The Emotiva stuff looks cool, and having fans doesn't bother me, since they are thermostatically servo controlled and seldom come on at all.

The modular design is cool too. Too bad they're sorta spendy for being a no-name outfit.

Firmware fix count isn't a good measure of software quality. Not saying the Sunfire is good or bad, just pointing out that this isn't a good metric.

Both are apparently easy to set up, but in any comparison it is also important to note that the DMC-1 is $2,495 and the 990 is $1,099. That makes a considerable difference!

Perhaps AV123's big amp is "sorta spendy" for what it is, but that's a decision you have to make. However, I don't think it is fair to call them a "no-name outfit". A traditionalist might say that BOTH AV123 and the Outlaws are "no-name", but those in the know would correctly response that each has built a solid reputation for high-value/high-performance products over the past few years, AV123 perhaps more for speakers and Outlaw for electronics.

I will agree that the number of bugs in a firmware isn't a good metric. However what I meant was the type of bugs that need to be fixed can be very revealing of how good the quality is on a processor. If you went back and looked at the type of bugs that needed to be fixed for instance on the Sunfire Theater Grand III processor you would see that there was very poor quality control. Which is probaby why Audioholics gave them one of the worst reviews ever.

Also I'm betting that even thermostatically servo controlled fans in a seven channel configuration watching a DVD are going to be on a lot just by the shear heat that is going being generated by the modular design playing at a reasonable listening level for a HT. I think the modular design is a good idea if they had used heat sinks, but in my personal opinion they ruined it with fans, which is why I would never buy that amp. But that is just my opinion.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy speakers from AV123 but I don't plan on buying any electronics from them in the near future because they are still what I would call in beta mode. That is why I bought the 990/7500 combo here since Outlaw has been making processors and amps since 1998. Both are great companies with good buisness models but each has it's speciality and experiance in particular areas which needs to be taken into consideration.

Merlin

It's hard to say, but I do know that class H amps tend to run pretty cool, and if you look each module does have pretty beefy heatsinks, just that they're internal, and fan assisted.



Listing bugs addressed in updates is a two edged sword, I wouldn't judge too harshly unless known bugs weren't addressed in a timely manner.

Thanks for the Harmony remote tip. I will definitely get one of those. They seem to have outstanding reviews.

drunkonjack, are you running two complete setups? Did you get the Emotiva Big Dog set then decide to try out the 990 for some reason? Just curious...

charlie and PodBoy, I know you guys mentioned the cost difference. In my original post I was basically asking what everyone would do if they could have either the Outlaw pair or the Emotiva pair at relatively the same cost. I don't listen to vinyl, nor do I use headphones. Also, I tend to take more risks, so buying used (from a good source) certainly doesn't bother me. Any thoughts?

Basically, I'm trying to put together the biggest bang for the buck setup that I can (well, I'm sure that's what most all of us are doing, right?!). For now, this looks like the final piece to the puzzle (and the last one that my wife has given the green light to), so I just want to make the most informed decision before spending that kind of cash... especially w/o comparing them side by side.

Thanks,

Tom

Interesting picture if I'm not mistaken those are retrofited mono blocks which would explain the need for a fan. Trying to fit 7 mono blocks into a chassis would create some serious heat issues and decrease the life expectency of the amp. It would give it great specifications and test results but at what cost? This appears to me to be a pretty poor engineering design and wasn't thought out from the ground up. Like I said before in my opinion they made some bad design decisions and I consider their electornics as beta products which is why I bought the 990/7500 combo and not the big dogs.

But everyone needs to make their own decisions and choices. Personly I prefer to go with companies that have the most experiance in particular areas. I personaly voted for Outlaw based on all the available data, others will vote differetly. I wish everyone the best of luck and enjoyment in their decisions. After all we are all addicts and enjoy the same hobby!

Merlin

Well, the modules come in one and two channel versions, this seems to be a one channel module, so yeah, by definition it's a mono-block. It's not clear to me how it's "retrofitted", nor is it clear how it would generate more heat than a similar non-modular design.

A lot of high end designs boast about being "multi-monoblock" designs, and while I never thought that was an advantage, I don't see how taking that same concept and putting each channel on a "module" changes things so much either.

I like Outlaw too, but come on .....

EDITED: Typos

Tmoyak , I am running Two HT's here but the other is being powered by a Denon Reciever . The main Ht is being powered by the MPS-1 7 channel amp and the 990 .

At one time I was running the DMC-1 And MPS-1 Emotiva to power my Ht . But I had plans to go with a 2 Channel system in another room and was going to downgrade a bit with the main HT . So I sold the Emotiva stuff to help fund the 2 channel system . But some things changed here where the room was needed for something , So again plans were changed. I repurchased the Emo MPS-1 amp and decided to try the 990 .

The MPS-1 is far from a hot running amp . It is by far one of the coolest running amps I have owned . My old Parasounf HCA-3500 , Now that was a hot running amp The Emotiva gear are serious performers , no dought about it .

I would have to say that the 990 has got to be the best price per performance piece of gearI have come across in a great long time .

Emotiva , being no name gear..........please :rolleyes:

No, really. In the same way that "Scion" would be a no name car company if it wasn't just a Toyota badge. It's not that they're bad, actually they seem quite good, but where is the track record associated withthe name "Emotiva"? What sort of gear did they make in the year 2000? 1990? 2002?

Obviously they "have a name", but they're too young to have an established track record, which is pretty much the definition of "no name".

Outlaw is young too, but they have been around a bit longer and are working very hard to "make a name". I think they're succeeding in doing so.

Also, thanks for the first hand experience with the Emotiva amp. Was it fully populated with the mono modules? How often did the fans come on? What did it take to get it hot? What sort of loads were hooked to it most of the time?

While modular plug in features for a pre/pro are not attractive to me, modular channels like this are pretty nifty.


EDIT:


PS - the Emotiva gear is pretty.

drunkonjack, thanks for the details. I appreciate it.

I used to have two full home theaters set up, both using Denon receivers with separate amps for the subs (a hafler 110x2, a soundstream 200x2, and an adcom 200x2). The speakers were Energy in one and Wharfedale in the other. I made the custom subs (one room with dual ported 15" that looked like end tables w/ smoked bronze glass tops, the other w/ a quad 12" sub box). I lost all of that stuff in a fire 17 mos. ago. So, now that I'm back on my feet I'm putting together my "dream" system. I'm certain that either processor/amplifier combo will greatly outperform my older stuff. I just like to do my due diligence before making big purchases. I tend to keep my stuff forever after I buy it

Tom