I've been away over the Thanksgiving holiday, so haven't had time to do much more thinking about a replacement for my 1070.

I'd like to add a little something to my comments about the sound of the Emotiva DMR-1 I tried, as compared to the 1070. I finally got around to reconnecting the 1070 tonight, and I think I suddenly realized what the DMR-1 was lacking: It didn't do a good job of preserving low-level audio information at typical listening levels. It's not that any details were totally missing, but more like I threw a thin blanket over my speakers.

The DMR-1 did, however, just plain blow away the 1070 in terms of power. I'm not really talking here about how loud it could play, but rather how much crisper, tighter and dynamic the DMR-1 sounded even at low listening levels. If you'll pardon the expression, it sounded like it grabbed my speakers by the balls. The difference was quite dramatic, for both movies and music.

So I think you folks who are trying separates and/or external power amps are on the right track. My problem is I just don't have room in my entertainment center for a separate power amp. The space is only 10.5" high, and you have to leave some breathing room for ventilation, you know? Even the bigger Japanese receivers wouldn't fit comfortably.

chas - Please let us know your experiences with the 970... my understanding was that it's the same pre/pro as in the 1070, and I certainly don't want that!

Lizard King - I'll be interested to hear your impressions of the 1070 + Anthem when it arrives.

John Galt - HDMI (of any flavor) is not a factor for me in a replacement for the 1070. I prefer to run all my video direct, and I imagine it'll be at least a couple years before I will have any need for the audio capabilities of HDMI. And there'll probably be some new version by then In regard to connecting my Dish receiver via analog... I think that would at least partly solve my problems with the 1070, but I'd lose 5.1 audio when it's available.

If you don't need HDMI audio or video, you might also consider looking for a Sherwood R-965. Single chassis (albeit a large one: same dimensions as a Model 990, basically), and judging by the 990 that I have - which is built on the R-965/P-965 platform - it might appeal to you.

The Sherwood R-965 is a huge receiver, bulky, crap speaking posts, crap female RCA's, Good sound and a major pain in the butt to setup and use!

David-W, I will glady share my thoughts about the 1070/Anthem Amp. I believe the amp will arrive Monday or Tuesday.

I am also wating for 5 Signal Cables Analog 2 IC's with Bullets plugs. Using the bullets is better than the normal crap RCA.


A word for you new people, Gonk in the man!

Thanks for the additional input!

The Sherwood is intriguing... I Googled it and it seems pretty impressive, plus it's less than 8" high so it'd fit in my entertainment center.

A couple things concern me... is this the same Sherwood that makes the cheap stuff sold by Circuit City? Also, I don't quite understand what Lizard meant by "crap speaking posts, crap female RCA's". Could you elaborate on that please? Is this something that would impact sound quality, or is it more just an "aesthetic" thing?

Anyways... this receiver seems to be selling for around $1400, which is a bit above my desired price point, although it'd be cheaper than rebuilding my entertainment center for sure.

I kinda hate to give up on Outlaw though... I really like the sound of my 1070. In fact, with more power and less glitches, it'd be just about perfect in my view. I keep thinking it might be worth it to make space for their separates.

Gonk - What Outlaw amp(s) have you used with your 990?

David_W,

I have a friend who uses the Sherwood Newcastle R-965. He curses it, hates the losuy support that the company seems to give him yet likes the sound quality

He has told me he will sell his one day and his is tired of it uses yet he does like the SQ. He does NOT use the remote control, is is the Mx-500 and it drains the batteries.

He asks me to help him since he struggles to use is as it is a tough unit to operate.

The unit is large, heavy and bulky. The Speaker posts and the female RCA plugs are cheap quality, not worthy of the unit.

The unit is like 2 years old so check with the company if there are updates .

Beware of the unit, it does sound good yet it is tough to use and needs a lot of patience.

Liz

David - can you give us a quick run down/comparison of the Japanese receivers you tried?

David,

If you don't need HDMI or the new audio support, I would try to get a demo Arcam AVR250 unit. These should be available in the $1000 range. The sound quality should be up there, although oddly enough they don't have pre-amp outputs, so adding an external amp if your thirst for power isn't satisifed won't be possible.

