I'm looking at completely redoing my theatre room and have a few questions. Hopefully someone can assist me.

First off, I currently own an HK AVR-430 and need to trash it. Seems to have that annoying shut-off whenever it feels like it problem. Not really my reason for redoing things but it's a good excuse. Anyway, I was originally going to move to a Denon 4806 then started doing some research and stumbled upon Outlaw Audio. Read some reviews, this forum, etc etc and I'm quite happy with what Outlaw has to offer (at least from the reading). Anyway, I have a choice I need to make. I am looking at the 990 for my PRE/PRO but for an amp I am tossed up as to whether I go with 7 x 2200 monoblocks or a single 7700. Obviously there is a difference so I am wondering what the difference in performance and quality would be. Price difference is pretty much negligable between the two options and it's more quality that I'm interested in. As well, I am wondering if anyone has had these units powering Definitive BP-2006's and BP12X's. As well any experinces with the LFM-1 subs as I'm looking at getting a pair of them as well.

The last question is does the 990 upconvert all signals to the DVI output? I know that composite and s-video can be viewed through the component output but can;t find anything saying as to whether or not compsite, s-video, and component can be viewed through the DVI output.

Hopefully some of you have answers to my questions.

Thanks very much in adavnce.

Nyles

Your quandary of 7x2200 or a single 7700 is not uncommon. There have been several discussions of this. Obviously, there's no right answer (you can find folks running both arrangements very satisfactorily). A stack of monoblocks offers some redundancy and dedicated power supplies for each channel, while a multichannel amp takes less space and less power cables. At times when you are running just two channels (stereo music listening), the two monoblocks may be more energy efficient but the multichannel amp would offer a much larger power supply for the two lone channels to share than the pair of monoblocks would offer. Personally, I'd go with the 7700 - it's a traditional class AB all the way through it's operating range, it will take less rack space (although it still needs some good breathing room for proper ventilation), and it takes only a single power cord to deal with. Having said that, it's worth noting that I don't actually have a seven-channel amp - I have a five-channel amp (an Outlaw Model 750) and a pair of Model 200's driving my mains, and I don't plan to make any changes to my amplification.

There are a number of Outlaw owners running Def Tech speakers very successfully, with both multichannel amps like the 7700 and with Model 200's or 2200's. Some of those owners may drop into this thread, but you may also want to run a search or two through the forum.

Are you interested in LFM-1 experience in general, or specifically in conjunction with the Def Tech's? I can offer some general LFM-1 feedback in my LFM-1 review and even indirectly in my SMS-1 review .

The 990 does not transcode analog video to digital - the DVI output only sees the DVI inputs.

Thanks very much for the quick reply. You made some valid points. The LFM-1 review was exactly what I was looking for.

So one last question before I hit the "buy it now" button Would you still consider the 7700 over a 7500 with a pair of 2200's for the fronts? Power cords aren't much of an issue as I have a separate power panel with a 100 AMP service on it within 4 ft of the equipment rack. Just want to make sure I'm getting the best bang for my buck. As well, where does Outlaw compare to the Denon's and Integra's of the world? I've looked at reviews but can't find anything on this.

The final choice between 7500+2x2200 or 7700 probably becomes at least partially personal preference (some folks really prefer to have their mains on monoblocks so they can turn off the multichannel amp during two-channel listening, for example), so it's hard to say anything definitive. I ended up that way for other reasons (seven channel amps hadn't started showing up when I bought my 750 back in 2001), although I can understand why you might choose the monoblocks for your mains. Based on the feedback I've heard from 7700 and 770 owners, I don't know that you'd really gain anything sonically by arranging it that way. The 990/7700 set will save you about $125 over the 990 with a 7500 and a pair of 2200's, and I suspect it'll sound just as good.

Denon, Integra, and the like make pretty darn solid receivers, but there is still benefit to putting the power amps in their own box - and the 990's sound is really good.

I'll chime in as a def tech owner with the lfm-1. I wasn't sure I really needed the sub, but I couldn't have been more pleased with the purchase.
It goes considerably lower and has made the soundstage much more clear overall.
My Def techs put out some good bass but it was somewhat boomy and muddled in comparison, and the specs for how low thier mains go are suspect. overall a great combo.
When I move my system to the basement( whenver it get's finished)I will probably purchase a second LFM-1.