well i just purchased the anthem mca30 amp. i hooked it up to my onkyo tx-sr701 the other day. all i can say is wow. i was a little worried about it not sounding better at all or the same as it did but the money spent on this amp was well worth it. i had recently bought the animals cd in sacd. poped it in when i had it set up. all i can say is eric burdens vocals on the track house of the rising sun sent shivers through my spine. it sounded just like i was in the front row of the concert. but the biggest improvment with this amp is movies. the movie sound tracks just come to life. i watched end of days and it was just excellent. its way more clear then it ever was before. i liked how it sounded before with just my reciever but adding this amp surprised me big time. i just put in an order for another mca30 for my surrounds. debating right now weather to get the avm30 pre pro also. i now the amp is worth every cent but do you think the pre pro would make a big difference also. i have the amp hooked up through my pre outs but only with rca jacks. the sales guy said the pre pro would be worth it just for the xlr inputs. but he is a sales men so i don't now. do you think adding the pre pro would be a good idea.

Hi Smokey

The Anthem processor is very highly regarded. I used a TXDS797 receiver as a processor with outboard amps and it was OK. I replaced the Onkyo 797 with an Integra DTC9.4 and was underwhelmed with the degree of improvement considering the cost of the 9.4. I've auditioned the big Anthem set up (amp and processor) and was very impressed. Nice pick!!

i was impressed with anthem too i never got a chance to demo it. so i took a chance on it. but what a improvement for movies. music is better but this amp shines with movies. so you did find a big improvment with a pre pro also. the avm30 the sales guy said is the best you can get in the 3 to 5 grand price range. and some of the reveiws i've read on it say its as good as ones twice the money. i might get it after the other amp arrives.

The AVM 30 would be my choice if I was going pre shopping. I have looked at a few stand alone pre pros lately and that thing is outstanding!

the dealer said he would give me a good deal on it so i might get it. it looks to be a great unit with everything a guy could ever want for options.

I can tell you my Sunfire added a great deal of sound improvement. Actully more than I thought over the Yam rxv1500. I then added the grand theater III and let me tell you the sound is like night and day. I have them mated with XLR "balanced" interconnects. The matching pre/pro did wonders. The music is sooooooooooo much more enjoyable. Less fatigue. I am not debating brand, just the principle, the amp set it up a major notch. the pre/pro every bit more of a improvement.

well i just was debating it and i'm going to get it. at least after this i won't have the upgrade bug again(i hope.)i just hope it comes with a good manual so i can figure out what half the options are on it. it looks to be a great unit. once i get it and my other mca30. i'll give you alll an update.

dont rule out the new outlaw pre-amp,i dont know if its out yet but i saw it about a month ago at the home entertainment show and it looked like a bargain at 1100 bucks.i went from the anthem/paradigm demo right to the outlaw/atlantic tech demo room and they both sounded great but the outlaw stuff was much cheaper....or...should i say.....less expensive.....if you got the extra cash then -wtf?go for the big dogs

yeah it would be nice to save a few bucks. but i would like the pre pro to match my amps. if for nothing else just not to have different brands lumped together. outlaw has good stuff but its just so dam ugly it would stick out like a sore thumb. i've been looking for second hand anthem pre pros came across a avm20 demo which is selling for 2495. i know the avm30 is 7.1 do you guys now if the avm20 is 7 or 6.1 also.