up for WHF 2010 product of the year!)and Squeezebox Touch work just fine and provide relatively minmal clutter, if not quite as minmal as an AVI +tosslink setup.
AVI 9.1 will appeal to many, but definately not bass heads. A sub is available, but then one could integrate a sub to any book shelf speakers with weak bass.
Good, honest review. Amusing that someone thinks these are stupidly expensive when they contain 300+ watts of very high quality amplification, a remote control preamp and a quality DAC. I've owned the original ADMs for a year following a review in a studio magazine. One of the most unobtrusive and truthful speakers I've heard with genuine insight into the recording. The fact that I sold my worse-sounding, traditional hi-fi for twice what these cost is a bonus.
btw, user interface is fine - select input, mute off, change volume. What else is needed?
Comments
I thought that was the whole point of high fidelity, to be faithful to the recording and not transform it to sound better or worse. If it's an excellent recording, then it replays excellent, if it's hsit then it replays hsit. When I get around to completing my music system this will be on my radar. Currently Nas HDD drive, Sony Vaio small laptop, iTunes, Apple lossless, Xitel Pro HiFi Link toslinked to Denon AVR-2808 driving Arcam Muso & Logo in 2.1 mode. Looks like these AVI guys are nearly as forward looking as me. The Denon DVD-2500bt can then use the current system for just movies.
If anyone wants to buy our test pair, they are for sale on eBay now:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AVI-ADM-9-1-active-speakers-Hi-Fi-test-pair-/150443101166?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item23071b8bee
Finally, the nut has been cracked open; thanks for the review, team.
Thanks Ms C for the info, I really want it, but sadly am across the seas.
Rules are here to be broken, I suppose
Let the hunt begin...
In practice, the user interface issue is not a problem. The pre-amp in the speakers does respond well to the remote and most users will only adjust the volume control. Most people will use the optical input so your interface will be a sonus, squeeze box or in my case an apple tv.
Stupidly expensive? If you look at what you are getting for your money and how these speakers sound then you realise these are in a different league to other active speakers.
I've listened for an extended period to these avi's.
Plus points: They have excellent imaging, 2nd to none at anything near the price.They sound very clear. Everything that's on the recording will be heard, which leads me to the bad points.
Bad points: everything less then perfect in the recording will show up. So much so I ended up only enjoying a small portion of the music I own.
Conclusion: very good, but not for me! Check them out if you have a preference for classical, instrumental, jazz music and prefer a cyrus like sound.
I have owned these speakers for quite a few months now. I can agree with everything said in this review.
Stupidly expensive and with a flawed user interface - how do these get 5 stars? do you think users never select inputs or change the volume
Wowed by glowing web reports and a small but loyal following of owners, I auditioned these apeakers earlier this year and basically was not drawn in by them. 'Accurate', according to some, 'harsh and tiresome' for extended listening, is the view of others. I am in the latter camp.
The remote does let the show down a bit, as does the lack of switchable inputs. the 9.1s are not a bad product, but definately not 5 star performer to me.
My frame of reference? I ended up with a pair of imho far bigger sounding Dynaudio Focus 110as. these better suit my eclectic tastes in music and also look far nicer - which pleases my wife. No internal DAC or preamp as with the AVIs, but a DACmagic (my 2006 product of the year, so amusing to see it up for WHF 2010 product of the year!)and Squeezebox Touch work just fine and provide relatively minmal clutter, if not quite as minmal as an AVI +tosslink setup.
AVI 9.1 will appeal to many, but definately not bass heads. A sub is available, but then one could integrate a sub to any book shelf speakers with weak bass.
Good, honest review. Amusing that someone thinks these are stupidly expensive when they contain 300+ watts of very high quality amplification, a remote control preamp and a quality DAC. I've owned the original ADMs for a year following a review in a studio magazine. One of the most unobtrusive and truthful speakers I've heard with genuine insight into the recording. The fact that I sold my worse-sounding, traditional hi-fi for twice what these cost is a bonus.
btw, user interface is fine - select input, mute off, change volume. What else is needed?
I agree with some people that it's not a real all rounder without the subwoofer.
Metallica and Slayer etc. will sound rubbish with these speakers, but vocals sound absolute stunning.
Avi neutron5 + neutron subwoofer(dac+amps) is a better all-round package for your money.