Does AVI ADM9.1 beats a traditional system costing same amount.

[NigelF]

I know there has been lot of discussions on these speakers and also controversies on who is runing the show

, but I do know WHF gave 5 stars to previous version of the same speakers, but from that star ratings it was not clear if ratings were purely given to speakers and it will beat any passive speakers in the same price bracket, or taking into account it has built-in DAC and AMP, so if we go for a traditional setup with AMP, DAC & Speakers costing same amount will ADM still beat it for e.g. a combo of Roksan Kandy, DAC Magic and B&W speakers or similarly price 5 star setup.

Pls. no AVI bashing just require simple and honest answer from those who already own or have demoed the ADMs or WHF editor for clarification on question above related to rating given.

 

[Andrew Everard]

The rating was given to the active speakers as active speakers, which is what they are. We didn't draw comparisons with a more conventional DAC/amp/speakers package.

 

[NigelF]

Just to clarify in detail do you consider an active speaker star rating should take into account you don't need to buy a dedicated amp hence they will beat a similarly price speaker/amp combo.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, it did.

 

[NigelF]

Thanks for clarification.

 

[Thaiman]

Let have another 20 pages of the old AVI thread

 

[Andrew Everard]

Actually, let's not...

 

[NigelF]

Actual I only keen to know , whether I should upgrade my existing amp or sell everything and buy the ADM9.1, I was in process of acquiring Roksan Kandy LIII and pair it with B&W685 but I guess Andrew already answered that I will be better off with ADM as the total cost of both Roksan and B&W is more or less same as ADM 9.1 hence 9.1 is a 5 star product (I know the older model) so I am better off with simple solution. my only worry is does these active speakers have same life span as normal one, since active speakers has lot of electronics built-in and chances of serving for years compare to passive speakers is less.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I wouldn't sell/buy anything until you've heard all the products in question, with some of your favourite tracks.

This isn't just because we haven't (sadly) reviewed the ADM 9.1s, but the advice we'd give to anyone about any key hi-fi buy!

 

[chebby]

There is (now) another AVI option. The Neutron Five 2.1 system with an active sub that has a DAC and pre-amp built-in along with three built in power amps. (One for the sub and one each for the Neutron V speakers.)

It costs £1299 in total and - despite delays earlier this year - it is now shipping according to the AVI website. Picture here and details here.

The built in DAC/Pre-amp has one RCA analogue input, and 4x optical digital inputs, and even a USB input for non-optical equipped laptops.

Just might be a better option if you wanted the bass from the sub AND a compact system but can't stretch to the £1900 that the ADM9.1s would cost with their optional sub. (Obviously the Neutron V speakers are not active in the 5.2.1 system.)

 

[Gerrardasnails]

chebby:
There is (now) another AVI option. The Neutron Five 2.1 system with an active sub that has a DAC and pre-amp built-in along with three built in power amps. (One for the sub and one each for the Neutron V speakers.)

It costs £1299 in total and - despite delays earlier this year - it is now shipping according to the AVI website. Picture here and details here.

The built in DAC/Pre-amp has one RCA analogue input, and 4x optical digital inputs, and even a USB input for non-optical equipped laptops.

Just might be a better option if you wanted the bass from the sub AND a compact system but can't stretch to the £1900 that the ADM9.1s would cost with their optional sub. (Obviously the Neutron V speakers are not active in the 5.2.1 system.)

Clicked on picture link, read, "Audiophiles who talk of how awful compressed music is, are listening with their eyes. They couldn't differentiate a 320kbps AAC file from a CD in a blind listening test to save their lives. And if they can hear 256kbps, they're straining to hear artifacts, playing the most vulnerable passages over and over to identify problems when they should be listening to music." and laughed out loud. Very difficult to take them seriously.

 

[NigelF]

Clare Newsome:

I wouldn't sell/buy anything until you've heard all the products in question, with some of your favourite tracks.

This isn't just because we haven't (sadly) reviewed the ADM 9.1s, but the advice we'd give to anyone about any key hi-fi buy!

Thanks Clare for a very sensible advice, I will think a dozen time before I sell my existing kit which I bought after countless hours of reading reviews of WHF and on user forums , only problem for me is it's hard to find a dealer in Germany who is selling AVIs and can give a demo. My preference still would be to have a seperate traditional system and see which AMP will provide better upgrade and suit my music taste which is quite wide from classical to dance & hiphop, currently I am looking at several options Roksan Kandy LIII, Primare A20, Naim to partner with my existing B&W685. Big but tight & punchy bass with sweet mid-range for classical music is what I am looking for

 

[Alec]

Gerrardasnails:chebby:

There is (now) another AVI option. The Neutron Five 2.1 system with an active sub that has a DAC and pre-amp built-in along with three built in power amps. (One for the sub and one each for the Neutron V speakers.)

It costs £1299 in total and - despite delays earlier this year - it is now shipping according to the AVI website. Picture here and details here.

The built in DAC/Pre-amp has one RCA analogue input, and 4x optical digital inputs, and even a USB input for non-optical equipped laptops.

