I wonder if it would be fruitful to take the discussion of balanced ins and out to another topic, since something like the last 20 posts or so dwell on this more general issue, rather than the model 990 itself? My apologies if such suggestions are frowned upon on this site, since I've only been posting here for a short time.

Mark

I brought it up originally because the 990 has balanced outputs, and there are a lot of mis-conceptions about the usefulness of this type of connection. Manufacturers feed the fire with even more misleading information.

It is perfectly applicable to the subject at hand.

In any event, I've made my case and I'll leave it at that.

awful grouchy lately, sh.

Hello Pat, gonk, Jeff, merc, soundhound, etc!

Hey there, Soundhound,

A few years ago when you visited my home to hear my 950 system you noted it sounds better in pure stereo without any artifacts caused by Dolby Pro or DTS Neo processing. As good as that processing is, it sometimes takes something away from the stereo sound. You said at the time, you weren't surprised that regular stereo sounds more accurate and is able to better represent the sound engineer's intention, compared to the stereo after it's been Dolby-ized or DTS-ified. That's one reason I hoped DVD-A and SACD would catch on, back then. But what you said just now, above

> CD is going to be the only game in town for the best quality audio I'm afraid.

would mean, if ture, that we're stuck for the time being with CDs, a technology that's over 20 years old!

Best,

Will

Using that logic I guess you can use two coat hangers for a balanced "cable" as well.

The ground refence IS there by way of common ground from the power source. Put the two components on 100% ISOLATED power sources and yer "balance" RCA cable jerry-rig setup no longer works.

The ground reference is absolutely required; that is if you plan on ignoring signal differences (read: magnetic induction interference).

To slightly change the subject from balanced connections to a different 990-related issue, there's an article at Video Business Online today that I stumbled across at The Digital Bits. It gets into HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. The article can be found here , but you'll need to register (it's free, so I went ahead and registered).

Here's the gist of it: HD-DVD is due out by the fourth quarter, but there are now concerns about that timetable because the technical specs and licensing scheme are still unresolved. Those were due to be finalized by the end of March in order to hit the Q4 2005 format launch, but estimates now point to some time this summer before either are done. Until those issues are pinned down, nobody can design players or produce discs, which means that the HD-DVD release could be delayed until early 2006 (around the same time that Blu-Ray is due to hit the US). This problem seems to be combining with management changes at Toshiba and Sony to create a cautious interest by both sides at possibly averting the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray format war and agreeing to a single unified format. I'd seen a couple of hints in the last week or so about Sony expressing a willingness to talk, and now this article suggests that the HD-DVD camp is also open to talks.

What this means for us as consumers is that we may not be faced with a format war in 2006, which is obviously in our best interests. It would also mean that the arrival of a high definition optical disc format could be delayed by up to two years while they hammer out a single standard that everybody is comfortable with.

What this means for companies like Outlaw is that attempting to plan for the audio and video formats associated with HD-DVD/Blu-Ray is extremely risky, bordering on outright loony. They might be able to include something that appears compatible now (although I'm not sure that's even possible without delaying the product for six months or more), but they run the risk of ending up with an incompatible product when the formats finally show up and a slew of unhappy customers who paid extra for broken technology. All they can do now is support the formats that exist today and include the 7.1 input to allow for external decoders (presumably built into the players, much like DVD players have done with Dolby Digital and DTS) for those future formats.

Man, this announcement came at the perfect time! I am just finishing my buildout of a new home theater and I was looking to buy a new pre/pro. Gotta get the 990 - can't wait to here how to get on the list to buy at $1100....

The particular implementation I was speaking of was for internal wiring inside a mixing console I was building. For module-to-module connection, this was a space saving and inexpensive solution. The balancing was done with transformers, so there actually was no ground reference. As I mentioned before, I was using shoulder washers with the RCAs so that no contact was made to the chassis at either end.

I'm not suggesting using RCAs routinely for balanced connections, but just that I have used them in equipment with good results when the use of other types of connectors didn't make sense.

Electrons don't know or care what type of connector they're flowing though as long as that connector is otherwise suitable.

Boy, I get stuck in a bunch of meetings all morning, and I come back to a college seminar on balanced circuit topography. We've got some folks here getting into some good back-and-forth about balanced circuits, but I think there are some others hiding in between that want to debate other things - like how many people think they'll use Dolby Headphone, or how many possibilities come to mind for the second zone output now that there is a dedicated remote to control it. I thought I might offer an alternative venue - specifically this thread - that could let this debate continue in great and informative detail without running the risk of drowning out other discussions about the 990.

Ever the diplomat.

Speaking of a second zone remote, how is the extra remote enabled to control the second zone from a different location in the house. Some kind of repeater(s) on a wall(s) that eventually sends the signal to the 990?

And it sure would be nice to have a look at the manual for the 990. It must exist if the production models have shipped.