Ok, I'm looking to "roll my own" home theater setup and I think I know what I want.

I'm looking to buy 2 sets of Magnepan MC1's for the front and rear channels, a CC3 for the center channel. These speakers require a receiver/amplifier that can drive a 4ohm load (which is why I'm here). Also looking at Outlaw's LFM-1 subwoofer (not-sure which one).

I'm so confused! The last time I did any research on stereo stuff was back in the late 80s and I had a much tighter budget back then.

So of course I have a bunch of questions... :rolleyes:

1) I'm considering either the 970/7075 or 7125 combo package. Do I need the extra power to run those speakers? Do I need even more power (like the 7500 or 7700), I hope not as the latter two are REALLY pushing my budget in directions I would rather not go...

2) Is it worth going with the 990 instead? Some of the features I don't see myself using (balanced inputs/multi-room etc) Just wondering if the 990 sounds any better.

3) I really don't understand the difference between the two different LFM-1 models. Can someone explain it to me?

4) I plan on using SACD's with the Playstation 3 I have coming soon, and hear that I need some sort of bass management for it to sound right with the Magnepans/Subwoofer setup I am planning. The ICBM is no longer being made, does the bass management on the 970 negate the need for this device now?

Any and all responses are appreciated!

Thank you so much!

Oscar

There are some Magnepan owners around here who can speak to the power needs of these speakers. With a 4 ohm load, the 7075 will give you 115W and the 7125 will give you 190W. My suspicion is that the 7125 would do all you needed, but others can offer better input on that.

The 990 will sound better than the 970, particularly for music (it has better DAC's). It's a heck of a piece of gear, and one that I heartily recommend based on my experiences with it.

There are actually three LFM-1 models in production, unless they've phased out the Plus when I wasn't looking. The Compact uses a 10" driver, while the Plus and EX use a 12" driver. The Plus is very similar to the original LFM-1 that I have (there's a link to my review of it down in my sig), but adds the ability to plug one port and achieve lower frequencies at the cost of a couple dB of output. The EX has a larger enclosure than the Plus, which is part of the reason that it can get a bit louder and lower than the Plus. It also allows port plugging. Basically, the performance numbers shake out like this:
LFM-1 Compact: 25Hz, maximum 112dB
LFM-1 Plus: 25Hz or 18Hz, maximum 115dB (both ports open)
LFM-1 EX: 22Hz or 16Hz, maximum 118dB (both ports open)
The size of your room and your desire for heavy bottom end would be instrumental in determining which sub is right for you. In my room (a bit over 3100 cubic feet), the original LFM-1 does a great job for movies as well as music. The Compact might even do fairly well for me, although if I were buying now I'd probably go for the Plus just to give myself some options (plug the port to dip below 20Hz).

There's an issue with playing SACD's via the PS3: it has no multichannel analog output, thus no way to play back SACD's except stereo analog output (or HDMI, which won't work with th e970 or 990) due to the copy protection requirements of format.

Oscar,

Your amp needs will be determined by your room size. Having a larger amp will help the Magnepans "breath" and reproduce transients better. If your home theater isn't that large (which I suspect with your choice with two sets of MC1s), you can use the 7075 amp but if you can handle the extra expense, go with the 7125. I have heard a friend's system running MC1s with a 75W/channel Yamaha HT receiver in a moderate sized home theater and it sounded fine for home theater but 2-channel distinctly sounded mid-fi for me. Probably due to the receiver used. So the choice of a 7075 again will be determined by room size. The MC1s are a great sounding speaker by the way! I haven't heard the 970 but I do own the 990 and the DACs are very good. Competes favorably with the best from Burr Brown/TI. In regards to the ICBM and bass management use with the Magnepan CC3, you won't have to be concerned about crossover settings with the 990 or 970 processors. The CC3 goes down to 80Hz while the older Magnepan center channels only went down to 160Hz, hence the need of the ICBM at the time. Either Outlaw processor will take care of your bass management needs for the MC1s. I think you will be quite pleased with your all planar home theater system. I know I am. Hope I was able to answer some of your questions related to Magnepan and you become another Magnepan owner on this forum. I think Gonk was able to answer the other questions for you about SACD use on the PS3. Good luck.

Slbenz

Oh well, the SACD feature was one of the things that made me decide to hunt down one of the 60gb PS3s. Aaaarg! I was looking forward to the SACD mixes of "Tubular Bells" and "Dark Side of the Moon"...

