Hello

I have been looking at this preamp for a while and was wondering if anyone here put it up against the Rotel RSP-1066? Also I would like to hear your experiences with the 950.

At one point in time, when both processors were new, this debate was beaten to death. To give you a synopsis of what resulted, basically everyone who owned an Outlaw liked the Outlaw better and everyone who owned Rotel liked the Rotel better. At the very beginning Outlaw had some hiss problems and Rotel had limited video switching bandwidth, both of which have been fixed, so keep that in mind if reading archived threads.

IMO, at this stage of the game, both processors are getting a little old, so I would look to spend as little as possible, aka, the outlaw.

Before I bought 950 last week, I borrowed Rotel 1098, which costs twice as much as 1066, from a local store. I tried it for 1 day and returned. I wasn't impressed at all, and decided to go with 950. It could be that 1098 wasn't broken-in yet, or whatever the reason, it didn't sound as good as I expected. I'm pretty happy now with 950. FYI: the British magazine What Hi-Fi? chose 1066 as one of the best buys.
tvd51

Another option to consider is the brand new Sherwood Newcastle pre/pro/tuner which (hopefully) will be available later this month! Its SRP is just under $1500 and it should sell on the street for even less.

Thanks for the replies. What do you think about NAD's new T163 preamp, which is $1400 US? Also what do you guys think of the 950's 2 channel music preformance I heard it was a bit lacking and weak?

Thanks

I'm going to also suggest that you audition the Integra 9.4, which retails for 2k, but can be had for about $1600. Haven't heard the Outlaw, but own the Rotel. Love the Rotel, but imo the 9.4 is noticably better sonically as well as feature wise. Not only does it have a tuner, but can be connected to your computer for net tune. It comes with a Chad remote which itself retails for $500. It has a headphone jack and a phono preamp built in. In comparison with the B&K model 50, which just lowered it's msrp from $3000 to $2000, I liked the sonics much better, although I only compared using two channel and it was at two different places using two different setups. However, I do listen for specific things and, again my opinion, it was the better of the two. It is THX Ultra 2 and Dolby Digital EX certified, but is not firmware upgradable. Still, in my eyes, a sonic and feature bargain.

This said, the Outlaw is a steal, imo, at its price.

Out of all those units listed, except for maybe the 1098, I'd still take the 950 and its triple crossover and the analog BM for DVD-A and SACD.

The 950 and the Rotel 1066 are almost two years old. They were the two least expensive pre/pro's (with DPL II) when they came out, two years ago. The 950 was the cheapest. The Rotel 1066 wasn't far behind. I probably wouldn't buy either get one today. Newer pre/pro's are on the horizon. To its credit though, the 950 is still even today the least expensive pre/pro with DPL II on the market, bar none.

The problem with most of the new ones, which is the same problem as most of the old ones, is that most of them have a variable global crossover, and not individuals, and none of them have BM for the analog inputs, except for the more expensive units that digitize those inputs (MC-12, AVM-20). The Sherwood will have DPL IIx, and that is its only advantage IMO over the 950. The Integra doesn't, and isn't software upgradeable either. Just because something is 2 years old doesn't mean it's obsolete. Good sound is still good sound. DPL IIx is the only reason to *not* get the 950 right now. Unless something like Logic 7 is desired. And even though the 950 doesn't have have DPL IIx, it *does* have the CES modes which still does give a unique 7.1 experience with 5.1 soundtracks and other sources. Just probably not as spatially distinctive in the back of the room as DPL IIx.

Hi, I am new to this forum and have been considering the 950/770 combo. As I am new to HT as well, what is DPL IIx exactly and how big of a deal is it? Is it worth waiting for to purchase a pre/pro?

Thanks in advance for any help.

DPL IIx -- or Dolby Pro Logic IIx -- is an extension of Pro Logic II (PL II). PL II has been available for a couple years, and offers 5.1 surround derived from a stereo source (TV, VCR, Dolby 2.0 DVD's, CD's); it is a significant improvement over the original Pro Logic, which produced just 4.0 (left and right, center, and a mono surround signal). PL IIx is an addition to PL II that adds discrete surround back channels, or 7.1. The 950 includes PL II and a separate bit of processing called Cirrus Extra Surround that produces a mono surround back channel from any 5.1 source (including PL II) which can be sent to one or two surround back speakers.

Personally, I would not wait for PL IIx unless there were other things that I was also waiting for -- it's too easy to let yourself wait forever to get the next new thing.

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

Thanks for the info/help Gonk. As I said in my last post, I am interested in setting up a HT and was looking at the 950/770 combo. I'm still trying to decide between these and the Rotel 1066/1075, the tuner and 7 channel amp for the lower price are pushing me towards the Outlaw units though.

No problem, Cozmo, glad I could help. The 950's a great piece, and from everything I've heard about the 770 it's as good as or better than my older 750, which I'm very attached to.

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

Just to let you know, I've purchased the 950 and it is better sounding than the previous HT recievers I've owned. I'm comparing it to what I've owned and its predecessor was a very good piece of equipment. I listen to a lot of 2 chanel stereo music and I like it. The ONLY thing I don't like is the 950s inability to lock onto the beginning of a song when you first start the CD, or switch sources. But that has nothing to do with the sound quality...

Two more issues with the 1066 that I remember:

1) You have to hook up the pre/pro to your display to set it up. Can't use the screen on the pre/pro itself.

2) The Rotel has the "double bass" problem with the 5.1 analog inputs, and there is no way around it, unless you want to void the warranty and do some internal surgery on the unit yourself.

Kevin,

You're right regarding the OSD.

Regarding the 5.1 multi-channel bass management fix though, we're in a grey area. I think that Rotel officials have communicated to Andrew Pratt that it is OK for one to do the resistor "snip" if one does it correctly. If not, then the warranty is voided. However, it is apparantly a pretty easy proceedure. At least this is my understanding. I could be incorrect. In any regard, Rotel will perform the fix for free for any units sent to them, costing the user approximately $20 in shipping costs and, to me more importantly, not having your unit for two to three weeks.

By the way, I was curious as to whether you have heard the Integra 9.4? Again, I haven't heard the Outlaw, but strongly feel the Integra is a very significant step up from the Rotel sonically. In fact, I'm pretty amazed by what it can do for the price I had to pay.

Last I heard, yes, Rotel will do the mod for free, minus shipping to them. (Unless you can get a local dealer to do it.)

But once you open it up, whether you do it right or not, no more warranty.

And just to be fair, there was always a few things about the 1066 that I personally liked: the appearance, no tuner, the xS modes that Rotel uses to expand 5.1 sources to a 7.1 speaker setup does give non-mono rears. The 950's are mono.

If I am remembering correctly (I looked at the Integara myself for a little while), one reason it might sound so good is that it uses Wolfson DACs. Pretty high end stuff for a pre/pro at this price point. Me, myself, and I: I am not a fan in general of Cirrus DACs (what the 950 uses).