AVI DM5

[Gonepostal]

Hello, had these speakers for an hour of so and I'm living the clarity of them but I must say that seem a little bright/lacking no in depth. I'm only using them at the moment by connecting my iPhone se into them.

Im planning on getting the Yamaha wxc50 pre amp. What I would like to know is will this/should this improve the sound. I'm going to try and have a listen over the next few days so I'm expecting the speakers to warm up.

 

[nopiano]

Congrats on your new purchase. There have been several long threads about these before, though you cannot search for them within the site. Here is one:- https://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/avi-dm5-first-impressions-review

There was a dedicated AVI forum at one time, though I’ve not looked recently, since they began dealer sales. That would be worth browsing too.

Whether you believe speakers run in or not, they won’t get brighter for sure, and may well mellow with a bit of use.

 

[Gonepostal]

Thanks that's an interesting read. I literally only got to listen to them for about 45 mins so no idea what to make of them but the clarity is impressive. Gutted I can't have a sit down tonight but that's life. Hoping they sound even better on the end of the Yamaha.

 

[chebby]

Hopefully member Steve_1979 (another owner of ADM 5s) will respond to your thread and get you sorted out. Maybe you need their bigger ‘10s or the AVI subwoofer or maybe a little trial-and-error with stands and position.

 

[Romulus]

I have auditioned the AVI DM 10 and also the AVI floorstander (older model). My first impression also was the clarity, lacking in bass. However the longer I stayed for the audition I began to realise these speakers portray the sound spot on each instrument. With the bass there is no bloom. I and the owner ended up listening mostly to blues with a really loud volumes relishing the sound espescially the textures of the instruments. The AVI DM10 system portray the music with marked dynamics and clarity which urges one to increase the volume! For me the AVI DM10 system sound was so clear and so with it with timing. With your AVI DM5 listen to them for a week playing your familiar music and then try and listen to similar size other speakers, I think then this experiment will help you to decide whether you miss the AVI DM5 sound ?

 

[MajorFubar]

Experimenting with the positioning may help, as well as using decent stands (if you aren't already). Steve_1979 has been espousing the virtues of his DM5s since he first bought them years ago, but he uses them with the dedicated subwoofer. The Americans will tell you "there's no replacement for displacement" and it's probably true as much with speakers as it is with cars. You can't beat physics.

All that said, likely what your noticing as much as anything is the lack of artificial low end bloom (I assume they sound similar to my DM10s). It's a reality-check when you hear speakers which don't have it, but you get used to it, and then when you hear speakers which do have it, you're like "how did I ever listen to crap-sounding speakers like that for so long?"

(Many other speakers are also bereft of low-end bloom; just mentioning that point before some clown accuses me of being on Ashley's payroll or something equally ridiculous.)

 

[Gonepostal]

All good advice. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't like them, I haven't listened to them for long enough to form an opinion. I think you are probably right in what you are saying re not being used to active speakers. I haven't heard any before so it's a case of hearing a different sound.

I also think that after reading so many positive things about them perhaps my expectation levels were to high, nevertheless I should be able to sit down for a few hours this weekend and have a listen.

 

[MajorFubar]

All good advice. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't like them, I haven't listened to them for long enough to form an opinion. I think you are probably right in what you are saying re not being used to active speakers. I haven't heard any before so it's a case of hearing a different sound.

I also think that after reading so many positive things about them perhaps my expectation levels were to high, nevertheless I should be able to sit down for a few hours this weekend and have a listen.

If you decide to keep the speakers because overall you like what you hear, you could either prop-up the bottom end with an active subwoofer or just suck it up and accept that a pair of 5" cones are never really going to produce very low frequencies. I haven't checked the specs, I would imagine they're good down to 80Hz depending on placement (because they're ported) but by 60Hz it's going to be all over.

 

[Gonepostal]

I've just had a listen for about 30 mins. Everything was going fine until one of the speakers started intermittently crackling!! Even when I paused the music I could still here it crackling. Any ideas before I think about sending them back.

 

[nopiano]

I've just had a listen for about 30 mins. Everything was going fine until one of the speakers started intermittently crackling!! Even when I paused the music I could still here it crackling. Any ideas before I think about sending them back.

I suggest unplugging pronto then calling your dealer. Doesn’t sound promising I’m afraid.

 

[MajorFubar]

I've just had a listen for about 30 mins. Everything was going fine until one of the speakers started intermittently crackling!! Even when I paused the music I could still here it crackling. Any ideas before I think about sending them back.

No send them back as faulty...and while that's given you an excuse to send them back* have a think about whether even a fully working pair are going to give you a sound you can live with.

*your statutory rights mean technically you don't really need an excuse to change your mind within a reasonable amount of time as long as you return them as-new.

 

[Gonepostal]

I've spoken to the dealer who I must say has been brilliant throughout the whole process of buying them and now returning them. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention them on this forum ?

you are right that it has given me s chance to take stock. I must say whilst I was not blown away by the sound, I'm in two minds about what to do. I never really got a chance to sit down with them, but I don't want to make the dealer go through the trouble of sending out another pair, only for me to not like them and to return them.

 

[Andrewjvt]

I have auditioned the AVI DM 10 and also the AVI floorstander (older model).  My first impression also was the clarity, lacking in bass.  However the longer I stayed for the audition I began to realise these speakers portray the sound spot on each instrument.  With the bass there is no bloom.  I and the owner ended up listening mostly to blues with a really loud volumes relishing the sound espescially the textures of the instruments. The AVI DM10 system portray the music with marked dynamics and clarity which urges one to increase the volume!  For me the AVI DM10 system sound was so clear and so with it with timing.  With your AVI DM5 listen to them for a week playing your familiar music and then try and listen to similar size other speakers, I think then this experiment will help you to decide whether you miss the AVI DM5 sound ?

