OVERVIEW: 990 v 1070 COMPARISON
I’ve been comparing an Outlaw 990 v. 1070 (as a pre-amp only) over the last few weeks and hope my impressions are helpful to other people who are trying to decide between the two. I never hooked-up speakers directly to the 1070, but used it only as a pre-amp.
Ultimately, I kept the 990 because of better 2-channel stereo sound and the fact that it runs slightly cooler (my HT equipment is in a cabinet where the doors are usually closed). Regarding the 1070, I preferred some functionality in terms of being able to set-up/adjust my system without having the TV “on,” the button layout on the remote (slightly different than the 990) and the fact that it could used in the future to drive a two channel stereo or second surround system without an additional amplifier. Both units made listening to music and watching movies quite enjoyable.
My usage was approximately 70% music (regular CDs), 20% movies (some DTS & Dolby PLII) and 10% other TV & AM/FM radio.
TWO CHANNEL SOUND
This is the area where the 990 was demonstrably better than the 1070. Although both units had good imaging detail so that you could place instruments or a vocalist, the soundstage on the 990 was wider and deeper. It had that three dimensional quality where you get the illusion that you can reach out and touch the singer in a small jazz club. With the 1070, you could place the instruments, and the singer’s location, but it just didn’t seem quite as “real.” The 1070 was good, but the 990 was better.
In fact, when the 990 was on, my wife (who usually prefers low music in the background) often stopped whatever she was doing, came over to the den and would just listen or start dancing around the house.
With a Denon 2910 DVD player for 2-channel stereo, I preferred the using analogue interconnects in “Bypass Mode.” Interestingly, for the same set-up with the 1070, I preferred “Stereo Mode.” When using an older 5-CD Yamaha player, I preferred using the digital (optical) connection for both the 1070 and 990. For 5-channel stereo, both sounded similar.
MOVIES
Both units seemed very similar in terms of video quality and sound. Please note that I have never had a surround sound system in my home before, so that I do not have a basis for comparison, except for prior experience with 2-channel hi-fi and listening to Sunfire, Rotel, Lexicon and Denon products in retail stores.
In terms of Video, I used DVI connections from a Denon 2910 and Sony HD SAT receiver to the Outlaw processor and then a DVI to HDMI cable from the processor to the TV. Previously, I had the Denon DVD player hooked up directly to the TV with the same DVI-HDMI cable. The picture and video switching via both Outlaws worked flawlessly. I noticed no loss in image quality when going from a direct connection to connecting through either of the Outlaw units.
In terms, of sound, I did a lot of A-B comparisons using “Gladiator,” “Finding Nemo” and “Master & Commander.” I also watched a number of other movies and old TV shows on DVD, switching between the 1070 & 990 at some point in the middle of each program. The bottom line is that the 1070 and 990 are very comparable for video and sound quality on movies.
SET-UP & OTHER OBSERVATIONS
Both units were easy to set-up and the Outlaw manuals are really good. First, I flipped through the manual for 15 minutes, then I made connections. Finally, I used the manuals step-by-step instructions to configure the system. After the first time, I rarely had to go back to the manual. And again, this was my first time setting up a home theater system.
The only problem I encountered was with the 990s auto set-up feature that designated my surround speakers as “Large” and the front speakers as “Small.” I assume that this was because the surround speakers are more efficient and thus sound “louder” compared to the front speakers. I used a Radio Shack Sound meter (which is needed to set-up the 1070, since it does not have auto set-up), to finish set-up for the 990. Everything else went smoothly.
Both units seem to cover all widely used surround formats and since they can have software upgrades, they should have a long life. Also, when watching TV and listing to AM/FM tuner, the 1070 and 990 seemed comparable.
Other differences... The 990 has a “zone 2,” a USB port, a second “mini” remote and balanced outputs, although I haven’t used any of these yet. The 1070’s, remote has a slightly different button layout and you can use the front panel during system configuration (not possible on the 990), which I preferred. The 1070 also has some different bass management options (switch on the back) that seem useful, although I did not experiment with this. Taken together, these items did not drive my decision one way or the other.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed listening to both the 990 and 1070. Ultimately, I kept the 990 because it sounds better for regular stereo and runs cooler, although if I were making this decision at a different point in my life when I had tighter budget and space constraints, I would have probably kept the 1070.
ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT
Digital: Denon 2910 DVD, Yamaha CDC 665
Amplification: Sunfire Signature Amp (5 channel)
Speakers: Dynaudio Special 25s, Dynaudio Contour Center, Triad in-wall sub, small ceiling surround speakers (unknown brand)
TV & HD: Sony KD 34XBR960 with Direct TV via a Sony HD receiver
Audio Interconnects: Outlaw, some Kimber & Transparent interconnects
Video Cables: Radio Shack DVI to DVI, Better Cables DVI to HDMI, old S-Video Cable
Pre-Amp: Adcom GFP 565
NOTE: in addition to the above equipment, I have a separate dedicated stereo room with a MSB Platinum CD player, Gamut D200 Amp and Verity Parsifal speakers.
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