I had a Marantz SR5200 here at home for the past couple days... it's a nice sounding unit but the reproduction is a bit too restrained for my taste. I want something with fuller, more forceful bass and more vibrant highs. So I'm wondering if anybody here has had an opportunity to compare the 1050 with the SR5200?

I realize I will need to audition the 1050 for myself to know for sure if it's what I'm looking for... but I'd like to minimize the chance that I would need to return it.

Thanks in advance for any input.

I haven't heard much Marantz gear, so I can't offer much insight. There have been a few Marantz users here in the forum though. MCH considered the Marantz 6200 and the 1050, and he's been pleased with his 1050. Nreyes ordered a 1050 and compared it to a Marantz 7200, and he and his wife preferred the sound of the Marantz (see this thread ). Cburbs is in the same place you are (or was a week ago ). AwesomeA chose the 1050 over the SR5200 . Lao162 considered the 1050, Denon, and Marantz, and he ended up choosing the Marantz 7200 (see his post on 3/8).

That's not a real answer, but it may give you some more to work with. As for my personal opinion, I've been very satisfied with my 1050 for over a year and a half now, and I've got a co-worker who is demo'ing it at his house right now (I got one of the "drop-out" batch of 950 pre/pros two weeks ago) and loves it.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Gonk, were you a research librarian in a previous life?

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

I am still in the buying stage......still not sure to go with the 1050 or marantz sr6200/7200

Hey "gonk"... I really appreciate your reply. I took a quick look at the topics here last night but somehow failed to notice any of the threads you referenced. Seems like about half the folks preferred the Marantz and the other half the 1050.

I know exactly what "cburbs" means by being uncertain... but I think I'll just go ahead and order a 1050 next week. I'm never gonna know for sure if I will like it unless I listen to it. I want to upgrade my two-channel stereo system to "home theater"... but I'm having one heck of a time finding a reasonably priced receiver that sounds as good for music as the trusty Philips unit I've had for like 7 years.

Thanks for the replies!

David

Glad I could help. The 1050 is definitely worth considering if you're looking for music. You can always do what others have done -- get the 1050, borrow a Marantz, and compare the two at home. If the 1050 wins, you can enjoy it without wondering if you made the right choice. If the Marantz wins, ship the 1050 back.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I was in the same dilema a month ago. So
I auditioned both the Marantz 6200 and the
1050. I ended up returning the Marantz. IMHO, for the price, the 1050 is a high quality built piece, sound much better in 2-channel Stereo and DD 5.1 mode. (only drawback is not having DPLII, but for now I am enjoying it while waiting for the 950)

Thanks much for the additional input Kevin. You have reinforced my decision to give the 1050 a try.

I will be using my new receiver for simple two-channel reproduction of music probably 95% of the time... so that is what I am most interested in. The lack of DPL-II concerns me not at all, since I doubt I would ever use it (or any of the other "simulated" surround modes... none of those effects appeals to my ears at all). When I'm watching movies, I'll go with just unaltered Dolby Digital or DTS. And 5 channels is plenty for me!

What did you like with the 1050 over the Marantz ?
I was able to listen to a 7200 and I thought it sounded very nice. I am sure a lot has to do with what speakers one is using. Circle surround was nice, 6 channel stereo...I did not check it out with a movie at all. I think I will go back to the store to do that before I make my final decision. I need something new and something that will last me for a couple of years.
The other issue is I run a second pair of speakers in the basement thru my current reciever but if I go with the 1050/marantz I wont be able to do that. I will sell my current one ...I don't need three receivers(2nd one is in the garage).

After weeks of deliberation, i finally bought a 1050. It certainly wasn't easy considering i live in Canada and must live with additional shipping/duties not to mention the brutal exchange rate.

Here are my quick thoughts on some of the other models I considered;

Denon 2802 - way too expen$ive ($900 retail here)

Marantz 6200 - slightly cheaper after factoring in additional 1050 costs, decent sound but limited bass management, also newer and looking to establish a solid reputation (there seem to have been problems in earlier versions)

Onkyo SR600 - comparable in features and pricing so it sounds compelling but isn't widely available yet (in Canada), brand new so jury is still out

In the end i chose the Outlaw simply because I believed in the product and the people behind it. A large part of that is due to the posts I've read in this forum and all the external reviews. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

I plan to match the 1050 with some Paradigms (Monitor 7s, CC370, PDR10). If anyone has any Paradigm stories, good or bad, I'd like to hear them!

