Hey there! Brand new to this forum but hoping to find some good info on the 990.

I'm currently using a Denon 2802 as a pre-amp with a Parasound HCA-855A providing the "juice" in my HT system. I have been wanting to upgrade to a dedicated processor and I want to keep it in a decent budget. I was recently offered a good deal on a Rotel 1068 for about the same price as the 990. I have been doing my homework and it seems the 990 has more current features.

I'm wondering a couple of things though.

1. Am I going to notice a big difference going with a processor like the 990 over my current set up?

2. Would the Rotel have any andvantages over the 990?

My equipment list is as follows: Rocket speakers (550 mkII's, 200, and 300 surrounds) along with an SVS PB12 plus 2 running the low end.

Thanks for any help!

Welcome agentcooper :p That's a nice set up you have. I don't have the 990 but I do have it's sister the Sherwood P-965. I upgraded from an Onkyo receiver. First I utilized the Onkyo's pre-outs and used a separate amp like you have which was a terrific improvement as you know. Moving to the Sherwood Pre has made a wonderful difference and I could not be happier. For the first time , I actually feel as though I am in the theater when I watch movies.

Everyone that I have spoken to that has heard both units has confirmed that their sound is very similar. I think you will be just as thrilled with the 990 and you can always take advantage of the home trial period that Outlaw offers.

I have never heard a Rotel though...but many Outlaws here have.

Personally, between the Rotel and the 990 I would go with the 990 - I've heard and used both at least somewhat (co-worker has the Rotel and I helped him set it up), and my preference is for the 990.

The 990 is feature rich and the auto-set up is pretty cool. I'm leaning towards it for sure especially with an in home trial.

I'm really hoping it will make a difference. The Denon is nice but I just feel like there is something missing with it. I think moving toward a dedicated processor might do the trick. Staying around $1,000 for that is tricky and the 990 looks VERY promissing.

I REALLY wanted a Rotel 1068 and was REALLY disapointed when I tried one out. A great looking piece of gear and built like a tank, but pretty sterile and bright sounding. My 990/755 amp combo completely spanks it. I a/b tested the Rotel 1068 against a Denon 3805 and liked the warmer, more neutral sound of the Denon better. It really aggravated me and that put me on the road to Outlaw. Never sorry I went with Outlaw. I'm certainly not a Rotel basher, I did end up with a Rotel RDV-1060 DVD player and am very happy with it. It is a nice transport for movies and two channel audio to the Outlaw 990.

Thanks K-Man....glad you actually heard both. That helps quite a bit.

How do you think the 990 compares to the 3805?

The 990 is a very neutral pre-pro. It's pretty obvious that Outlaw is in every way a higher class sonically. Outlaw is a big league piece of gear. Where I'd say the Denon is an awesome AAA ball player. The 990 is much more detailed than the Denon 3803/3805. But, this may also be the Outlaw 755 amp making that difference.

agentcooper,

I moved from a Denon 2800 to the 990 (with a 755 providing the juice) and I noticed a pretty big improvement. Some items that changed..:

1. My 2800 had no digital inputs....990 does
2. I can hear a big improvement in the "seperation" of channels, I.e. each speaker is much more defined, and you can hear a bullet fly from left to right...
3. More options...many more than the 990, I really like the Upsample option, I am using it for my denon 380 cd player.

The only thing i had a little bit of trouble with was the size of the 990, it is much larger, and It required a little creative cutting (of the cabinet)

Over all I think that if you are going from a denon 2802 to the 990 you will see a big improvement. I can not speak to the rotel though...

Ian

Well, I'm about 90% sure I'll be getting the 990 over the Rotel. I'll give some more thought but the 990 seems to be the best "bang for the buck" right now.

coop ... im sure you wont be disapointed in the 990 .. i love mine .. i had been using my onkyo 801 and my HK 7300 for prepros prior.. and the 990 wins overall .. the 801 has some neat xtras and great HT .. and the 7300 has great stereo and video up .. nut all in all neither hold a candle to the 990 // and i preferred both of them over the 3805..