I guess I'll pick up one of those B-stock Denon SACD/DVD-A players floating around on eBay for less than $200 instead. (Will a 970 or 990 handle the bass management of that, or do I still need to invest in a used ICBM?)

Gonk, thanks for your answers. I hope at the very least, Outlaw gives you deep discounts on their stuff for you!

Thanks again!

Oscar

Funny thing is I have never heard Magnepan speakers. I wanted something that would nicely mount in or on the walls. In my research on the internet the MC1's kept coming up, and the something like 98% customer retention/satisfaction pulled me in.

Anyhow, I didn't read this post before responding to Grok. Seems like you answered the bass management thing that had been bothering me.

So far it looks like:

Playstation 3 (in transit)
47" LCD TV (coming in Xmas)
Outlaw 990/7125 (next purchase)
Magnepan MC1's and CC3
Outlaw LFM-1 Plus
SACD/DVD-A player of some sort.

I think it will beat my current setup:
20 year old Teac 2 channel receiver
really old pair of Boston Accoustic HD8's
10 year old 19" generic brand tube TV.


And to think this all started because I wanted a bigger TV as I was having trouble reading subtitles on the tiny TV across the room!

I'm hoping most of this new stuff lasts me another 10 to 20 years! :p

Anyhow, thanks for all your help!!

Oscar

I was worried that you might not be ready for that particular issue - although it's good that you didn't get sidetracked by the 40GB model that apparently dropped SACD support entirely.

For an inexpensive entry into DVD-A/SACD, you might also look for a new OPPO player like the 980H - $180 and it gives you support for both formats with a multichannel analog output that can be hooked up to a 970 or 990.

Either processor will provide the necessary bass management for these formats without the need for an ICBM. The 970 offers two approaches: an 80Hz analog crossover network or a D/A conversion that allows access to the processor's quadruple crossover. The 990 duplicates the latter option. If I had a 970, I'd probably go with the analog crossover network (it worked well for me when I had my old Model 950, and provides the cleaner signal path of the two options). With the 990, I've found the D/A conversion it performs to be remarkably transparent - and it provides for use of the quadruple crossovers, so you can dial things in to suit your speakers.

Awesome review! I never heard of Oppo before, but the splash screen is worth the price of admission alone! And the unit looks like it will visually match well with rest of the equipment I am getting!

Looks like I'll be going through the rest of your reviews!!

Thank you!!

Oscar

Oscar,

I would be a little concerned purchasing one of those Denon B-stock units on eBay. Denon doesn't have a real great reputation for firmware and transport reliability. Go to the AVS Forum and you will see. I agree with Gonk's recommendation on the Oppo. I used to own the Oppo DV-970HD and recommended to my brother-in-law purchasing the Oppo 980. The Oppo 980 has slightly more air and depth to the sound stage than the Oppo 970 I had plus better bass. Oppos in general are very reliable and provide excellent customer service just like the Outlaw's. Also, you will be hard pressed finding a better sounding player in this price range. And just like the Oppo 970 and higher end universal players, the Oppo 980's video circuit can be shut off to lower the noise floor during playback. I would say it compares favorably to the Denon 2910 of old and the current 2930 since they both use the same Burr-Brown 1791 DAC. Recently picked up Dark Side of the Moon on SACD and you will really enjoy it on your Magnepans. Just wait until you hear those Magnepans present their boxless sound and image height on this SACD. It will amaze you!

Slbenz

I own a Denon 3930CI DVD player. It has a problem at fist so I sent it back to Denon for repair. They could not get it back to me in time due to the parts not arrived from Japan so they sent be a refurbished unit that sucked!

I did press D&M holdings (parent company in NJ)and I got my unit back repaired and upgraded firmware. The unit is excellent for video and good for music.

I since had the unit modified for Audio and now it is a excellent sounding unit!

Dacmark I belive sells denon units. I suggest you get a B stock unit and then send it to http://www.sacdmods.com .

The dEnon players are very , very good since they have the great upconverting video precessor and they sound good too.

I am an audiophile so I wanted better sound fopr 2 channel music so I have my modified.

Liz

LOL, that player ($1k - $1.5k) along with the modifications ($800) is unfortunately a bit out of my price range (for an SACD player anyhow).

But thanks for the info!!

Oscar

Get a used one.

Even used is out of his price range, even without factoring the mods into the mix. It's a potent solution for a source, but it's not a match for all budgets.