In late February 2023, Udo Besser – the owner and Managing Director of prestigious German audio manufacturer AVM – flew into Sydney. He was travelling to South-East Asia and the South Pacific, following a stopover with N.A. Distributors in New Zealand. The company's Australian distributor, Gareth Weller of Hi-Fi Collective, accompanied him, and we sat down over coffee in a Sydney cafe to delve deeper into the world of AVM Audio and Udo's company's past, present and future…

Udo was keen to tell me about his company and the wider audio industry, so when did it all start? “I bought AVM in 2010 and have led it since”, he explained. “This company was founded in 1986 by audio engineers Günther Mania and Robert Winiarski – the former had previously supplied high-quality audio kits and pre-built kits direct to consumers.” Until recently, both men were still working there and applying their creativity, and one co-founder remains today. 

HiFi Collective became AVM's Australian distributor in late 2019. 2020 rolled in, Covid reared up, and their pact suffered from any face-to-face time until now. Udo explained, “During Covid, the ability for AVM to service their worldwide distributors regressed somewhat; there is only so much you can do over Zoom when you are discussing and showing a complex piece of electronics in front of you!” 

(L) Udo Besser (AVM), (R) John Vivian (RMC Auckland).

Roll forward to 2023, and he's on a mission to catch up on those missing years. This is a knowledge transfer mission and an important one for Udo and Gareth. AVM is introducing the AVM .2 to .3 (point 2 to point 3) upgrade. Throughout the interview, he was calm, informative and measured, but his excitement was evident discussing several topics…

The .3 upgrade introduces the AVM X-STREAM engine technology, a new hardware/software platform for our products supporting their wide array of functionality. As the baseline for the .3 range, it uses less than fifteen percent of its processing capability, so the .3 AVM products have headroom to grow in capacity and capability, they are ready for the future!

Ever more hi-fi manufacturers are now offering their customers upgrade paths to keep their products at the forefront of performance and reliability. AVM products update over the air (OTA) via the customer's internet connection. It is a mutual benefit as their customers have the latest performance/capability specification so that they can keep their products for longer. You might expect the OTA upgrades to come with a price tag, but reassuringly they are free of charge. 

Taking a step back, I quizzed Udo on the AVM product portfolio. It is both broad and deep, starting with the entry-level 30 Series components, up to the Inspiration range, up again to the Evolution, and finally, the pinnacle Ovation range. On the product breadth front, AVM covers various sources and amplification in various guises – separates, integrated and 'all-in-ones'. Reassuringly, an AVM 'all-in-one' combines amplification with a potential mix of streaming, radio, or CD. The only source not integrated is a turntable.

Few hi-fi manufacturers can claim that they engineer and build such a wide range of products that cater for analogue, digital, streaming, CD, turntables, tonearms and cartridges. But why are there no speakers? Udo's enthusiasm peaked again. “In 2023 AVM will release its first loudspeaker, the CB2.3, spurred on by customer requests of, 'what speakers do you use in house to test AVM products' and 'how can customers achieve the total AVM 'house sound' from their electronics?'”

He continued: “We wanted to make a great speaker and whilst our product development is quick and effective, loudspeakers are not a core competence.” Udo's friendship with Karl-Heinz Fink (of Fink Team) made it simple to find the expertise to work together to develop a compact loudspeaker with AVM's aesthetic and sonic signature. He beamed once again with satisfaction, explaining that “the project teamwork and collaboration was infectious, and the joint outcome created a speaker exactly as we wanted.”

The CB2.3 speaker – CB stands for compact box – is due for release in the first half of 2023 to complete the AVM range breadth. Udo was quick to point out that “the CB2.3 may not be the main speaker system of the AVM Evolution or Ovation series consumer, rather the CB2.3 covers the important AVM' family room' concept”, more of which later…

Udo announced the relation of the CB2.3 and .3 upgrade versatility. “We have been looking at audio system design and although the CB2.3 is a passive 2-way design, with AVM ingenuity, we have stretched the acoustic capability with the .3 series AVM streamers to shape their output. An AVM owner can dial in the CB2.3 frequency response to boost, or relax, frequency regions matched to room positioning, for example against a wall, on stands or a bookshelf.”

Returning to why Udo travelled to Australia, he and Gareth of HiFi Collective were visiting some Sydney Hi-fi specialists to discuss the .3 evolution and transfer knowledge on AVM modular upgrade capability. The modularity concept of the Ovation series allows capability to be added via module cards over the product lifetime. Udo was quick to note, “the modular upgrades will be done in Australia at your local AVM dealer or HiFi Collective.” An AVM customer has a sensible upgrade path and keeps the product aesthetic – the all-important Partner Acceptance Factor (PAF) – whilst upgrading the sonic performance for a fee far less than a new product.

