Hi. It seems there is not a lot of love for Rotel on these boards. I'm currently looking at the Outlaw 990/7125 vs. the Rotel 1068/1075. For sure there is a large price difference but would appreciate any feedback from folks who have heard both and have opinions on sound quality as well as quality of the technology itself, and other.

Thanks much.

I wouldn't say that there's no much love - Rotel is a good brand, and they are solidly built. There are a few of us that have preferred the sound of Outlaw's gear, but there are others who felt differently too. I've got a co-worker with a Rotel setup (1068 paired with a 1095 driving B&W's for center and mains, no sub or surrounds at this point) who is quite pleased with it, but when my wife and I heard it we preferred our Outlaw 950-based system (and the 990 is a nice upgrade from that). Unfortunately, I was judging a complete system - speakers, amp, and processor - that was set up in a different space, so it's difficult to point to a single component and lay the blame on it. There's also personal preference to factor in, so even blame becomes dubious since it's a matter of what different people like. My recommendation would be the 990, but then I also own a 990...

There are some things about the 1068's options and feature set that I liked. Like the 990, it offers editable input names (a great feature that the 950 lacked) and video transcoding (s-video and composite video transcoded to the component video output). There were a few other features like this that the 1068 offered and the 950 didn't, but the 990 matches up with the 1068 well on those and adds the DVI switching and balanced pre-amp outputs. The 1068 does allow for different sepaker settings (large/small) for different modes (Dolby Digital, DTS, and stereo) - that's the only feature I can think of that it offers which the 990 does not. The remote that comes with the 990 is pretty basic, but the remote that comes with the 1068 drove me (and my co-worker, and his wife) nuts. It is a learning remote, which is nice, but it is only a learning remote: there are no built-in codes that you can make use of. The manual also frustrated me - all the info you might need is in there, but the layout didn't feel intuitive to me and it left my co-worker (a 60-year-old professional engineer who had been into high-end audio for a couple decades prior to making this purchase) completely lost. Depending on how familiar you are with setting up a surround receiver or processor, how supportive your dealer is, and whether you will use a third-party remote, these issues may or may not be problems for you.

Awesome. Thanks for the quick reply. I've listened to Rotel and do like the sound but I have to say I like the price of the Outlaw gear, just haven't had an opportunity to listen to it (the downside of Internet-only I suppose).

Jeffw,
I was really looking into Rotel for my step up into seperates from my Denon receiver past.
I found a very cool owner/store for audio. I had the chance to play at my own pace w/ the same rotel setup you are looking into. I purchased my speakers from the same place just months before - so most of the sound path was compairable.

The store also supports B&W (i went with Paradigm). So i tested the electronic on both speaker sets.
IMHO - the Rotel did not convey music the way i like thru either system. I was a little disappointed. Overall - i was not sucked into the presentation of the music. After an hour of listening (W/ my own music) i was looking for another combination. And the Rotels look so cool....

I have family that have Outlaw equipment prior to me .... so, i gave them a try. I was pleasently surprised.

For other listeners ... I'm sure Rotel feels and sounds right to them.

There is another thread in this area(990) in which owners are sharing their setups. "Which speakers and amp(s) are you running?"
Take a cruise and you will find a vast array of setups.

Happy system biulding and good holiday's

ps. Don't let the price fool ya.

I think someone who likes rotel will not like the outlaw(990). They have a different sound to them. I like them both but prefer the outlaw. Just to give you an idea the outlaw can get bright but only if the recording is so. I played a harsh sounding movie the other night at reference levels and it never became harsh. Actually it was one of the best times I ever heard it. The rotel gear tends to be warmer. I hate using words like warm and cold to describe sounds, but anyway the rotel and outlaw are different. You have to know what type of sound you are looking for.

Thanks guys.

On a side note how do feel the 990/7125 combo will work with Paradigm speakers (Monitor 9, 370)?

With Monitor 9's and a CC370, I'd think the 990 and 7125 would have no trouble driving them.

Was simple to me.

Every review on the outlaws equip I read Was excellent. Granted, most mags don't write bad stuff but the one constant was over an over that while there is better stuff, it costs a lot more.

With so many variables in listening in different environments, I thought I'd audition them with My M&Ks and see if I like it.

Boy do I ever.

The 990 has been perfect with no defects, not a buzz or a problem.

And I love the sound.

I also know I got good value for my money!