Hi Ajax! 'Bout time you posted over here. Yeah, it's the guy who bought your BFD!

And I agree.....two different targets. Where the sound quality may be close or even indistinguishable from each other, the feature set will probably be the deciding factor for many, along with price. If I were in the market for a pre/pro right now, the 990 would be my first choice as I need SACD/DVD-A bass management capability. The UL would probably be closer to my budget, though it is still out of reach for me at this time.

Hi, I have been lurker for the last couple of weeks, and in the market for a pre/pro. The UL and 990 intrigue me.

With the UL, folks seem to be emphasizing sound quality as its strong trait. If this is the case, I have trouble understanding why an amplifier for zone 2 was included. This goes against traditional thinking of seperating the amp stage from the preamp stage, and the main reason for seperates. Also, the single 80hz crossover seems to be a limitation for getting the best possible sound when integrating mains and a sub.

Because of the sound quality emphasis, what am I missing with the above two features or lack there of? They do not add to sound quality, do they?

Steven

I don't see a problem with the two being compared. After all, what was the $899 950's biggest competition when it was released? Yep, the $1500 Rotel 1066. Face it, these are the two hot entry level processors and most people in this market don't see $400 as a huge stepping stone, just like they didn't see $600 as a huge stepping stone 3 years ago.

Ajax, I agree with you entirely. I have never seen a correlation between the 990 and the LMC-1 (the UL processor) - they are two very different beasts. The only things they have in common are (barring disasters for AV123) the year of their release (2005) and the distribution channel used to sell them (direct sale via the Internet). The LMC-1 is clearly as stripped down a processor as you can get and still hope to be able to sell in today's market, which is something that cannot be said of the 990. In fact, I'm surprised there's been so little talk of comparing the Emotiva DMC-1 (the "big dog") to the 990. From the perspective of feature sets, those two are much more closely matched.

I think most people look at comparisons due to pricing structure/what they can afford, not features, because realistically somebody looking to spend $700-$1500 is not looking to spend $3000 regardless of the outcome. Its just a huge jump, where the UL and the 990, just like the 950 and 1066 are not.

Couple of quick comments as a 950 owner and AV123 speaker owner. I have to agree with Ajax and gonk I think it is two different product segments. When you factor in the amp the U/L combo becomes much more affordable then the 990 with amp to a first time buyer. Having not yet heard the 990 I’ll reserve judgment but I have read more then one review of the Sherwood Newcastle that criticizes it’s musical quality which gives me pause on the 990.

I also don't think it's is wise to just compare features of Pre/Pros you also have to factor in the processor and the analog section. Both the 990 and U/L along with the Sherwood and others are based on Cirrus chips. Someone said earlier that the 990 would blow the Big Dog Emotiva away…that’s just plain silly. I’m willing to concede that some would pick the 990 over the Motorola family Pre’s such as Emotiva, Sunfire and Anthem but I suspect most would still prefer the higher end components. If it is features you really crave look to the mid line receivers as they are usually quite a bit more feature rich then all but the most high end Pre/Pros.

From a personal viewpoint I see the 990 and U/L as something to tide me over until the next generation Pre/Pros with HDMI input and DD+ and DTS-HD get here. The question becomes for me is either the 990 or U/L enough of a step up to make it worthwhile? I’m thinking very seriously of ordering both units once the U/L starts shipping and letting my own ears decide in my room.

In theory I agree to some degree with Obie, Jack and Gonk. My point is regardless of how we want them to be compared, the price points will guarantee that they are compared against one another.

hi guys .. i've been sitting back reading all these great points between this thread i started and the (any negatives thread also.) .. it seems on this one we are back to my original statement .. the 950 and ul prepro are more alike or comparable and the 990 and dmc are closer feature wise .. i need to start a new thread for folks that are at a point i am ... i like the ul lmc for the reason i like the 950 .. they are based on their own base .. if that makes sense .. where the 990 is (sherwood base ) and the emo dmc .. sunfire theater grand based .. .. a sunfire prepro is ?? 4000 .. and a newcastle is 1599 ?? 1099 on net ...and yet the dmc was 2000 on pre order and is now back ordered at 3000 /// my new thread if you like to see will be what makes the outlaw 990 not a sherwood newcastle 965..

Have they mentioned which Cirrus chip is in the UL? I do not understand the reasoning for holding back specs. The same goes with the differences between their "Big Dog" and the Sunfire.

Yes they have. The DSP is the CS493263-CL per Greg Marberry of AV123. Beyond that a lot of details are still sketchy apparently due to some agreements with their OEMs.