Besides brand stickiness of owners via the upgrade process, Udo showed real concern for sustainability in the hi-fi industry. He pointed out that it's a keen consumer of various raw materials and expensive manufacturing processes and creates products with a limited lifespan. “AVM is focused on sustainability from the components used, final product assemblage to the packaging. The Ovation series products are packed in a transit case and can be returned for upgrades over their lifetime, in fact, AVM welcomes it”, he told me. 

Udo was keen to highlight AVM's sustainment benefits. “Every new product has a five-year warranty, and any hardware upgrade is backed by an additional one-year factory warranty. Customers can take up some, or all, upgrades and maintain the highest level of sonic performance for many years to come”, he explained. Pushing the sustainability pathway, AVM remote controls include machined metal buttons that can be repaired. 

Udo said that some customers chose upgrade paths to gain exclusivity to an AVM 'black' model release. These larger product upgrades are completed at the factory. He pointed out that “placing hi-fi into an isolated room with music enjoyed by one, or few, people limits the musical enjoyment for many. AVM is searching to extend musical enjoyment.”

A world where people spend more time listening together to music drove AVM to create and launch a multi-room audio solution. “Our family room concept is where people come together and socialise, and music can be the focal point or in the background. We want to make products for every room and occasion for listening enjoyment. Thanks to our Roon bridges and compact footprint room amplifiers, owners can now distribute music throughout their home.” AVM's wireless product line follows the usual performance and build quality and delivers, “true hi-res audio to every room in your home at up to 192kHz, 24-bit resolution.” The multi-room system offers broadcast and multicast capability, pushing music to all enabled rooms.

TOMORROW'S WORLD

I was keen to hear from Udo on how AVM approaches product development. The audio world is in constant change, including source technology platform popularity (e.g., cassette, CD, LP or streaming) and trying to be at the front of the curve takes a lot of time and energy. “We get a lot of direct feedback from our customers and distributors. AVM has a direct path to the end-listener and many customer comments or requests have been implemented”, he said. With a direct and short feedback cycle, and with a preparedness to listen to customers, AVM has implemented many new 'good headaches', as Udo called them.

One case in point is that AVM used to make solid-state products only. While visiting their American distributor several years ago, the suggestion of building a valve line stage might work as they were popular then. Udo called his team in Germany, and by the time he returned to AVM's headquarters, the team had dusted off a previous valve line stage design. He laughed as he reminisced: “We had no idea if it was going to be a flop, so we listened to the prototype, tried different valves that totally changed the sound, but in reality, it was a sound that we liked!” The rest is history, as they say. “We liked what we heard, so put the valve line stage into production and offered it as an option for certain products and our customers bought them. In fact, it was so successful it became a 'good headache' to have!” and have now outsold transistor line stages by a ratio of four-to-one.

Udo added: “Every AVM product is designed and manufactured close to our factory, and our neighbouring suppliers have great expertise in material science, industrial and mechanical design, and manufacturing. We are very fortunate to work together with those organisations to try out new materials and manufacturing methods.” 

So how does AVM look at product creation, progression, evaluation and finally release to the market? Udo's response was not what I had expected: “We make every product as good as it can be, if that means a lower tier product is improved and sounds on par, or superior to, the next AVM tier level product, there is no protection!” So technology moves up the product chain? “Yes, if it sounds better than the model(s) above, and if we can hold or make a value-added price adjustment, then we implement the change and release the product or upgrade. At a premium price, we have a responsibility to deliver great sound and build quality to all of our customers.” 

Lastly, I was intrigued by what makes AVM tick. Many hi-fi manufacturers' websites brag about their engineering prowess or product accolades. In contrast, the first line of text on AVM's 'About Us' webpage greets viewers with, “The pure joy of listening!” I asked Udo why this is: “We use the term to drive us forward; it's what we're about as an organisation to serve our customers. They might not be audiophiles, but ordinary people interested in music who think, 'Can I hear the difference?' It is a cycle that continues with their listening, critical or otherwise, bringing them more joy and happiness. This comes from emotional reactions. It could be toe-tapping, getting goosebumps, or drifting away to a musical memory at a concert. We find this is experienced when the music is truly engaging, whether you are listening alone or with friends!”

I think we can all agree with Udo; our days should indeed be filled with 'the pure joy and happiness of listening'!

For more information visit AVM Audio