AVM A 30.3 Integrated Amplifier Review

AVM is a company that may have slipped under your radar. It’s headquartered in Malsch, in Southwest Germany. They’ve been in business for 30 years, and their reputation spread throughout Germany, then Europe, and now they are making waves in the United States and Canada.

I’ve owned a lot of audio equipment over the years. Things I’ve bought, and things I’ve built. In my early years, the rage and conventional wisdom were all about integrated amps or receivers. The ‘get it all in one box’ philosophy was very strong with brands like Fisher, Sherwood, Pioneer, Sansui, and Kenwood.

Then, prevailing wisdom changed. Sharing power supplies and other components was not a good thing it was said. Amps, tuners, and preamps were now all the rage. And to me, these separate components did sound better. Sure, people still bought all-in-one equipment, and to this day home theater receivers are very popular. But to many die-hard audiophiles, separate components were the way to go.

The AVM A 30.3, the subject of this review, defies the conventional wisdom that separate amps and preamps are required for the best sound. In this integrated amp, the twin 100 watts per channel (8 Ohm) amps are physically and electronically separated on a single chassis with two power supplies and twin electronics. Think of it as two mono-amps never interacting. Add a low distortion, flexible stereo pre-amp with lots of connectivity and it should add up to audio heaven. And it does. In sound, build quality, and ease of use, this is the finest sounding integrated amp I’ve come across.

The AVM A 30.3 is about as full-featured an integrated product as you could hope to find. With an array of digital and analog inputs, it should handle a complex audio system.

This is a very solidly built product. Its design is subdued, yet it looks powerful just sitting on the shelf with large knobs for input and volume and a clear LCD screen that glows a light blue.

The simplicity is deceptive because the few controls can double as bass and treble adjustments, input sensitivity settings, Bluetooth pairing, and more. The frequency response of inputs and outputs is very wide, hinting at excellent engineering.

Even moving the knobs says quality. They don’t flop around and are very precise. As you set the volume you can see the volume level displayed, and you can get the control exactly where you want it. A lot of high-end gear forgets about things like the tactile response of controls, but AVM gets an A+ here.

There’s a solid variety of inputs and outputs on the AVM A 30.3. That includes 5 line-level inputs (including 1 XLR), 1 preamp output (left and right) (RCA), a headphone connection in the form of a 6mm jack, and 3 digital inputs: USB 96kHz / 24bit, SPDIF optical and SPDIF coax. The unit also supports Bluetooth 4.2.

One missing output is a subwoofer out, a surprising omission in such a high-end component. While a user can certainly use the RCA variable pre-amp outputs, it would be better to have a dedicated subwoofer out. For example, if you decided to use the A 30.3 as a preamp only while feeding a more powerful amp, then those variable outputs would be tied up.

I did use a powered subwoofer using the variable outs, and it worked ok, but I consider it a workaround.

The integrated amp ships with a very elegant metal remote. It lets you adjust while seated in your favorite chair. If you have other AVM components, such as the disc player, you can start, stop, and skip tracks. If you have an AVM Tuner, you can select radio stations. The remote thoughtfully has soft rubber feet so it won’t mar your furniture.

The AVM A 30.3 also includes what they call a home theater loop feature or AV Pass through. It takes all the inputs and makes them fixed rather than variable to pass into an AV component.

Speaker connectors are of high quality, allowing either spade lugs, bare wires, or banana plugs. Connections were firm and trouble-free.

When headphones are connected, the pre-amp outs and speaker terminals are muted.

The AVM A 30.3 was very well packed with foam and custom cardboard spacers. Connections were just a matter of plugging into AC power, attaching components like a disc player or streamer, and connecting stereo speakers. The remote already contained batteries. I found the manual to be clear and concise, with several diagrams.

The AVM A 30.3 separates itself from the crowd both in terms of listening and physical ergonomics. As I’ve mentioned, the tactile design of the unit is excellent. Input switching and volume control are precise, with heavy, well-built controls. Everything just feels a cut above standard component.

General listening impressions were very positive. I listened with inefficient speakers (KEF LS 50s) and more efficient Focal towers. The dual mono 100 watts per channel amps sounded superb. Maybe the dual mono design enhanced separation because I felt more precise positioning of instruments than with other amplifiers that I’ve had driving my speakers.

A variety of headphones sounded good, and I found the AVM A 30.3 to be an excellent headphone amp. Low distortion, and again, excellent separation made the sound faultless.

Input switching is accompanied by an audible click letting you know you accomplished the task of selecting a new input. It’s also reflected on the clear front-panel display.

Much of my music listening was through a Bluesound Node 2i, which functioned as a Roon endpoint. That way I could queue and sample a variety of high-quality files.

I did not feel the need for using the bass or treble controls, but they are audibly pleasing. They function more like an equalizer, making gentle changes to frequency response. They will be helpful if your room acoustics need a little help.

Things that impressed me during long and detailed listening sessions included:

Value is a tough one but easy to justify if you’re looking in this price range. There are certainly a variety of less expensive integrated amps around. Few, however, with the excellent dual mono amps that are part of this package. That design and a whisper-quiet preamp section are simply not available in lower-cost alternatives. I think the sound of the AVM A 30.3 is simply exemplary, so it presents a high value albeit at a high price.

There’s a lot to like about the AVM A 30.3. Yes, it’s pricey, but not overpriced given the quality of the audio presentation and marvelous build quality, and attention to detail. This could be a great choice for a full-blown high-end 2-channel system in a home or apartment. The dual amps can drive just about anything with super sharp imaging and inaudible distortion. The electronics are free of audio clicks when changing inputs, but there is a nice physical click confirming the input change. The AVM A 30.3 can handle digital inputs as well, and I could find no fault with the high-quality DAC that’s part of the package.