Rotel 1066 already outdated? (1 Viewer)

[Bradley WP]

I have been looking at the following options:

- Outlaw 950

- Rotel 1066

- Anthem AVM20

Due to my location in the Southern Hemisphere the only distributorship that is well supported is Rotel Outlaw and Anthem requiring huge cartage costs and should anything go wrong the return policy is half way around the world). However after discussing the prospect of a 1066 with some of the retailers I was surprised to hear the Rotel is presently working upon a Surround Processor with 8.1 and might be better to wait. Has anybody else heard wind of this?

However this leads to the question where will the development end? Researching Mr THX 10.2? 12.2? Whilst the argument rises how many speakers are effective and useful within a room, you would have to agree that tastes of 6.1 available at present provide incentive to get the next speaker.

Ultimately this impacts upon amplification. My equipment and size of room require 100W @ 8 Ohms (I know this measure is dubious) to extract the best out of my room and investment. When buying amps is there now a market for buying 2x6 or 2x5 Channel Amps to make you future proof.

Any thoughts as to a possible direction or strategies to keep ahead of the pre/pro and amp game would be appreciated.

 

[JohnSC]

Braley,

I am from Aus also. Where can we get Outlaw from?

I am sure Rotel is working on the next model. That the beauty/problem with this hobby. Progress is so fast.

John

 

[Mike_Ch]

G'day fellas,
Nice to see some aussies around here!
Bradley, not too sure how the 8.1 speaker scenario would work, but I'm betting that the extra channel is not discrete, but is matrixed, so your receiver or pre/pro will be able to handle any future software ie. backwards comaptible with DD 5.1. With amps, you can get almost any combination to cater for your needs eg. for 7 channels, buy a 5-channel and a matching 2-channel from the same manufacturer and so on. With receivers, upgradibility is a little harder to cater for additional channels should they be devised. For pre/pro's to be future-proofed, you'd need software upgradbility eg via an RS-232 port, and modular dacs/processors etc. Of course, you'll be paying upwards of US$3K for this, so it comes at a price. And it may not be fully future-proof either, since firewire digital transfer in processors is just around the corner, and some manufacturers might choose not to incorparate this as an upgrade due to logistics or whatever.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is enjoy what you've got now, and don't worry about keeping up with every new development as they occur- since there will always be something new out. But you can bet that what you've got now will last at least a few more years, and then as the uprgading bug bites you can get that megabuck piece you've been eyeing... and on the cycle goes
Cheers,
Mike
EDIT: If you're willing to splash the cash for the Anthem AVM20, you might stretch to get the Integra RDC-7, which is also unbelievably good, and thankfully sold here in Oz.
As for getting Outlaw here, I'm sure that shipping can be arranged at a reasonable price- just check out the SVS website orders as an example! Can't wait to get mine

 

[Tony Lai]

This upgraditis is a load of crap. You should be after a shortlist of new features and that is it.

I'm not terribly interested in either SACD or DVD-A so basically firewire can go jump...

Material is scant to say the least in Sydney. What can I play my copy of Corrs 'In Blue' ad infinitum over firewire?

The only things I truly want is dpl2, Dolby-EX and dts es-6.1 - everything else is unnecessary or a bonus.

In that case, either the 950 or 1066 would do fine.

>EDIT: If you're willing to splash the cash for the Anthem AVM20, you might stretch to get the Integra RDC-7, which is also unbelievably good, and thankfully sold here in Oz.

Yeah prepared to be shocked with how much the RDC-7 actually costs. If it was a direct conversion of the US Street and perhaps if our currency weren't so fucked, it would be a goer.

>As for getting Outlaw here, I'm sure that shipping can be arranged at a reasonable price- just check out the SVS website orders as an example! Can't wait to get mine

At this juncture it's all smoke and mirrors - more so for 240v folk who are given even longer delivery dates than the US.

Look I'm all for waiting but in this case where the competition is equaling Outlaw, I'd buy a 1066 and see what happens with the 950... because having the patience of Jobe is not one of the attributes of being an 'Outlaw'...

T.

 

[Mike_Ch]

Tony,

The Integra RDC-7 costs 7K here in Australia, which compared to some high end pre-pros like Lexicon's MC-12, is actually not marked up too high.

Sorry if you misunderstood my ramblings, but I meant that I couldn't wait to get my SVS sub, *NOT* the outlaw pre. If I wanted a pre, I certainly couldn't be buggered waiting the 3 months or whatever plus delivery time for a piece of equipment when I could get the outgoing RSP-976 for a substantial discount... since I'm getting a dedicated 2 channel setup, and not too fussed about my multichannel.

Btw, Warner has about 30-50 DVD-A recordings out, so the catalogue is growing, but most of the music is crap to say the least.

Cheers,

Mike