I've had the 1070 for about five days now, and I have to say I'm impressed. Having been through a slew of A/V receivers in the past year in search of something satisfying for both music and movies in the under $1000 price range, I have to say the 1070 strikes a perfect balance for me.
Vocals are just beautiful, from Robert Plant to Willie Nelson to Harry Hibbs to Nora Jones every little nuance and inflection is there. Stringed instruments are exceptional, I had forgotten how satisfying a proper decay sounds. Tom Petty never sounded so good.
The 80Hz analog crossover for 7.1 direct inputs works very well for me. My DVD-A/SACD player (Yamaha DVD-C750) has too high a crossover for 'small' speakers (120 Hz) for my liking so I typically just set all the speakers to large. With the 80Hz setting on the 7.1 inputs, the bass is pulled back in. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon SACD sounded
almost as good as the first time I heard it.
As for movies, well I watched the Polar Express today and my kids hid under the coffee table when the train was arriving at the beginning of the movie (yes, I did set the night mode to dynamic range compression after that incident and turn the volume down
). Dialogue was very clear and sounds didn't "stick" to a partiuclar speaker. I did think that some background dialogue and other background sound effects were too subdued, but it could have been the case that I had the volume set too low by then.
I was a little suprised that the maximum dB level I could reach was 106 dB with a select few rock/pop songs and the volume control at +10, considering other receivers I've owned in recent memory including the H/K AVR30, H/K AVR435, NAD T752 and Cambridge Audio Azur 540R were capable of hitting 115 dB in stereo mode at less than maximum volume setting. The 1070 weighs 40lbs and has a huge torroidal transformer visible through the top vents, that's got to count for something. Mind you, the H/K AVR435 and CA 540R weren't exactly clean sounding at those levels whereas the 1070 was "undistorted" at +10. Having said that, my "stereo wars" days are, as the Stones song goes are, "locked away and never seen". If "top speed" is a mandatory component to your requirements I'd suggest looking at the 970/7125 combo or an alternate brand higher-powered receiver instead of the 1070.
Another nice thing about the 1070 is how well it sounds at lower listening levels. If you're like me and listen to a fair bit of music after every else has gone to bed, the 1070 doesn't disappoint in lower-volume dynamics.
The simple fact is when it comes to pure sound quality I haven't heard any receiver that comes close to the 1070 including the H/K AVR435(nice, but it sounded to me like all of the instruments were blended together), NAD T752(excellent sound except for a somewhat heavy bass and rolled off high end, poor quality as well) & CA 540R(outstanding for movies, lacked "something" for music, particularly in the mid bass region). The H/K AVR30 was in the same league but it was a $1200 pro-logic receiver ten years ago.
One suggestion, with a name like the Outlaws I think it would only be fitting to include a DVD/CD of the Highwaymen (Willie, Waylon, Cash & Kris) with every 1070
.
Nice job Outlaws, as my Daddy says 'You done good!'.
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