Another to consider is the Atlantic Technology version of the 950. I recently received an email from them on the differences between the two. They are:

Premium hand selected and calibrated components in the key processing
paths. This includes the main pre-amp, DSP, and Video boards; All caps,
DACs and Output ICs.

Higher grade Op-Amps for improved Signal to Noise Ratio in Direct, Digital,
and in the Analog-DSP inputs.

Higher video bandwidth at (55 MHz).

Higher grade premium power supply for more current stability.

Lower output impedance for increased tolerance with a wider variety of
audiophile cables.

Higher S/N ratio, greater stereo separation and lower stereo distortion in
the FM Tuner section

Lastly, the Atlantic Technology P-2000 features more ergonomically designed
buttons, and is available in a brushed aluminum titanium or black finish at
no additional charge.

Unfortunately, like the 950, you can't turn of the bass management output to the subwoofer for the 5.1 analog inputs, it's always on no matter what position the bass management switch is in.

IF your budget is $2000, and you don't mind buying a product used. Get a Ref30 used off of Audiogon or Ebay. They can usually be had for about 1900 bucks... They are usually the black faceplate kind.

Jeff

[QUOTE]Originally posted by surroundophile:
[B]Another to consider is the Atlantic Technology version of the 950. I recently received an email from them on the differences between the two.

surroundophile,
did they include a projected price?

DMC

It looks like the Reference 30 lacks DPL 2.

Not huge, but a lot of my current listening is to older stuff that might benefit from DPL 2, plus the vast majority of DirecTv stuff is DD 2.0, so I guess (??) DPL would apply there too?


Charlie

Atlantic Tech: (... got to ask... )

Ship date?

After looking at the Anthem manual I found some major features that I would/could use:

- The delay settings are discrete for each speaker.
- There are 'group delay' settings for syncing dialog when video processing is used.
- The level adjustments to trim the channels are in 0.5 db steps, nice.

But I'm not sure it's worth $1000 extra.

So far the Rotel seems to have the most bang for the buck, at least for my specific application.

Charlie

I thought Atlantic Technology only made speakers???... When will they have their new pre-amp listed on their website? Also, will they be offering any other Outlaw OEM products, like the 770 amp?

Atlantic Tech will have an amp as well as a pre/pro. The pre/pro is (as stated above) based on the Model 950, but they are working through Eastech (the overseas manufacturer) to get it. The amp (which is a 6x125W amp) is not related to the Outlaw amps as far as I know. Check out this "CES 2002" link from their site (it's a PDF file).

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

Thanks! I had a look at the PDF. I have to say though, short of having solid gold buttons, I'm not sure how they can justify a price tag that almost doubles the Outlaw equivalent. Some of their "differences" from the Outlaw model I would find incidental. For example, it was my impression that you only needed a 45 MHz bandwith for component video switching. And a nicer power supply is great, but would probably be more beneficial for amplifiers, which really suck up current. And lower output impedance??? For that increase in cost, I would've expected to see more compelling features, such as THX certification, RDS capability, zone 2 video, or even a better remote. What do you think, is it worth the extra $800?

dmeister, personally I would buy the Anthem if I was going to make that price jump. I think A/T is aiming at the less internet savvy market. I would imagine most people who know about the Outlaw probably won't be buying any of the clones for those prices. However, if the street price is within two hundred dollars of the 950 then I bet you will see a few go that route for the small added features but mostly for the more attractive face plate.