Just might be a better option if you wanted the bass from the sub AND a compact system but can't stretch to the £1900 that the ADM9.1s would cost with their optional sub. (Obviously the Neutron V speakers are not active in the 5.2.1 system.)

Clicked on picture link, read, "Audiophiles who talk of how awful compressed music is, are listening with their eyes. They couldn't differentiate a 320kbps AAC file from a CD in a blind listening test to save their lives. And if they can hear 256kbps, they're straining to hear artifacts, playing the most vulnerable passages over and over to identify problems when they should be listening to music." and laughed out loud. Very difficult to take them seriously.

Then we can all assume you have doen such a test and passed with flying colours, cant we.

EDIT - My thoughts may not be much use to the OP, but I'll offer them anyway. "Officially", or, in theory, I agree with Clare - audition as much kit on your list as you can. However, when I started thinking about a new amp n speaker setup, people were reccommending i look at setups around 2K, even tho i didnt want to spend much in excess of 1K. This would have left me buying one component one year and another the next, or several months after at least. It would also have left me with a setup i would have really struggled to afford to better at any point in the future.

My original intention was to audition all the amp and speaker systems i could before hearing the AVIs so i had something to compare them to. But, because of the reasons mentioned above, and because i had trouble finding places to audition (i also need wheelchair access), i lost patience and went to hear the AVIs first. As you can see from my sig, i liked them. To be honest, i was pretty much sold on the idea of them and had concluded that if they very closely matched the sound in my head, i would buy them.

I cannot comment on their performance against amp and speaker setups due to lack of experience. I have only heard 5 or 6 budget combinations (one of which could maybe be called mid-range). The AVIs are closer to the sound i wanted, thats all i can tell you.

 

[Anonymous]

al7478:
I cannot comment on their performance against amp and speaker setups due to lack of experience. I have only heard 5 or 6 budget combinations (one of which could maybe be called mid-range). The AVIs are closer to the sound i wanted, thats all i can tell you.



That's a great post. You rarely see people on forums acknowledging the limits of their knowledge and experience. I've heard far more systems over 15 years but not enough to offer comparative advice away from the context (room, system, music and mood) I heard them in.

 

[Gerrardasnails]

al7478:Gerrardasnails:chebby:

There is (now) another AVI option. The Neutron Five 2.1 system with an active sub that has a DAC and pre-amp built-in along with three built in power amps. (One for the sub and one each for the Neutron V speakers.)

It costs £1299 in total and - despite delays earlier this year - it is now shipping according to the AVI website. Picture here and details here.

The built in DAC/Pre-amp has one RCA analogue input, and 4x optical digital inputs, and even a USB input for non-optical equipped laptops.

Just might be a better option if you wanted the bass from the sub AND a compact system but can't stretch to the £1900 that the ADM9.1s would cost with their optional sub. (Obviously the Neutron V speakers are not active in the 5.2.1 system.)

Clicked on picture link, read, "Audiophiles who talk of how awful compressed music is, are listening with their eyes. They couldn't differentiate a 320kbps AAC file from a CD in a blind listening test to save their lives. And if they can hear 256kbps, they're straining to hear artifacts, playing the most vulnerable passages over and over to identify problems when they should be listening to music." and laughed out loud. Very difficult to take them seriously.

Then we can all assume you have doen such a test and passed with flying colours, cant we.

EDIT - My thoughts may not be much use to the OP, but I'll offer them anyway. "Officially", or, in theory, I agree with Clare - audition as much kit on your list as you can. However, when I started thinking about a new amp n speaker setup, people were reccommending i look at setups around 2K, even tho i didnt want to spend much in excess of 1K. This would have left me buying one component one year and another the next, or several months after at least. It would also have left me with a setup i would have really struggled to afford to better at any point in the future.

My original intention was to audition all the amp and speaker systems i could before hearing the AVIs so i had something to compare them to. But, because of the reasons mentioned above, and because i had trouble finding places to audition (i also need wheelchair access), i lost patience and went to hear the AVIs first. As you can see from my sig, i liked them. To be honest, i was pretty much sold on the idea of them and had concluded that if they very closely matched the sound in my head, i would buy them.

I cannot comment on their performance against amp and speaker setups due to lack of experience. I have only heard 5 or 6 budget combinations (one of which could maybe be called mid-range). The AVIs are closer to the sound i wanted, thats all i can tell you.

Last night I played 320kbps mp3 of Joss Stone's new album and compared it to the lossless version - very easy to spot the difference.

 

[Alec]

Rob_manchester:al7478:

I cannot comment on their performance against amp and speaker setups due to lack of experience. I have only heard 5 or 6 budget combinations (one of which could maybe be called mid-range). The AVIs are closer to the sound i wanted, thats all i can tell you.



That's a great post. You rarely see people on forums acknowledging the limits of their knowledge and experience. I've heard far more systems over 15 years but not enough to offer comparative advice away from the context (room, system, music and mood) I heard them in.

Why thankyou.