I find this comment spot on
To my impression of the dm10 also

 

[steve_1979]

As already mentioned above the DM5s are tiny little speakers so they just don't go very deep in the bass department. I rather like them on their own and don't find them too bright but they do improve quite a lot when you add a subwoofer. I thoroughly recommend using the DM5 with a sub as it results in a warmer, fuller more powerful sound without losing any of the detail and clarity that the DM5s are so good at.

There are several people on the AVI forum using DM5s with a BK Gemini II subwoofer which work together well. The BK sub blends in seamlessly with the DM5s and because BK sell direct they offer great value for money. The Gemini II are suprisingly good quality despite only costing £225.

I do however advise living with the DM5s for a week or two first before deciding whether or not to add a sub. You may be suprised how your impressions change with further listening. Also try experimenting with positioning such as moving them closer to the wall. In my room they work well with just a 10cm gap between the rear of the speaker and the wall.

 

[Gonepostal]

I have only listened to them so far by connecting my phone to them. Would it make much difference if I was using a preamp ?

 

[bigboss]

I've spoken to the dealer who I must say has been brilliant throughout the whole process of buying them and now returning them. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention them on this forum ?

 

you are right that it has given me s chance to take stock. I must say whilst I was not blown away by the sound, I'm in two minds about what to do. I never really got a chance to sit down with them, but I don't want to make the dealer go through the trouble of sending out another pair, only for me to not like them and to return them. 

 

Yes you're allowed to mention them on the forum.

 

[steve_1979]

I've just had a listen for about 30 mins. Everything was going fine until one of the speakers started intermittently crackling!! Even when I paused the music I could still here it crackling. Any ideas before I think about sending them back.

You can test it by unpluging the RCA cable from the speakers. If the speaker still crackles with the RCA cable unplugged it's knackered and needs replacing. If not it's most likely the the cable or possibly the headphone socket on your phone which is at fault.

Chances are it's probably just the cable you're using.

 

[steve_1979]

I have only listened to them so far by connecting my phone to them. Would it make much difference if I was using a preamp ?

What type of phone are you using and what other hifi equipment do you have available that could be used as a source? The output of some phones are better than others so YMMV. Some phones can offer real hifi quality whilst others are just plain rubbish.

Also as you're using a phone make sure that any digital sound processing functions are switched off. Check the sound settings for things like a graphic equaliser and loudness option and disable them.

 

[steve_1979]

...I'm in two minds about what to do. I never really got a chance to sit down with them...

They're not going to be for everyone but I think it would be best to spend a few hours listening over the weekend before deciding whether to keep them or not.

I find the best way to test speakers is to listen to and enjoy some music without analysing the actual sound. If anything naturally draws your attenton away from the music and spoils the enjoyment then they're probably not for you but if you find yourself drawn into the music and enjoying the experience then you're onto a winner. Just play a few of your favourite albums and see how you feel at the end of the weekend.

 

[Gonepostal]

All good advice Steve I will try moving them closer to a wall when I get home from work. The phone I'm using is an I phone SE, I'll try connecting it to my existing equipment to see if it's the cables that are faulty. I don't hear any crackling when I've got my headphones connected to my phone so I'm guessing the head phone socket on the phone is fine.

The dealer that I brought the speakers from is called: Hi Fi corner in Edinburgh. Brilliant service, can't fault them in any way

 

[steve_1979]

All good advice Steve I will try moving them closer to a wall when I get home from work. The phone I'm using is an I phone SE, I'll try connecting it to my existing equipment to see if it's the cables that are faulty. I don't hear any crackling when I've got my headphones connected to my phone so I'm guessing the head phone socket on the phone is fine.

The dealer that I brought the speakers from is called: Hi Fi corner in Edinburgh. Brilliant service, can't fault them in any way

I've never used one myself but apparently iPhones have top notch sound quality straight from their headphone output. A separate pre-amp won't be necessary.

It'll only make a small difference but to get the very best sound quality from an iPhone you'll also need to use it in 'airplane mode' as well as turning off all of the audio DSP settings.

 

[steve_1979]

You probably already know this so apologies for stating the obvious.

It's good practice to switch off any hifi equipment at the mains before plugging in or unplugging any cables.

 

[Gonepostal]

Never had a problem with people stating the obvious so no worries. So, the speaker doesn't crackle when the phono cable isn't connected, so it's probably a faulty phono cable. Thanks for the heads up on that one. I didn't even think to try that. Im going to have a sit down on Sunday to have a good listen.

 

[Native_bon]

Never had a problem with people stating the obvious so no worries. So, the speaker doesn't crackle when the phono cable isn't connected, so it's probably a faulty phono cable. Thanks for the heads up on that one. I didn't even think to try that. Im going to have a sit down on Sunday to have a good listen. 

Result. Now you can relax and make your decision with less pressure.

 

[Gonepostal]

So just to close this thread. I tried to have a listen to these speakers over the weekend but one of them was faulty so was unable to test them.

They were returned to Hi-Fi corner on Monday, a nice guy called Tony had today rang me up and agreed that after having a look at them they are not performing properly, and has agreed on a refund.

I feel aprehensive about trying active speakers again,which is a shame as they offer a nice neat solution. When they worked they offered a clarity that was very impressive but I never had them for long enough to form an opinion.

Lastly, thanks to Steve for his help and suggestions, much appreciated.