outlaw 1050 vs onky 600 vs hk 520 (1 Viewer)

[peter rustin]

hi guys--i'm on the verge of making some decisions--this is my 1st home theater, and i have bought a mits 55809. i now need to get the audio done.
i'm almost certainly going to get the diva 4.1/c3/2.1 setup, and need some input on the receiver, which i've narrowed down to these 3.
so, some questions--i like the outlaw philosophy and the reviews look good. do i care about component switching? my hdtv already has 3 component inputs, which are filled by our xbox, panny rp56 dvd and the dish 6000 hdtv reciever. is there any benefit to a receiver with video component switching? and if i go with the 1050, am i correct in assuming that i will have to plug the audio from these sources into the receiver, leave the video where they are--plugged into the mits--and switch the video feed and audio feed separately and manually?
next question: do i care that the 1050 has no prologic2? i do listen to cds, and have a few videotapes, but it's mostly gonna be a dvd/hdtv system. if my reciever has no pl2, can i still listen to cd's thru all 5 speakers, or only the front 2?
many thanks from a newbie

 

[Philip Hamm]

In your situation I wouldn't worry about component switching. It's best to let the TV do it if the TV has enough inputs to accomodate everything.

As for DPL II, I have no comment.

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Hi Peter-
Great choices you have there!
I just got a receiver that is capable of doing DPL II and it's a VERY NICE feature to have for viewing Digital TV, not particularly good for regular 2 channel music (which I prefer).
As far as the units are concerned, I think I would go for the HK AVR520. Reason being, HK just puts out GOOD CLEAN POWER and from what I've heard, the Outlaw 1050 does as well.
The Onkyo however is probably going to be the last on my list purely because of aestetics and the lack of future upgradability (pre-amps).(of course this is just my personal opinion)
What I really like about the HK is the Logic 7 mode which I think is MUCH BETTER than DPL II for TV viewing and HK has this distinct natural (I have enought power for your speaker sound )sound it puts out.
HK AVR520 Advantage:
Great AMP and Processor plus upgradability and video switching. Bass management is also a plus better than the other 2 units.
Outlaw 1050 Advantage:
Supposedly more powerfull than the claimed watts. 6 Channels and built like a tank (from the reviews) and great sounding.
Onkyo 600 Advantage:
6 Channels, Decodes DD-EX, DTE-ES, DPLII Video Switching.
Your choice and just my opinion.
Good Luck
Angelo

 

[John Chow]

Peter,

For the Outlaw and Cds, you can listen to cds using all 5 speakers, but will end up using one of the DSP modes. Personally, I think the DSP modes are pretty weak on the Outlaw, and at least one was buggy (Natural, iirc, possibly been fixed, dunno). If you really want to listen to cds w/all 5 speakers, you'd probably be better off with one of the other receivers. For VCR tapes, you can still use Pro-logic without any issues. I'm pretty happy with my 1050, but only listen to cds in 2 channel, so that's not a deciding factor for me.

 

[Eujin]

Peter,

The Outlaw and HK are really the two receivers you should be comparing. Sure, the Onkyo has one or two additional features, but unless you really need component video switching, DDEX or DPL2, I really wouldn't recommend it. This is not to say that Onkyos are bad--I'm a former Onkyo owner myself--but at the 600's level, the Outlaw and HK will spank it in terms of sound quality. I haven't heard the 600, but Onkyo's been pretty consistent over the last couple of years--their lower-priced models have great features for the money, but their higher priced stuff sounds a lot better. For example, with the existing "9" line, the 797 is the first receiver that competes with the HK's 320/520 in terms of sound reproduction quality. Similarly, the 787 sounded in a different league than the 484 or 575. I was in the same position you are now just a couple of months ago and for me, it was a toss-up between the Outlaw and HK 320 and I ended up going with the latter because I needed the component video switching.

 

[StevenK]

I would have to disagree with Eujin on the Onkyo issue. I think it's a matter of personal preference only. You should definitely try to hear each one (cept for the outlaw) before disregarding it.

I am a H/K 520 owner, but I am also an Onkyo 676 owner (2nd house). I actually prefer the 676 for plain jane DD and DTS movies...for me it just seems the decoding is more precise (hard to describe). I use the H/K for all it's extra features including main amp inputs, Logic 7, and component switching.

For straight up 2-channel music, I think they are both equivalent with the H/K sounding warmer but the Onkyo more detailed (not to be confused with brightness). But I can't categorically say one is better than the other.