First...a little about myself.

I just bought a new(used) split-entry house and am looking to upgrade my HT equipment.

I currently have a Denon(something) Dolby Surround Sound receiver that is about 10 years old. Still works great, but obviously it's time to upgrade to digital 6.1/7.1

I'm looking to spend around $500-$700 on the a/v reciever. Unfortunally there is not a mid-fi or hi-fi shop within four hours of me, so I have to go on recommendations and reviews of others. I have my choices narrowed down to the Outlaw 1050, NAD T752, and the Denon AVR2803. Pricewise the Outlaw would be the cheapest and the NAD the most expensive, but all within my price range (although the NAD might have to be slightly used or 'B' stock).

The Denon and NAD both have PLII and Dolby Digital EX. Below are a few thoughts that I have on these items, please comment:

PLII - gives you multi-channel from stero inputs (ie cd's, TV, VHS...). My main focus here though is DVD's. CD's are played 2-channel, the little TV that I do watch is usually listened through the TV, and VHS...well I haven't watched one since getting my DVD player.

Dolby Digital EX - this leads my to another question. I plan on upgrading (with the receiver) my rear surrounds and adding a rear center. I plan on buying either used NHT super-zero's or new NHT super-zero XU. One pair for the surround and one pair for the rear center. Anybody using the super-zeros with the Outlaw? (impressions) and will adding the rear center eliminate any ex decoding problems with the 1050.

If ya feel that the lack of PLII and EX decoding might not or will not be an issue for me then the final question is HT and 2-channel sound. If at the least, the sound is equal among the recievers, I don't see the need to spend the extra $100-$300 for the Denon or NAD for PLII or EX, or are there other [useful] features that I'm missing.

Thanks in advance for your replys

Check this review out:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/ar...0&page_number=1

The 1050 is appearing more and more outdated, it lacks many of todays multi-channel features, but that does not mean it is not good at what it was designed to do. The 1050 is an awesome 6 channel amp, and does a great job at what it is supposed to do. I am holding on to mine becasue I have no futrue plans/needs to upgrade to a 6/7 channel setup, and I simply love the performance. Even if I upgrade later, I'm sure I can find a new spot in the house for the 1050... One feature I do deerly miss is multizone capabilities, but this was not popular at the time of it's appearance into the market.

The NAD, I believe is a 5 channel receiver also, however it offers 6/7 channel pre/processing...This is a nice feture if you plan on upgrading to 6/7 channel in the near future, but another amp will be needed...The denon 2803 seems to be a great choice and offers 6/7 channel amplification as well as pre/processing...this is a nice benefit if you plan on going with 7 channel right off the bat.

I recommend the denon for 7 channel, but if you are satisfied with 5 channel, the outlaw is a great choice as well...The NAD seemes to linger between the two, and has been having quality control issues lately, so I would steer away from them...other than that NAD is an awesome company that makes solid amps...You really can;t go wrong with your decision, all solid entry level products...

Verdict: Denon for 6/7 channel, Outlaw for 5 channel...

-BL

The 1050's Surround 6.1 processing was my first taste of 6.1/7.1, and when I first used DD EX with the Outlaw 950 I came to the conclusion that Surround 6.1 did a pretty respectable job of imitating the original (which was not available for licensing when the 1050 was designed, and only made it into the 950 at the last minute). It is possible to drive a pair of 8-ohm speakers with the 1050's rear center channel output (instructions in the manual, in fact), and having the rear center available is the sure-fire way to avoid any problems with the EX-flagged discs that have caused the 1050 some trouble. For your listening demands, the lack of PL II would probably be a non-issue, and the 1050's Surround 6.1 will get you a pretty decent clone of DD EX.

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

wOw! Thanks for the great replys folks!!

NAD - Ruled out. At the time of my orginal posting I had already pretty much ruled out the NAD for the same reasons given by beginnersluck. Espcially the suspect quailty control issues lately coupled with the fact that I would be buying used or 'B' stock to beginn with.

Outlaw 1050 - I went back and re-read the specs., manual, and such. So if I have this right, the Outlaw is a 5.1 processor that matrixes the sixth channel (rear center) to produce a seemingly true 6.1 sounding decoder. I read 140 reviews (yes, I read nearly all of them) on audioreview on the Outlaw and not one complained of the 1050's 6.1 capabilities. So as Gonk pointed out, it must do a pretty good job in that respect. I am concerned though about the coax. and optical inputs. At this time they meet my needs but who knows what the future brings (I suppose I could always get a spliter box or something if need be).

Denon AVR2803 - Seems to meet or exceed my HT wants/needs. Just not sure about the overall quality (weighs 11 pounds less the 1050...hmmm) or the HT and 2-channel sound. Plus about $150 more then the 1050 (that's one pair of new NHT super-zero XU's).

It's looking more and more like the 1050 is the answear. My ultimate goal is to go 'seperates' after upgrading my speakers (rear, centers, and front). I will probably add an amp in about two years and then use the 1050 as a pre/pro and rear center amp. Then maybe in about two more years purchase a new pre/pro. So perhaps the 1050 would be a good stop-gap machine until then.

I'll think about it for a few more days (maybe an used one will pop up). Until then, any more comments or suggestions would be greatly aprecciated.

thanks
dan

if you have any doubts about the build quality of the 1050 vs. others...

http://www.sklenar.info/outlaw.html

i went through a similar conundrum on the 1050 being a bit "outdated" when i was shopping. the glowing reviews of the solidity of the outlaw for the features it does support won me over the more "mainstream" choices.

hopefully after this weekend, i'll have a pair of center rears hooked up too! woooooo.

best of luck.

-e