I don't get a lot of 5.1 content from my satellite provider, in fact almost none...so I was recommending switching to analog, however you may be in a different situation.

I would also seriously consider looking at used receivers / separates as these should becoming plentiful with the next upgrade cycle.

BTW...please refrain from these type of comments: or else you're going to push me into upgrading my 1070 Say, what kind of speakers are you using out of curiosity?

-John

David,

if Emotiva was much crisper, tighter and dynamic, even at low listening levels, why didn't you stick with it? Were those highs so bad to wash away all the other pluses? I'm only asking here, don't get me wrong.

I've tried a Yamaha over the weekend, the RX-V1800, which is loaded with features and sports 130W per channel.

It's HDMI 1.3a ready, works flawlessly, is loaded with features, including video upscaling. Has automatic setup which was "spot on".

But it didn't sound right to me and back to the store it went. It was initially $1600, recently $1080 and didn't stand up to my 65W per canannel 1070, which I got for $900, in sound quality.

The midrange was not right, the higs seemed to be "up in the air with nothing under them" and sounded in a way that made me think of white noise instead of cymbals. It was pulling attention to each speaker, the sound was not blending in. It was loud, allright, but I usually crank up my 1070 to -15 -10 dB while watching movies. Those 130W of power just didn't sound right and I, one, don't need them.

I know that my "review" seems terrible, but the unit is not that bad. Maybe, had I never heard the Outlaw sound, I would have found it pretty much OK, especially since I use my HT for just that, movies. Ignorance is bliss, but once I've tasted the Outkla sound, I become an "addict".

Damn, it's not at all easy to find a replacement for the 1070 to give you that sound for that money... Maybe not even possible!?

Avoid Yamaha and the expenisve Arcam units! The 1070 can be used an a full premap and it supports Analog Bass Management. I wil have my Anthem amp soon and report how much betetr it sounds so sit tight.

Liz

Well, first off, I've decided what I'm going to do.... I'm just going to sit tight with the 1070 for now. Despite my various quibbles with the unit, I have to say again that over-all it just plain sounds better to me than anything else I've heard at or even near its price.

Ultimately, as my budget permits (within 6 months hopefully), I'll bite the bullet and re-do my entertainment center so I can upgrade to separates. Very probably Outlaw, as I seem to like their sound. I'm afraid I would end up disappointed with anything else I might try in the meantime.

Lizard King - Thanks for the additional info on the Sherwood. It's feedback like this that helped me decide to just stick with the 1070.

chas - It was over a year ago (before I purchased the 1070) that I hauled home like four Japanese-brand receivers. My recollection of their specific sounds is hazy now, and I can't recall the model numbers... they were all $700-$800. The main thing I do remember is that none of them sounded very good to me. In fact, I had decided that if the Outlaw 1070 didn't float my boat, I was going to go back to just plain 2-channel stereo.

I do remember the receiver I really hated was a Pioneer. It was way too warm and fuzzy-sounding for my taste. I also tried a Yamaha and Denon... I can't recall much about either except that I wasn't happy with them. I do remember the Denon sounded flat and lifeless to me. The one receiver I could have lived with if necessary was a Marantz, but I found it to be too "polite"... it never really rocked, you know?

My speakers are Athena AS-B1's... cheap, not especially accurate or revealing... but efficient and punchy, and they sound *great* with the 1070!

John Galt - Thanks for the Arcam suggestion. I do, in fact, kinda like the "dry, crisp British sound" and I'd forgotten about Arcam. But as I said above, I've decided to stay with my 1070 for now. The Emotiva did make me a little power-hungry... I think the next upgrade for both of us should be some big, honkin separates

Alexandru - I hadn't read your post yet when I commented on my experience with Yamaha (above). Man, you nailed their sound right on the head as far as I'm concerned. Gobs of features, looks nice, works perfect, plays loud...... but doesn't sound right. You're much better at describing the audio qualities of stuff than I am... I can't really explain exactly what was wrong with the Emotiva. It just wasn't quite right. Grand pianos sounded like electronic keyboards. Banjos sounded like mandolins. etc.

Everybody - Jeez, sorry this got so long!!