[mrdap]

Hello to All,

I am new to the forum and going nuts 'cause I'm finally putting together my my first real HT!

Yesterday I brought home a Sony KDS-R60XBR2. Wow! But I hate the ears.....

Today I put a down payment on the speakers:

Def Tech
BP7004 (2) Front mains
C/L/R 2500 Center
BP2X (2) Surround (2 more later)
Sub later (BP7004s and 2500 contain powered woofers)

I hope someone can give me some advice on the Pre/Pro and Amp.

I have been agonizing on the selection. I have analyzed Adcom, NAD, B&K, Rotel, Lexicon (dream on), Arcam, and Outlaw as well as Denon and Elite receivers.

I will be starting out in a large room about 23x15 until I get the real HT room done, which is 16x14.

Although the 990 has 2 DVI inputs and one output, I have pretty much decided that it makes no sense to use the Pre/Pro to do the switching when the TV has so many inputs and the switching is built in. Since I will ultimately have 3DVI/HDMI devices (Sat, Blue-Ray DVD, and PC) two inputs is not enough anyway.

So, it seems I'm really buying the Pre/Pro for its sound qualities, audio switching and decoding, although, I have to admit, having DVI or HDMI switching available seems like a good idea.

I have a Rotel Seperates/Klipsh Heresy 2 ch stereo I have been using for quite a while, which has served its purpose for two channel.

I have concluded that I should go seperates for the performance and expandability.

I have also concluded that the Outlaw 990 Pre/Pro paired with a 7125 (or 7200 for $850 more) amp combo for $1898 can't be beat based on the specs and the write-ups, but I've never seen one, let alone heard one.

Here's my question(s)

1. Has anyone actually purchased these Outlaw units, and if so, are they quality pieces and how do they sound? In other words, does the old "You get what you pay for apply here?"

2. And can anyone comment on how they compare to the other brands I mentioned above, which are, in general, twice as expensive?

3. 125 w/ch or 200 w/ch? I like music loud for brief periods, and I want really awesome effects.

Thanks in advance for any advice I may receive. This forum is awesome, there is incredible info here, I only hope I can read it all one day!

Also would welcome any other comments on my selections so far!

dap

[Peter Doten]

I bought the 990 last year to go with my Carver AV-105 amp, it replaced a Nakamichi AV-8 receiver that had been doing the pre/pro duties.

Overall, I am really impressed. I looked at an NAD and a B&K at the local hi-fi place (bought some stuff there a few years back) and decided on the outlaw. If I had the money I surely would have picked the B&K, but as I didn't feel like spending nearly 3x what the outlaw cost, I didn't. The NAD didn't impress me, and I couldn't see where the money was going except in the name and the pocket of the store owner.

I couldn't do any side by side comparisons so it's really hard to say which one might be sonically better than the other, although IMO, it really comes down to features more than anything. My only complaint with the Outlaw would be turning the headphones on and off is a little irritating (have to hold the mute button on the remote for a few seconds, I would prefer a hard switch). But other than that I love it!

HTH

[mrdap]

Peter,

Thanks for the response!

DAP

[Arthur S]

mrdap

In my humble opinion, you are placing too much emphsis on electronics rather than a subwoofer. If you get a subwoofer with your speakers, you won't need a lot of power. Almost everyone recommends that you set your pre-pro or receiver to the Small speaker setting and let your subwoofer handle the bass. There is really not much difference in the sound of various receivers and separates, speakers make about 1000X more difference than electronics.

If I were you, I would get a subwoofer along with your speakers and spend less on electronics. I would probably go with a Denon 2807 and put the difference into a subwoofer.

The Denon 2807 is very highly regarded.

Also, Denon is coming out with a new line of receivers in the middle of 2007 that will have HDMI 1.3 and decoding for DolbyTrue HD and DTS Master HD. Still hard to go wrong with the Denon 2807.

PS I just picked up a Denon 5803A. It is pretty amazing.

[mrdap]

Thanks Arthur for your comments.

I plan on getting a sub later. I will re-consider getting one right now. The BP7004s each contain a 10" active and passive sub with a built in 350 watt amp and the CLR2500 has a 8 sub with a 150watt amp. I thought that might hold me until I can afford a really powerful sub.

I will look into the Denons you suggest.

Thanks.

DAP

[DaveHo]

I've had a 990 for a few weeks now. So far I'm diggin' it. Big step up from the Outlaw 1050 receiver I was using as a processor.

To take a step back, I would reconsider your speaker choices. You will get much better performance by getting a separate sub. In addition to the fact that Def Tech's low freq specs are rather questionable, having the sub integrated with the speaker really doesn't allow for optimal placement. I'd skip the built in subs and get a real sub from SVS, HSU, etc instead. You'd likely spend less money in the end. If you like the DefTech sound then check out what they offer without the sub. However, as the owner of a pair of DefTech BP30's for a number of years, lets just say that when I got rid of them I could have kicked myself for waiting so long. The bipolar design of them initially sucks you in, but after a while your left wondering what was so great about them. I'll never own another pair.

-Dave

[Arthur S]

mrdap

DaveHo has this exactly right.

[mrdap]

Can you recommend a line of speakers, without built-in subs, that I can buy left, right, center and surrounds for about $2900 ($2480 out the door with discount) that would out-perform the Def Techs?

As I said, I do plan on getting a powerfull sub, however I was going to defer that for a few months.
I am not hung up on the $2900 number I could adjust that number for better speakers, but roughly the same price range.

Thanks.

Edit: Previous edit deleted

DAP

[Arthur S]

mrdap

All I can say is, regardless of what brand of speakers you decide to buy, you really ought to get a subwoofer at the same time, rather than putting it off. The experience is not going to be correct if you defer the purchase of a subwoofer. There are lots of great buys on subwoofers at this time, however some prices are going to go up after the holidays.

[mrdap]

Arthur,

Thanks again for the input. I understand your point about the sub, and am looking into those.

DAP

[mrdap]

Thank you Dave for your input.

Anyone else have info on Outlaw?
I have an itchy trigger finger.

DAP

[Nick:G]

Quote:

In my humble opinion, you are placing too much emphsis on electronics rather than a subwoofer. If you get a subwoofer with your speakers, you won't need a l