 

[Clare Newsome]

pluto78: I find your post rather perplexing when you mock a company for actually doing blind tests yet you are a prolific poster on a website run by a magazine that seems to do no blind testing at all any will happily recommend snake oil products like power cords and voodoo "upgrades" based on the Mark 1 ear hole?

We regularly blind test, thank you very much - including cables, very many of which we don't 'recommend'.

 

[chebby]

Could people stop 'quoting' my earlier post when 'having a go' at each other or at AVI?

I was merely giving info - with links and prices - for an alternate AVI product (the Neutron 5.2.1 system) to the OP.

Four times now people have quoted my post whilst making their points or debating with each other.

I am not responsible for anything the manufacturer claims on their website and the links were not provided to make any point. Please stop using it to support yours.

Excessive/repetitive quoting (especially of lengthy 'chains' of quotes) makes a complete mess of a thread. It is easy to trim out all the extraneous quoted material down to just the bit that is relevant to your response.

 

[Clare Newsome]

It's every edition - there's nothing unusual or special about blind testing around these parts....

 

[Clare Newsome]

chebby:
Could people stop 'quoting' my earlier post when 'having a go' at each other or at AVI?

I was merely giving info - with links and prices - for an alternate AVI product (the Neutron 5.2.1 system) to the OP.

Four times now people have quoted my post whilst making their points or debating with each other.

I am not responsible for anything the manufacturer claims on their website and the links were not provided to make any point. Please stop using it to support yours.

Maybe you should have linked to our news story on the Neutron system instead

But seriously, Chebby - I'm sure no-one's seeing your post as anything personal in this matter; you were merely being helpful.

 

[Messiah]

NigelF:
I know there has been lot of discussions on these speakers and also controversies on who is runing the show

, but I do know WHF gave 5 stars to previous version of the same speakers, but from that star ratings it was not clear if ratings were purely given to speakers and it will beat any passive speakers in the same price bracket, or taking into account it has built-in DAC and AMP, so if we go for a traditional setup with AMP, DAC & Speakers costing same amount will ADM still beat it for e.g. a combo of Roksan Kandy, DAC Magic and B&W speakers or similarly price 5 star setup.

I will go out on a limb and say they will easily beat a seperates combo for similar money. But that is my opinion.

All I can offer you for reference is that they sound better than my previous Cyrus 7 amp, Cyrus CD6s, Monitor Audio RS1 combo and I really liked that!

 

[Alec]

Take a deep breath Chebby.

I am responsible for one of those 4 times. Now, while you are quite correct that its lazy not to just edit out the bits you dont need (sorry all), we all know thats not the real reason for your complaint; you are worried about getting lumped in with a certain kind of aVI fan. However, its quite clear that no one believes you to be one of them, and its certainly clear from my post that i wasnt referencing yours at all (maybe i should have removed it, but only to keep the size of posts down).

I am well aware you were just trying to help, so dont let it get you down.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I'm a newby here on this board and hope to give some answears and expertise about AVI

We are the avi distributor for the BeNeLux and Germany if someone wants a demo or more info send us a mail with your adres and we'll contact you.

info@audiotec.nl

Best regards

R. Hartjes

 

[drummerman]

NigelF:Actual I only keen to know , whether I should upgrade my existing amp or sell everything and buy the ADM9.1, I was in process of acquiring Roksan Kandy LIII and pair it with B&W685 but I guess Andrew already answered that I will be better off with ADM as the total cost of both Roksan and B&W is more or less same as ADM 9.1 hence 9.1 is a 5 star product (I know the older model) so I am better off with simple solution. my only worry is does these active speakers have same life span as normal one, since active speakers has lot of electronics built-in and chances of serving for years compare to passive speakers is less.

Sure, I have no doubt the AVI's are better than anything you could put together new for the money. Break it down and you're looking at just over 300quid/component. That will get you nowhere what the AVI's do well, which is sounding uncannily real with anything other than rock/house and the like. Add a sub (any decent sub, it does'nt have to be AVI's expensive own brand one) and they have a good try at those genres too though it still would'nt be my choice if I'd predominentaly listen to bass heavy, thumping stuff. As an allrounder, I'd happily recommend them (with sub) but agree with the editor, listen first to make sure it's your style of product.

 

[chebby]

al7478:...you are worried about getting lumped in with a certain kind of aVI fan. However, its quite clear that no one believes you to be one of them...

I am neither a fan nor a detractor.

I think there is - by now - a 'critical mass' of respected, regular, normal, sensible WHF forum members who have found the ADM9.1 to be an excellent product. Yourself included. (Not to mention very positive feedback from Neutron V users here too.)

Having not heard any AVI product, it is impossible to say whether I would like them or not, but there is no way I am going to criticise the ADM9.1s. That would be perverse.

So I do not take any 'position' on the product.

As to whether the ADM9.1s 'beat' a traditional system costing the same amount, then there are many threads in the forum from people like 'mikeinbrum' and 'Messiah' - who replaced significantly more expensive kit - so I would certainly urge the OP to try and hear them based on theirs and similar testimony.