Anthem TLP 1 Product Review

P R O D U C T
REVIEW
" WARNING: ANTHEM GEAR
MAY BE ADDICTIVE.
B Y E R I C H E T H E R I N G T O N
I've always used integrated amplifiers—
not only because I then needed to buy one
less interconnect, but because they also
save space, which was always at a premi-
um in my New York City apartment. Now
that I've made the move from city slicker to
suburban dad, I've got space to spare and
can finally explore separates.
The TLP 1 preamplifier-tuner and PVA 2
two-channel power amplifier are the entry-
level models in Anthem's line. The TLP 1
shares the good looks of Anthem's AVM 20
multichannel preamp-processor-tuner, but
its features have been scaled down for
a two-channel system. The PVA 2 is the
125Wpc stereo sibling of the five-channel
PVA 5 and seven-channel PVA 7 ampli-
fiers. But don't mistake "entry-level" with
compromised value, quality, or sound. The
TLP 1 PVA 2
•
TLP 1 and PVA 2 delivered the goods in a
way that belied their sensible pricing.
FEATURES AND SETUP
The TLP 1 and PVA 2's beautiful brushed-
silver enclosures make them a pretty stylish
couple. The TLP 1 comes with a simple
FM/AM antenna and a universal remote
from which you can control all of its fea-
tures, as well as those of your DVD player,
VCR, or satellite box. While the PVA 2 is
pretty straightforward, the TLP 1 has sev-
eral features that greatly increase its value
as a tuner and preamp.
The front of the TLP 1 has a large control
knob, a small display, a headphone jack,
and several small buttons that control all
of the preamp-tuner's functions. The dis-
play usually shows which source, volume
"
setting, and station frequency have been
selected. The front-panel buttons are ar-
ranged logically, although having larger
buttons for the functions used most often
would have been helpful.
Starting on the TLP 1's left side, there are
rows of three buttons each for input selec-
tion, and a seventh for selecting the record-
ing path. The input buttons' labels—which
include DVD, VCR, and Aux-Sat—indicate
that Anthem expects the TLP 1 to be used
in an audio/video system.
The next item to the left is the headphone
jack, which provided adequate power for my
Grado SR60s. This is followed by the display,
and under it, two rows of buttons. The first
row includes the tuner's station presets and
seek function. The second row begins with
TLP 1
PVA 2