Best pre/pro ? (1 Viewer)

[BillyLown]

What is the best pre/pro out there without any problems/quirks? under $2000

 

[Jan H]

The Integra DTC-9.4, assuming 'non-upgradeable' is not a problem/quirk.

 

[Parker Clack]

Billy:

I personally believe that the Outlaw Audio 950 is one of the best pre/pro units out there. And it goes for $799.

I have been using this pre/pro with their 770 Power Amp for the best year and have never had a problem. Outlaw is also a great company to work with and their customer service is second to none.

With the money you save on this pre/pro you can put the rest of your money into a great amp or other items for your Home Theater.

Parker

 

[MikeTz]

Parker beat me to the Outlaw 950 recommendation. It has won accolades from the Home Theater press and many loyal owners. Recently Outlaw has sweetened the deal by offering the 950 prepro and 7100 multi-channel amp for $1600. That's a pretty high performance duo at a sub-$2000 price point.

MT

 

[John-Tompkins]

Dont even think about buying something else for under two grand until you've at least demoed the Integra DTC-9.4 ..its feature set and sonics are unbeatable for the money.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

Rotel 1066 is also highly recomended and if you can wait a little bit Rotel has a new model coming out that should offer some of the features of the 1098 for a much lower price...IMO that unit could be the cat's meow at this price point.

 

[Kevin. W]

If your willing to look at receivers as pre/pro's then then Yamaha RX-V1400 is feature rich and very reasonably priced.(THX select, 7.1, YPAO, etc. etc)



Kevin

 

[JoeHard]

I just bought the 1066 for $1100 at a high end A/V shop.They didn't know how the new model would differ but I couldn't turn that deal down.Haven't even hooked it up yet,but can't wait.BTW I'm replacing a Marantz AV 550 and powering with a B@K AV 5000.

 

[DanaA]

I've owned (and loved) the Rotel 1066 and feel it's a great deal for the money (great looks too). It seems that Rotel is always focused on the final outcome, ie sonics. I'll also mention that their customer service is exemplary. Don't really feel comfortable going into details here, but they recently went way above and beyond with some work I wanted done. I'd follow Andrew's suggestion and wait, if you can stand doing so, until their new line comes out shortly. I'm kind of wondering how close it will be to the sonic performance of the 1098, without the TFT screen.

Currently am using the Integra 9.4 and can't believe how great the unit sounds. I really expect that this prepro could hold its own with units costing significantly more. The downside would be if you wanted a firmware upgradeable unit. But, if you're after fantastic sonics and features, I don't think this can be beat. Hopefully, you'll have the opportunity to audition the Integra and the upcoming Rotel (or even the 1066). I found the Integra for $1650 and have heard others getting it for as low as $1400. The Rotel at $1100 would be a great bargain imo. As far as Outlaw, at $799, it might be the best deal out there for a prepro. I just haven't had the opportunity to hear one, so cannot comment on its performance.

 

[Bill Polley]

I'll not neccessarily vote because I really only compared the Outlaw to receivers, but mine is incredible. The 950 is a huge upgrade over my previous equipment (NAD) and even more of an improvement over the Denon 3802, the Yamaha, the H/K, and the others that I tried just before (and in the first 30 days after) I bought the 950 15 months ago.

 

[JohnHa]

What NAD equipment did you have Bill? I'm just wondering because I'm looking at getting a new receiver and have been seriously considering the NAD T763. I've heard nothing but good things about NAD. Were you impressed w/ the NAD equipment you had?

 

[George_W_K]

I am curious as to why no one has mentioned the B & K Reference 50 yet? Does it not fall into the thread starter's (Bill's) criteria of being problem free, or are all of the previous suggestions considered a better choice? I have heard a lot of praise about the Ref 50 and the few probs I have heard about have either been fixed with the latest firmware upgrade, or are subjective problems. I only ask this because I have purchased one recently, but have not received it and was wondering if maybe I made a huge mistake, or if it simply will fall into the "subjective opinion" category.

Hope you all have a Happy New Year!

 

[Mifr44]

George,

It's probably because Billy has asked about the Ref50 quite extensively the last couple of weeks, given the threads started by him:

B&K Reference 30 vs 50
B&K ref 50 price drop?
B&K Reference 50
B&K ref 50
B&K ref 50 vs Outlaw 950
B&K ref 50 digital audio dropouts
Digital audio dropouts

If his limit is $2000 or less, than I think that the Ref50 should be on the audition list, especially since some have stated they are able to get a discount.

Michael

 

[George_W_K]

Wow! Thanks, Mike. I hadn't noticed that he started all of those threads.

 

[Jed M]

If you feel like waiting, the Emotiva should be coming out shortly. The list is 2500 but I wouldn't be surprised to see a lower introductory pricing.

I have done business with Outlaw, SVS, and AV123, and I have been extremely happy with all of their customer service, but AV123 has the edge, no doubt. I would list them as 1. AV123, 2. SVS, 3. Outlaw. I think they are all exemplary, but I kind of get a feeling that Outlaw plays favorites and gives some of their customers preferential treatment, while AV123 or SVS bend over backwards for even the "smallest" customer. That being said, I love dealing with Outlaw and would easily buy anything from them, I just don't think they have quite the same level of service as the previously mentioned.

 

[Rich Wenzel]

stuff under $2k

rotel 1066 (and possibly a newer one)
adcom 860/880
outlaw 950 (and clones, sherbourn & AT)
nad t163
integra dtc9.4
fosgate fap-t1

if it were me, i would wait until after CES to see what comes out and possibly get better pricing...

if i couldnt wait, i would look at:

look at the fosgate, rotel, adcom 880 in that order...the adcom is interesting in that it has 2 multi channel inputs, though one is in the form of a db25 cable....i would still look at the others on the list, but those would be my first choices...

Rich

 

[Ray_C]

The Emotiva stuff looks pretty wild...like the bastard love child of a Monster Power unit and a Rotel preamp (Rotster?.....Montel?...). Pretty cool.

 

[John Kotches]

Ray,

Sold individually, the Emotiva Preamp/Processor will be $2995. With the amp, it'll be $4K.

So, technically speaking, it doesn't meet the pricing criteria.

Regards,

 

[Glenn Baumann]

LEXICON MC-1!!!

Glenn

 

[Charles Gurganus]

Hey John-Tompkins, I PM'ed you.