All I know this is a Outlaw forum but I need some help to make a decision on if I should keep the Denon I have on order or switch to the Outlaw 990/7125

I am redoing my entire system and need some advice. I can get the Denon 4806 for $2100 new from Tweeters and it has a ton of inputs etc. I am getting a lot of information that I would be better going with a seperate amp so I am also looking at outlaw. I have to be honest I have a few concerns and I need you help to get me there. On teh speaker front I am trying to decide bewteen the RTi8 or RTi12 polks. Most people tell me the RT12 is power hungry.

Power: The Denon 4806 is 140W but real output per channel is (114W). The 7125 is 125W. I am not a electrical engineering, I am an Mech E. so I need an explanation on what is different.

Setup: The Denon has the Audyssey MultEq Auto-Setup/Room Eq which seem like a plus. How hard is it to setup the Outlaw.

Video switching: have to be honest I will have more then 3 HDMI/DVI inputs and the fact that the outlaw has 2 is a minus. I could go directly to the tv but I would rather go through the receiver. Not a huge deal but.

Ok that is long enough for now. Please help me understand why the outlaw setup is better then the Denon.
Thanks

The RTi's are generally power hungry, so the suggestions steering you toward separate amplification are pretty good.

Power: Speaker as one ME to another, the biggest benefit of the separate amp isn't so much in the power rating as in the power supply. The 7125's nothing but a big box full of amp channels (similar to the Denon), heat sinks for effective heat rejection (more so than the Denon, because there's more space available for it), and a big toroidal transformer (again, bigger than the power supply transformer in the Denon). The transformer means that there's more power reserve available to take care of those moments when the signal jumps up.

Setup: The 990's pretty user-friendly, even before you factor in the crew at Outlaw and the crowd around here to help out. The auto-setup is a good place to start, but a little time tossed in doing manual tweaking is worthwhile. Aside from the channel calibration stuff, the 990's setup is about as straightforward as you'll find.

Video switching: It sounds like you've got a handle on your needs here. This is probably the one item that could present an argument in favor of the Denon, although there are of course ways to cope with the two DVI inputs.

Other Thoughts: Denon's got a pretty solid reputation, particularly as you move higher up the product line. On the other hand, Outlaw's also got a solid rep - the 990 offers very pleasing sound quality, a healthy array of options, and strong customer support.

Gonk,
Thanks for the quick reponse. I have to say that I like the idea of the Outlaw for a lot of reasons but a huge one is it is not mainstream. I have had a Yamaha DSP-3090 for 8 years now and I hate that it gets out of date so fast and I am thinking the Denon will do that as well. I like the idea that the Outlaw should be cheaper to upgrade in the future and I assume they will go to HDMI when it gets more stable.

What are the ways around the DVI switching besides going straight to the TV?

As long as the support is good I will feel good making the move.

What combo do you recomend?
Also I have not commited to the RTs yet which one do you think is best 8s or 12s with more then likely a SVS sub?

Outlaw has said to several folks that they are already keeping a close eye on HDMI and plan to start working it into products as soon as some time in 2007 once v1.3 chips are available - a time frame that coincides well with hardware and software becoming available for compatibility testing (thinking mainly of HD-DVD and Blu-ray, of course).

There are standalone DVI and HDMI switches available, some of which support IR commands for switch control. Gefen's kind of got the lion's share of that market.

Personally, I'd lean toward the Outlaw, but I'm biased by the fact that I'm listing to a 990/7500 combo as I type this. As for the Polks, I'll have to leave that to the folks around here with first-hand experience with the Polk RTi's - I can vouch for my Paradigm References quite readily, but haven't heard the newer Polk speakers. The best advise I'd offer in that regard is to listen to both, using some material that you're familiar with. After all, your ears are the one that matter the most - they'll want to play a significant role in the selection process.

Stubro, take a look at this thread.

http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/34/t/000874.html

This is coming from someone that said he would never go to seperates. I used to use a Denon 3805 in my H/T room (which is now upstairs)and I didn't feel going to seperates would make that much of a difference. At first I was just going to add an amplifier to my setup and then I just figured I would try the 990 in my H/T for 30 days, if I didn't think it made that much of an improvement, you can send it back. Well, lets just say it won't be going back.

The 990/7700 combo is a powerhouse. I'm using the older RTi Series speakers, there are the RTi70's, RTi28's, FXi30's and the CSi40. Let me just say this, I have never heard speakers open up as these have. The 70's have way better mid-base, the highs are amazing, I could not beleive how the bookshelf, 28's sounded, hard to beleive that small of a speaker could produce this much base. The one thing that I really found amazing is how much clearer the surround channels and the surround back channels became. My room always sounded amazing but now I find myself going threw my DVD library (well over 600 of them) all over again to see what I missed on the first viewing.

My opinion is you can not go wrong with going to seperates. If the need for more power is there, just sell the 7125 and move up to the 7200 or the 7700 amplifier. The 7125 will hold its resale value quit well, there are many people looking to get one. Just my $.02

Another thing, if you haven't already looking into it, check out the Polk forum. There are many people there that are going threw the same thing as you are, trying to decide which is better. Here is the link.

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/index.php

grimster and gonk,
thanks for you input and advice. I think I am going to go with the outlaw instead of the denon for the reasons stated and becuase I feel the ability to upgrade the pre instead of a full receiver is a plus. You guy can expect a lot of post from me on the setup but I will make sure to read the exiting ones first.

Thanks for your help.

By all means, keep us informed on your progress and let us know if you get tripped up by anything.

Stubro, you never did say what you are using now, but all the above advice is right on. Try the 990 combo out for 30 days, you can always send back, I don't think you will though. I went from NAD pre/pro to 990, very happy.

Sorry I currently have a Yamaha DSP-A3090 older top of the line Yamaha and to be honest it has never impressed but it could be the speakers, setup etc. I am changing everything out with this build. I am wondering if I should have gone for the bigger amp? I will see how the 7125 does.Cant turn it up loud too much kids sleep above the TV room.
New system

Sony 46" LCD XBR2 <-- new
Outlaw 990/7125<-- new
Oppo 971 DVD <-- new
Xbox 360 <-- existing
SVS Sub <-- new
Belkin F60 power/surge <-- new
Polk speakers --still deciding
BDI Avion 8539 ent. center<--new
Replaytv 5080-300 gig hoping to still find a way to use this.

replacing
Yammy DSP-A3090
Kplish center, mains, and sub --not good ones
Boston Acc. surrounds
Toshiba Cinema Series SD CRT 36"

Woah, stubro. Don't second guess your purchase of the 7125, at least until you've heard it. Outlaw has publicly stated here that for 3/4 of their customers, the 7125 will fit their needs perfectly.

So, assuming the Outlaws know their customers (and I think there's strong evidence that they do) there's about a 75% chance you picked the right Outlaw amp.

And yeah, FWIW, I count myself among those very happy and satisified 75%.

I assume given my layout I am well within the 75%. I hope one day to be top 25% Thanks for the info.

I wanted to give everyone an update. Along with my 990/7125 purchase I have a SVS PB12-plus sub, polks rti10s, FXi5, and CSi5, oppo dvd, and of course that new sony lcd coming. I went with the RTi10s but sound advice (tweeter) offers one year trade in on speakers so trust me I am going to ensure I want to keep these. Thanks for eveyones help! See you in the Saloon staring next week now I have manuals to read.