hello guys,

my first time here in the saloon. for a while i've been a fence sitter sifting and reading through all the interesting stuff that are highly informative. several months ago, i bought an onkyo home theater in a box coz at that moment it 's the only thing i can afford, and to get my feet wet in the home theater field coming from a dpl past. i have been seriously considering the outlaw 950/770 combo for months but kept holding back to be sure i don't regret any wrong decision. i also tried reading on anthem avm20, aragon stage one, sunfire tg3, just to name a few. but honestly, these are all in "dream on..." list which may not really see the light of day in my room. well, who knows, right? miracles do happen. but i'm a very pragmatic person. why do i have to part with so much $$ to gain minimal gain in the process. i'm referring to the 950 vs. high-end/high-cost pre/pro. at any rate, if any one can share his/her thoughts on the best possible upgrade to my existing setup, i would greatly appreciate the advise.

i listen to music (70%) and watch movies (30%). for music, i have jazz, rock, pop, dvd-audio.

existing system:
onkyo receiver ht-r510 (100w x 6, 8 ohms, 20hz - 20khz)
paradigm studio 40 v.3 mains (amp power range:180w; max input power: 140w); 92dB sensitivity)
paradigm studio cc/470 v.3 center (amp power range:180w; max input power: 130w); 90dB sensitivity)
onkyo surrounds (RL, RR, BS)
onkyo sub (150w)
panasonic dvd-f85 player w/ dvd-audio
room dimension: 12x15x8 ft, carpeted floors w/ couches

questions:
1. is upgrading from onkyo htr510 to 950/7100 oceans apart, worth every penny?
actually, i'm happy with the present setup considering but not that wowed. i think the paradigms are not getting the proper feedings they deserve. they could do much better. it took me a lot of convincing after months or research before i splurge on the paradigms.

2. what about 950 vs aragon stage one?
i already read the review of 950 vs anthem avm20 and the cost/benefit ratio closes my doors on the anthem.

3. will my paradigms sing better with 7100 or 770?
i've learned from what i read that having more amp power vis-a-vis speaker wattage range is preferred. besides, it will be years/decades before i ever purchase or upgrade to another amp.

4. i'm bothered by the review on hometheaterhifi.com regarding 950's SSP capabilities. brian florian of secrets (q&a 374 - december 4, 2003) made a review and noted a number of hiccups and gave it to outlaw. his best ssp is the anthem avm20. any comments.

5. has anyone compared onkyo tx-sr800 (or tx-sr701 which replaced tx-sr800) with 950? this model is recommended by hometheaterhifi.com. this onkyo has THX certification and the price is about to 950. it's even lower right now at crutchfield.com ($650).

thanks for any help.

ronald

1. yes
2. the aragon is 4 g's, so id give the edge to the 950
3. 770
4. anthem is the best and that is why it costs so much
5. i used to think onkyo was a great value, but now i tend to think they are not so great. harman kardon is a better processor if you plan to use separate amps but are going to get a receiver.

keep in mind that outlaw is gonna release a new receiver at the end of this year, along with a new amp (though it could be insignificant for your needs), and the 950 is a little dated for considering what is out right now. there is a link on here about the sherwood p965 being pretty good, but sherwood is not the greatest company... they do have different lineups and the p965 is from the better one.

i recently got the denon 3805 to use as a pre/pro along with seperate amps and enjoy it very much.

curegeorg:

thanks for the quick answers.

i just received a newsletter from outlaw and they were telling me about the new york home entertainment show. they're coming out with new products and i think they're worth waiting for.
sherwood is not in my mind before but from what i gathered from this forum, i'd like to read more about the p965.

ronald

I too have been on the fence for about a year. Should I mortgage the house and go for an Anthem? Should I wait for Outlaw to come out with the 950 replacement? Should I just say to heck with it and get an Onkyo? Should I give in to the wife and buy her more shoes instead? But I never decided against the Outlaw because I'm all for quality over looks or bells and whistles. And if I keep waiting for the latest and greatest equipment to process the latest and greatest formats, well, that could go on forever. So with the rumors flying I decided to wait and see what would be unveiled at the HE show, and when it appeared that the new product at end of year would be the 1050 replacement, not the 950, I figured I should go for the 950, then the waffling started again. But when the Outlaws offered a show discount of another $100 off the 950/7100 combo I took the plunge and I'm glad I did. I've only had them for a week or so, but they are 2 fine pieces of equipment. They have all the features and flexibility I need and then some, quality construction, and the bottom line, they sound great. I just think they are an awesome value.
Good Luck with your decision.

I think you should save yourself some more $$$ and go for the 950/7100 instead of the 770. The speakers you have are pretty easy to drive and your room is smaller than mine so the 7100 should be more than enough. The 950 is a little dated but it still has all the basics and great sound. Hope this helps

Lasher

Go with the 950/7100 combo. I've had mine for 6 days now and it is very impressive. (Initial thoughts will be posted as soon as I'm done tweaking) You simply can not go wrong, sound, power, flexibility, every surround option except DPLIIx. The 7100 should give you all the power you need, it fills my 16 x 23 effortlessly. Take the plunge, you'll be happy you did!!

i'm looking forward to your review. thanks.

sorry, i can't help but continue in this thread...

curegeorg mad me curious so i've researched and read the reviews of denon 3805, more notably the one by audioholics.com - pretty impressive features galore for the money ($899.95 lowest price)!

so, can we hear from curegeorg bow the 3805 fare so far? do you have first hand experience with (owned or personally heard) the 950 and if so, how does it compare sonically with the 950? dsp modes do not fascinate me, actually i ignore them totally.

i know i can be waiting forever for the "latest and the greatest"... i still want to read more reviews about the 3805. honestly, though, 950 seems to weigh more for me only its a bit dated. or perhaps i'll hold my horses and wait a little for the 950 upgrade (next year?) oh well

If your Onkyo has preouts, I think you would see a MUCH better boost in performance if you got a new amp and a new subwoofer instead of a new receiver or preamp.

If you want to go with Outlaw, I would get the 770 and 2 LFM-1 subwoofers.

If it doesn't have to be Outlaw, I would get the Crown xls 402 for your mains and let the Onkyo handle the other channels since you mainly listen to music. For the sub I would get an SVS 20-39PC+ or a PB2+ depending on how large your room is.

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thanks steve. unfortunately, my onkyo doesn't have preouts (darn!). that's fine, so i have a reason (excuse?) to get a preamp. i tried reading up on crown xls 402. cheap, powerful but i can't find any reviews.
and yes, i intend to change my sub. probably an lfm-1. i'd also look at your suggestions (svs 20-39PC+).