I am the proud owner of a 990 and I will be moving into a new home and have the chance to upgrade my systems. My HT will be in my living room that is 25 x 18 and I will need a good amplifier choice. I have seen many topics discussed, so I put it to all of you Outlaws what is the best upgrade path for me?

- 7125 is it big enough?
- 7200 do I need balanced outputs?
- 7700 do I need an amp that I have to move with a dolly

But all kidding aside, I am finally in the position to do it right and I want the right choice. Any and all sugesstions are welcome.

Which do you feel is a better upgrade choice for an amp?

7700?
7200?
7150?

Do you know the sensitivity/efficiency of the loudspeakers you'll be using in your new HT? When I first purchased Outlaw gear, my choice was between 100WPC or 200WPC. Because my speakers were below average in sensitivity/efficiency, I chose 200WPC to buy back 3dB. Generally speaking, I think that sensitivity/efficiency in the high eighties to low nineties for 1W at one meter is average. My loudspeakers were in the mid-eighties at best, so the extra 3dB brought me up the same acoustical output as average sensitivity/efficiency speakers driven at up to 100WPC. Even a true 100WPC is too much for driving most consumer loudspeakers if you were to push the maximum continously, but having the capability for 100 or 200 watts per channel when outputing one to ten watts per channel on average means that the occasional spiking transient will be handled cleanly.

I saw in the other thread that you haven't decided on speakers yet. That would be a definite factor in whether the extra 75W of the 7200 or 7700 would be beneficial. Most in-walls don't need huge amounts of power, so most likely the 7125 would work nicely for you.