I also feel outlaw 1050's sound is too bright for me. I use it to drive a pair of Axiom M22Ti for the stereo music listening. I tried both 5.1 direct connect and optical input. The direct connect sounds more natural and warm than optical input. The outlaw DSP and DAC do provide clear sound and detail. However, to me, it's just too bright and too "digital". I listened to NAD T-770 and Arcam AVR-100 before. I like them better in stereo music. For home theater, no question, outlaw is really good.