I'll let you know soon. My 950B + 7100 will arrive tomorrow. They will replace a 1050. I was hoping to have a somewhat direct comparison but alas I sold the 1050 within hours of posting it. It was pick up and cash paid within 24 hrs. Wow!! And after a year of trouble free ownership I sold it for 80% of what I paid for it. Cost of ownership for 1 year $99.

So I've tripled my cost and now have $1498 invested. Will I be able to sell them for 80% of purchase price in a year ... well, I believe I have a better chance than with a receiver from BestBuy or Crutchfield. And oh, If I really like one or the other I can upgrade one piece at a time.

I've never owned a receiver from Denon, Onkyo or whatever so I decided to see if I should have bought one rather than the 950B + 7100. Since I haven't heard the separates or the receivers I guess it's fair too look at spec sheets to try to determine the proper path. I noticed a few things. First the Denon etc. receivers have loads of features ... Unbelievable ... and they are lightweight too ... wait, that doesn't seem right. Turns out the AVR 3803 at 36.4 lbs. weighs 0.1 lbs. more that the Outlaw 1050. Lets see it sports seven channels all at 110 watts per channel. That's bigger than the 7100!!! What does the 7100 weigh ...51 lbs. Seems strange. But of course you would have to add a 950B to make it a fair fight ... that's another 17.6 lbs. For a total of 68.6 lbs.

What the heck since we're not listening to anything lets see what the cost per pound is for these set-ups.

Denon AVR 5803 List $1199 weighs 36.4 lbs. = $32.94/lb at $900 it = $24.73/lb
Outlaw 950/710 List (no discount)$1798 Weighs 68.6 lbs. = $26.21/lb at $1498 = $21.84/lb.

What about the top of the line Denon the AVR 5803 it lists at $4300 & is 63.9 lbs. = $67.29/lb

The other strange thing I notice in my silent comparison was the length of the warranty. All three receivers, the Outlaw, and both Denon's, even the one listing at $4300, have two year warranties. The separates all have 5-year warranties. So what's up with the receivers? Do the manufactures know something the buying public doesn't. Oh yes that extended warranty offered by the superstore. Looks like it's a good idea.

Take a look at the Denon site under support. It says:
"Check back here in the near future for all support and service information, including:
Warranty and Service policies and procedures"

Yep, the warranty isn't published for any Denon product. I found the 2 years listed at one of Denon's authorized dealers sites.

Man, I can't wait to get my Outlaw 950B + 7100.


[This message has been edited by Xyzfla (edited May 13, 2003).]