AVI ADM9s: breakthrough or too much hype?

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WinterRacer

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gregvet said:
WinterRacer said:
I do see advertising for both passive and active speakers on this forum but not for AVI.

I quite agree that all sorts of advertising occurs in threads on this forum. However, to suggest that AVI isnt a part of that is madness.

I don't consider myself mad, but who knows! :)

Is an owner extolling the virtus of their speaker advertising by your definition?
 

Craig M.

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WinterRacer said:
what I see is lots of people determined to prove AVI owners are mistaken with their feedback.

I think that without this sort of thing, most AVI threads would burn out after a page or two.
 

lecson

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I've used ADMs and they have a balance of virtues.

Being integrated, it cuts down the boxes but does cut down the opportunity for upgrading individual components if you feel the need. The components inside the boxes are all good quality and the power amplifiers more powerful than I could afford or have room for if in a separate box. As they are matched to the drivers, they have a lot of headroom, which is their most striking characteristic.

The sound is fairly neutral. The bass rolls off at about the same rate any reasonably efficient box this size would achieve. Use a sub if it bothers you. I heard these at the Birmingham dealer before buying and thought they sounded 'right' within the first few seconds. My reference would be live orchestral music, rather than recorded, plus I do some of my own recording.

Meridian did some of this in the 1980s with their active speakers and I'm surprised more haven't done it. In the studio field, it's common practice.

I've heard Meridian actives (also good), Quad ESLs and owned various passive speakers over the years. The ADMs suit me for classical music, especially orchestral. I 'downgraded' from a Naim system to these. The Naim cost considerably more but these work better for the sort of music I listen to.

Fair enough for you?
 

Alec

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images
 
T

the record spot

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Alec said:
You know there's a DAC in the speakers don't you, Mr Spot?

Hi Alec, yes I do. This was a more general comment; I know some of the guys on the HDD forum have checked out some DACs, other pro-audio gear, Apple TVs, iPads, Tesco optical cables, Tesco HDMI cables....and yet, somehow, there's no box-swapping going on. Meh...!
 

Overdose

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the record spot said:
Alec said:
You know there's a DAC in the speakers don't you, Mr Spot?

Hi Alec, yes I do. This was a more general comment; I know some of the guys on the HDD forum have checked out some DACs, other pro-audio gear, Apple TVs, iPads, Tesco optical cables, Tesco HDMI cables....and yet, somehow, there's no box-swapping going on. Meh...!

To be fair though, most of those things are considered sources. If I owned the ADMs, I would have had no *need to twice change my DACs.

*Upgraded for better functionality.

People 'box swap' for all kinds of reasons, for some, it is more or better function, for others, it is a change in sound presentation. That's an individual preference though and for that reason, I've never seen the merit of the claim, as anyone who is content with what they have, would not be continually swapping anything.
 
T

the record spot

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relocated said:
In fact when WHF is mentioned over on the AVI forum, the company owner[who you appear to have personaly attacked] is very reluctant to be drawn into bagging out the forum or the members of it.

Yes and no shortage of several of the present members doing precisely that. One seems to take great pleasure in popping on here every few weeks and picking up his baton time and again. There's been plenty of it in the past and there's plenty of it still.

And while Ash might have stopped, he's hardly without previous! That said, I like him a lot - I think he's probably got a heart of gold and one of these days I'll drop by his factory and say hello.
 

lindsayt

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relocated said:
...The most vociferous nay-sayers are not AVI owners, nor have they heard them or other active speakers...

So, which nay-sayers on this forum do you think have not heard AVI speakers or other active speakers?
 

JMacMan

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With respect to the topic:

They're definitely a bang for buck 'breakthrough', courtesy of their buy direct from the factory business model.

They're definitely not a technical breakthrough, as others such as Meridian and B&O have been making entire ranges of active speakers for decades before AVI, as has the pro world.

They're definitely very good given that they're active and made from high quality components, and are a proven, if conservative two way in an MDF ported box speaker. Being active, one could expect sonic advantages due the greater control the amplifiers can exert on the drivers, hence improvements in transient response over an equivalent sized passive, or even much more expensive passive speakers.

