Hi everyone...new here...I am itching to get into Home Theater...big brother told me "Look at Outlaw" so here I am...been lurkin for a while before finding there was a Forum here. Did a search and have the following quandry and NEED your help.
Should I get the 950/7100 combo or wait a bit (or long time???) for the 1070 receiver???
Anything coming on the receiver that I really NEED to have for the future that wouldn't get covered by the 950/7100 combo?
Thanks,
Bill

It's still hard to say just what the 1070 might offer beyond the 950. We know that it will add a couple of extra processing modes (Pro Logic IIx in lieu of Pro Logic II, Dolby Headphone) and DVI switching, but nobody has heard the 1070 to know how it compares to the 950. The plus side to the 950/7100 combo (aside from immediate availability) could be the fact that you can keep the 7100 for a very long time and upgrade the 950 to something newer in a few years if necessary.

I am not a big fan of receivers even from a company as capable as Outlaw. With that said, I own a 950/7100 set and it is the best home theatre investment that I ever made. Seperates have a fuller more dynamic sound than receivers and that is just how it is.

Cool...my first system was a Yamaha CA610II integrated amp and tuner which I liked much better at the time than any receiver I had listened to...then the Nakamichi (cuz I just HAD to have it) was a receiver that is "kind of like" separates...so I am coming home to separates so to speak.
Thanks,
Bill

Spatula, what's wrong with receivers? I would think that, done as well as Outlaw seems to do their stuff, there wouldn't really be a downside, at least from an audio-quality standpoint.

I understand that upgrading later will be more expensive, but why do you think receivers are inherently lame?

Hey Polarweasel, (Cool Handle by the way)

I am of the old school that says Receivers have 2 inherent problems.

1st - The power section is occupying the same space as the electronics section and no matter how well configured and shielded the inside of a receiver is, there will always be some level of blead through between the amp, preamp and tuner sections.

2nd - THE LAWS OF PHYSICS, no matter how well configured and efficient the preamp tuner section is, you are essentially running two or more components from one power source.

Think of your power cord as a river, what happens when a river forks? Some of the water goes right and some of it goes left, the same thing happens with the electricity going into your receiver. It is split between the Amp and preamp sections, this split in power causes the sound to be leaner, losing some of its transparency and dynamics.


Receivers have come a very long way and Companies like Outlaw, Denon and B&K are far more musically competent and dynamic than they were just 5 years ago, but so have A/V seperates and the seperates have the laws of physics on their side.

I'm not sure I follow your argument on the physics of power cords. Power cords are already oversized for the current they carry, so why would splitting the load over two cords that would then be way oversized be better than one that is still larger than necessary?

edit: forgot to mention, I definitely understand the argument about interference within the case!

Hey Polar Weasel,

It's not so much power cords themselves, it is more the power constraints of running 7+ discrete channels in today's home theatre set-ups. Even though power cords have become oversized, this is not because they are larger than they need to be, but because there is a higher power demand supplying multiple channels.

With seperates you have 2 oversized cords running 2 dedicated components. The power to the Preamp, processor and tuner sections of a surround processor preamp is more than sufficient. The power to a 5,7 or even 9 channel amp is just enough to keep the level of dynamics required for true home theatre output. Any time you add more power constrants to one source, it is going to take away from the dynamics.

Todays Highend Receivers, Outlaw, Denon 3800 series and higher etc..., use discrete channel amplification, usually 10 channels+, run a preamp section, sound processor and tuner section from only one power source and transformer. There is no way that this will provide the same dynamics as two dedicated power sources in two seperate components with two seperate transformers.

In the end this translates into cleaner, more transparent sound with better dynamics and power reserves for seperates.

I must concur with the flat one. I also say leave the tuner out of the pre-pro. Many people have no interest in them, and those that do usually want more than the tuner offered in the pre-pro.

Are you saying that a receiver designed as you describe, can not match seperates. Or that NO receiver can match seperates? I agree that there is probably no receiver that can match a 950/7100 at the price level of the Outlaws. However, there is no technical reason that a receiver cannot have excellent dynamics, power reserve and transparent sound as good as seperates. Look at the specs of the new R8 Lexicon.

Hey Paratrooper,

The Lexicon R8 is an excellent piece of equipment and one of the best Home Theatre receivers made right now, but it does not out perform a Lexicon MC series preamp paired with any LX or CX series amplifier, why?

The R8 has the same internal components as an MC series preamp and LX or CX series amplifier, but yet I know if I gave you the choice of which unit to choose for yourself, you would choose the seperates. The reason is simple, they SOUND BETTER and can be upgraded without throwing out the amp.

Why do they sound better, because of the reasons that I have quoted above.

Now would that receiver perform better than a 950/7100 or 700 combo system, believe it or not it would be closer than you think.

Lexicon does use higher quality components, DAC's, Capacitors etc..., in their equipment, hense the MUCH higher price tag, but the laws of physics would favor the Outlaws!!!