I am going to be getting a complete overhaul to my hometheater system (essentially i am actually getting one that is not HTIB).

I am going to be purchasing a new TV, DVD player, receiver (or pre/pro in this case), speakers, and possibly a mega cd changer.

Because I am doing this basically from scratch this is going to be a fairly expensive proposition.

I have come to the following decisions:
1) to spend the most money on what I will notice the biggest difference with
2) to spend the most money on which items quality will deterioate the slowest (or economically speaking, which will depreciate the least)

From this I have decided that the RPTV will depreciate the fastest, and therefore I am not willing to sink tons of money into that purchase.

I think that speakers will depreciate the slowest and have a large result on my home theater experience and should get suitable (i.e. considerable) attention from my money.

I have also decided from a quality to price point ratio, Outlaw can not be beat.

Now to my question, would I be better off spending say 2,000-3,000 on speakers and getting the 950/770 pre/pro and power amps or saving over 2,000 by getting the 1050 and spending 4,000-5,000 on speakers.

I should note the following:
1) this will be my primary source for music
2) i don't watch tv outside of sports (I will be getting NFL Ticket next year)
3) i do love movies
4) i watch cable (eventually directtv)sparingly to moderately
5) i live in a nyc apartment and I can not play my music/movies at high volume and my living space is not huge. (however, if i spend a lot of money on speakers and the components, eventually it will be moved to a house)

Any input on this would be appreciated. I am going to go to a good stereo store and look at some nice Definitive and Infinity speakers. I may ask the guy there to test an integra 7.1 and integra 9.1 on these sets of speakers to give me a 'rough' idea in sound quality changes given a large increase in receiver quality. Please note, I am not saying that an integra 7.1 and a 9.1 is equivalent to Outlaw products, however, from a price comparison, they are.

Again, thanks in advance.

Rich

The 950/770 combo is certainly more first cost than the 1050, but it does offer a lot for that money, particularly the 950. Maybe the best bet would be to scope out what speakers you like (as you are about to start doing) and get a feel for how that meshes with your overall budget. DefTech is worth a look; you might try to add B&W, Paradigm (particularly the Reference line), and KEF. Those are just a few thoughts; a quick spin through the Speakers forum will likely unearth a few more.

How about a third option somewhere in between -- a 950, 750, and a smaller 2-channel amp for center surrounds. The 950's feature set is pretty much cutting edge, and will be able to last a long time (which gives it a bit of an edge over the 1050 in this case). Likewise, the 750 (which is about $700 less than the 770) is a solid, well-regarded piece of gear that should be useful for a long, long time. A decent used 2-channel amp could be had for a couple hundred dollars or so, saving you a potentially $500 or so.

As usual, gonk is right on the money and has pretty much covered all the bases. I'd just like to chime in and agree with you both. I think the 950 is definitely worth getting over the 1050 given your budget. I would also encourage you to check out the speaker forum and read the different threads contained therein. A lot of good discussion and ideas thrown around in there which should definitely give you some good ideas about how to audition and some mfr's current users are happy with.

Have fun and don't forget to come back and tell us how it all works out for you!

Living in nyc myself, I could tell you yesterday I hit stereo exchange[broadway by houston] Harveys[45 and 5] and soundcity up the block. Excellent places to check out stuff, and alot of fun. Dont forget about M&K
at sound city they are set up there.

Thanks

I think I am going to go with the 950/770 and find a way to wiggle another 500-1000 into speakers, but only if i need to.

As for the stereo exchange, I was there last week, briefly and have been to harvey's and lyric hi fi (uptown) in the past.

I will spend a lot of time listening to speakers, and I will be upfront with the salesperson saying that I will definitely not buy after an initial hearing and will need to comeback for a 2nd hearing.

Also i did check out the speaker board. I am going to add atlantic technologies to my list (as that is the reference system outlaw uses). I already planned on listening to PSB, paradigm, klipcsh, and B&W to as well, but first I wanted to hear def tech and infinity. The insane reviews has drawn my attention to def tech (i really like rewarding companies that make the effort to make good price/performance products) and the infinity due to some prior experience (my old roommate had an incredible set).

Thanks you all for the recommendations, and thank you Jeffrey, I'll check out Soundcity. Btw, I live on Houston on the eastside.

V

Thanks

I think I am going to go with the 950/770 and find a way to wiggle another 500-1000 into speakers, but only if i need to.

As for the stereo exchange, I was there last week, briefly and have been to harvey's and lyric hi fi (uptown) in the past.

I will spend a lot of time listening to speakers, and I will be upfront with the salesperson saying that I will definitely not buy after an initial hearing and will need to comeback for a 2nd hearing.

Also i did check out the speaker board. I am going to add atlantic technologies to my list (as that is the reference system outlaw uses). I already planned on listening to PSB, paradigm, klipcsh, and B&W to as well, but first I wanted to hear def tech and infinity. The insane reviews has drawn my attention to def tech (i really like rewarding companies that make the effort to make good price/performance products) and the infinity due to some prior experience (my old roommate had an incredible set).

Thanks you all for the recommendations, and thank you Jeffrey, I'll check out Soundcity. Btw, I live on Houston on the eastside.

V