One could also expect due again active operation that with a signal path that has neglible devices twixt amp and speaker (no passive crossover) that there would be an noticeable increase in resolution over an equivalent passive, or even much more expensive passive speakers.

They're definitely hyped to hell and back as regards 'reputation' - courtesy of the companies viral marketing campaign and attitude - especially negatively expressed toward those who do not swallow the AVI Kool Aid. Whilst very good for the reasons given above, they're most assuredly not the be all and end all of loudspeakers, either in terms of overall design or application, when assessed on objective measureable and technical terms.

IMHO it's this viral marketing, hype, and self agrandisement of the product by the manufacturers, that tries to portray them as the best loudspeaker ever, regardless of price or design, and sadly often with commensurate put downs of other competing brands, that causes most of the friction amongst the HiFi fraternity.

Undoubtedly it also causes many to view AVI products negatively - which is a shame, as they're undoubtedly very good within their price and design constraints.

Just my 2p worth...
 

lindsayt

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If they're a bang for buck breakthrough courtesy of their buy direct from factory business model, how do you explain the fact that a number of dealers sell the AVI ADM 9's for the same price that you can buy them direct from AVI?

Does this mean that dealers are selling them without any retail mark-up?

Or does it mean that when AVI sell direct they keep the retail mark-up for themselves?

Does anyone here know how much dealers pay AVI for ADM 9's?
 

Phileas

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lindsayt said:
Does this mean that dealers are selling them without any retail mark-up?

Or does it mean that when AVI sell direct they keep the retail mark-up for themselves?

Does anyone here know how much dealers pay AVI for ADM 9's?

I believe (according to manufacturer) the mark-up (or dealer discount) is very small, hence the limited number of dealers.
 

AlmaataKZ

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One dealer was offering me lower price than directly from avi (that was on adm9ts when they were still current) as well as a good trade in so I would have bought from them rather than directly.

Avi have provided some explanation on their forum - as per above post.
 

matthewpiano

Well-known member
JMacMan said:
With respect to the topic:

They're definitely a bang for buck 'breakthrough', courtesy of their buy direct from the factory business model.

They're definitely not a technical breakthrough, as others such as Meridian and B&O have been making entire ranges of active speakers for decades before AVI, as has the pro world.

They're definitely very good given that they're active and made from high quality components, and are a proven, if conservative two way in an MDF ported box speaker. Being active, one could expect sonic advantages due the greater control the amplifiers can exert on the drivers, hence improvements in transient response over an equivalent sized passive, or even much more expensive passive speakers.

One could also expect due again active operation that with a signal path that has neglible devices twixt amp and speaker (no passive crossover) that there would be an noticeable increase in resolution over an equivalent passive, or even much more expensive passive speakers.

They're definitely hyped to hell and back as regards 'reputation' - courtesy of the companies viral marketing campaign and attitude - especially negatively expressed toward those who do not swallow the AVI Kool Aid. Whilst very good for the reasons given above, they're most assuredly not the be all and end all of loudspeakers, either in terms of overall design or application, when assessed on objective measureable and technical terms.

IMHO it's this viral marketing, hype, and self agrandisement of the product by the manufacturers, that tries to portray them as the best loudspeaker ever, regardless of price or design, and sadly often with commensurate put downs of other competing brands, that causes most of the friction amongst the HiFi fraternity.

Undoubtedly it also causes many to view AVI products negatively - which is a shame, as they're undoubtedly very good within their price and design constraints.

Just my 2p worth...

:clap: The most balanced post I've ever read with regard to AVI. Hopefully you will stick around and continue to contribute to these forums.
 
A

Anonymous

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The manufacturer is indeed very vocal about the virtues of his products, but owners, who let's not forget, have usually owned many, sometimes more expensive systems previously, are just as positive about them, and seem to stick with the brand. That, to me, says more about the quality of the speakers than the maufacturers promotion.
 

steve_1979

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matthewpiano said:
:clap: The most balanced post I've ever read with regard to AVI. Hopefully you will stick around and continue to contribute to these forums.

+1

JMacMan's post sums up the whole AVI thing perfectly IMO.

Lets hope he sticks around. :)
 

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