Jack

Paradigm stories? Sure thing -- there are several members of the forum who have paired Model 1050's with Paradigm speakers. I personally have Paradigm Studio's. They've been a very good combination for me. The Monitor 7's and CC370 should pair up well with the 1050.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I also love my Paradigm's. Currently use my 1050 as a pre/pro with my studios. Have nothing but praise for them but be sure to give lots of brands a listen for you might like something else more or maybe you won't but can't hurt to look.



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m-mmeyer

Im my opinion, the Marantz 7200 sounded a little better, but it was more money and not built as well as the Outlaw.

I bought the Outlaw.

Loomis

Well, I went ahead and ordered a 1050... it arrived yesterday. But I have to say that my initial impressions are mixed. Overall, it sounds a bit better I think than the Marantz SR5200. But it still doesn't sound as good for two-channel music reproduction as my old Philips receiver.

I discovered, however, that if I plug a stereo analog source into the 1050's "direct" inputs, the sound improves rather dramatically.

This is the fourth A/V receiver I have audtioned now, and none of them have impressed me much for simple two-channel stereo use (which is how I will be listening probably 90% of the time). Based on my observations using the 1050's direct inputs, I'm beginning to think that it is the digital circuitry in A/V receivers that I am objecting to.

Any further thoughts on this? Does anybody know of an A/V receiver in this price range that lets a user bypass all the digital stuff when listening to plain-jane analog stereo sources? I realize I can use the 1050's direct inputs to do this, but there's only one set of inputs (I need three... only my DVD player has digital out) and also I lose the subwoofer output.

Thanks!

Jack,
I am running the Paradigm Monitor 7's and the Studio CC with my 1050 and loving every minute of it. I watch DVD's 99% of the time compared to listening to music.
I am using a Pinnacle BabyBoomer sub and the Optimus pro LX5's for the surrounds.
As an added note my Brother-Out-Law (sorry in-law) Also has the MOnitor 7's with his 1050. He is happy with his system also.
Mike
warpdriver1@attbi.com

David

You might want to check out the "analog bypass" entry in the Pre/Pro and Receiver Chart -- aside from using the 5.1 inputs, bypassing the onboard A/D+DSP+D/A is rare. It sounds to me like you've discovered why some people avoid combining home theater and two-channel music into one system. It's hard to do without sacrificing some sound quality for at least one of the two.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Maybe you could find some kind of high quality switching device to connect to your 5.1 inputs, to allow for more devices.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Probably the only good candidate for 5.1 switching (or for 2 channel switching, as I'm guessing that some of David's three high quality analog sources include either a good CD player and/or a turntable) is the Sony TA-P9000 (the add-on unit to their TA-E9000 pre/pro to provide 5.1 support). It's about $600 from Crutchfield (only online US dealer I could find on Google just now, it can probably be had for less elsewhere). It has three 5.1 inputs (two that are affected by the unit's volume control, one that bypasses the volume control) and one stereo input (which bypasses the volume control). Some HTF members have also had good luck using multiple Radio Shack switchboxes for DVD-Audio/SACD switching, which is cheaper but messier.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Wow. At $600, it's more expensive than the 1050 was to begin with! I don't want to guess what it'd cost him in CA.

I think he only needs 2 channel input selection, though, not 6 channel (unless I misunderstood him). I've seen switchboxes that provide 3 or 4 in and 1 out for stereo for not too much money.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Not having gone down the road yet, I can't say from first hand experience. However, would the employment of an external amplifier "clean up" anything and help David out with his situation? Or is it the internal processing itself to which his ears are objecting?

Hey everybody... thanks for the responses. This forum is so cool! I went into this upgrade rather ignorant, but I have learned a lot here.

First... I called Outlaw tech support this morning and talked to a very knowledgeable guy (Scott?... can't recall for sure). He agreed that most A/V receivers do degrade the sound from analog sources because the pre-amp converts it to digital and then back again. He had no real solution and suggested what Gonk did... that I might be happier to have separate setups for music and home theater.

However, the more I listen to the 1050, the better it is sounding. The main amplifier sounds pretty good to me and has plenty of power for my needs, and actually the pre-amp seems decent too when I use a digital connection from my DVD. Apparently, it's the additional digital conversion for analog sources that is giving me "fits" So I'm gonna head over to Radio Shack, see if I can find a simple two-channel switcher, and use that to connect my analog components to the 1050's direct inputs. I will still lose the receiver's bass management... but I think I can get around that by connecting my subwoofer to the 1050's pre-amp outs, and using the sub's cross-over.

Wish me luck! And thanks once again to everybody for your help.

David_W, can you use your old receiver to do the switching, i.e., does it have pre-amp outs?