Anthem Statement M1 1000W Mono Amplifier Preview

I don't typically use mono amps all that much in my systems, but after seeing Anthem's new Statement M1 1000W behemoth I may just change my behavior. The Statement M1 is engineered to produce a ridiculous amount of RMS and peak power - even from a 15A/120V line. With advanced load monitoring and power factor correction technology it can actually produce peak output of up to 2400 watts - supposedly without generating ridiculous amounts of heat or tripping the breaker (internal or external). Anthem is clearly attempting to directly tackle the notion that Class D amplifiers aren’t suited for truly audiophile hi-fi sound systems.

What struck us with this amp was Anthem's claim that frequency response was completely load-independent. This means that the a 2-ohm load versus an open circuit measures just a 0.1 dB difference and there is no measurable difference between 4-ohm and 8-ohm loads. The M1 also doubles down the power when the load is halved, like  good amplifier should. That means that you get 1000W into 8-ohms, but 2000W into 4-ohms. On top of that, THD (total harmonic distortion) stays under 0.1% between 20 Hz and 20 kHz.

Occupying just a 1U rack space, the Anthem Statement M1 makes a statement on space-savings as well. It also uses a unique and innovative heat pipe cooling system that lets you stack multiple M1s on top of each other (with their feet removed) and achieve a giant, combined heat sync system. All of the heat management is passive, so there are no fans and the system runs extremely quiet. 

Now, if you have 240V mains the Statement M1 can put out 2000W continuously, but with the internal power monitoring system it can still put out 2000 watts during typical music peaks without tripping your breakers. The system is pretty smart - though we recommend going for broke and running a 240V line if at all possible, and certainly a dedicated line for each amp if you can only do 120V.

Specifications:

Power Output (continuous, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, <0.1% THD+N)

• 8-ohms: 1000 W
• 4-ohms: 2000 W
• 3-ohms: 2400 W
• 2-ohms: >2000 W
  

Frequency Response 20 Hz to 20 kHz

• open circuit: +/- 0.1 dB
• 8-ohms: +/- 0.1 dB
• 4-ohms: +/- 0.1 dB
• 2-ohms: +/- 0.2 dB
  

Power Bandwidth 1000 W at 8-ohms: 5 Hz to 45 kHz
THD+N at 1 kHz, 8-ohms

• 1W: 0.01 %
• 10W: 0.01 %
• 100W: <0.03 %
• 1000W: <0.06 %

IMD 19 kHz + 20 kHz, CCIF: 0.003 %
Damping Factor: 800 to 1400 (frequency dependent)

The Anthem Statement M1 has an estimated US MSRP of $3500. For more information please visit www.anthemAV.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.