I am a noob who is extremely interested in venturing into the world of separates for one of my HT set-ups. I have 5.1 system comprised of M&K THX speakers - 125's across the front, 150 dipoles rear, 150 sub. My built-in component cabinet has a max depth of 18" and the 990 is 17.75". I am afraid that with cables I will be unable to close the glass door on my cabinet. Thus, looking hard at the 1070 as a pre/pro.

Are there any huge advantages of the 990 over the 1070? I anticipate only using 1 HD cable box via DVI, 1 DVD via DVI, 1 LD via S-video. I also don't plan on expanding to 7.1. I like the flexibility of being able to move the 1070 in the future to a smaller room when the upgrade bug hits again.

Thanks

i just checked something and the 1070 is 17.2" deep,that may not give you the clearance you need either.

i had heard a rumor that the 1070 might be built on the same chassis as the 990...

something for you to check into,or bust out the sabersaw.

The newsletter from Outlaw announcing the 1070 specs said somewhere that the 1070 was unique and not based on another product. I would doubt it is based on the 990 chassis for size reasons alone. There are also a number of other spec differences that lead to the two being different designs.

yeah,i know,just that the 'rumor' was what made me check the size.

The 1070 is unrelated to the 990, although the features are very similar and both appear to use the same Cirrus chip (49400). The 17.2" dimension on the 1070 looks to be the width, however - the standard width for an equipment rack. The depth is 15.5", which is about 2.25" shallower than the 990. It's also 5.9" tall, which is close to 2" shorter than the 990's 7.75". My cabinet is probably similar to yours (around 18"), and even with the 950 (14.75" deep) I had to cut into the back to facilitate wiring (due in part to some stiff cables that needed to be able to go straight back a few inches and in part to the need to reach almost every corner of the rear panel). When the 990 arrived, I just cut out a hole the size of the 990 and pushed the rear panel all the way back through the hole.

It's hard to say yet how the 990 and 1070 will compare side by side sonically. Most of the features appear on both, although until we see the 1070 manual we won't know how the interfaces compare (for example, if the 1070 will have the 990's editable input names). The 1070 does offer the benefit of not needing a separate amp, assuming your speakers are not too exceptionally difficult a load to drive - which would work well for moving it to a separate system later. You could also explore 7.1 without buying additional amps.

Not that price is really the great predictor in a questions such as this, but I would have to think that if you're looking to make the jump to separates (as I just did recently), the 990 would be a better option.

The 1070 runs about $900 with the amp included. The 990 is simply a pre/pro without the amp at $1100. That's $200 more than the receiver with a built in amp. That says something for the build and component quality. Given Outlaw's reputation for quality, despite the low pricing, I'd have to think that the 990 would provide you with more bang for the buck than the 1070 - especially if you're looking to go with separates.

My opinion, for what its worth, is to use that saber saw and get a-hackin' at the ol' equipment rack. Furniture is easier, and more than likely cheaper, to replace/upgrade than HT gear.

Houghers