As part of this “simple, straightforward, and great sounding” philosophy, we’ve intentionally decided not to include every “bell and whistle”.
Our job will be to provide the needed HDMI, digital audio and analog audio inputs for you to connect to and to deliver the great sound and video these network services provide.
There is one more VERY CRITICAL aspect of the Model 978 I want to tell you about. The Outlaws have always been committed to audio quality, and that is where this processor will really shine.
The ADC, DSP and similar key components have also been carefully selected for audio quality with careful attention to both two-channel and multi-channel audio performance.
Most important, the Model 978 carries one addition to what was planned for the Model 998: true state of the art DACs. We’ve already auditioned them using a reference board, and the sound is just incredible. Regardless of the audio/video source or surround mode, the Model 978 will deliver sound quality well beyond anything we’ve ever been able to offer until now.
You are singing my tune here. I'm a happy 950 owner and I loved that it was a simple quality design that allowed mere mortals like myself to enter the world of seperates (and I'm never going back). Since then, I've come to realize the difference a high quality analog section makes and am willing to pay for it. However, I do not want to pay for it over and over and over again with each source device I buy. If great analog can be centralized into the pre/pro, then I can buy cheaper/commodity digital transports and save money in the long run.
Regarding all the other features - I'm firmly in the Luddite camp. Give me HDMI switching and the support for the standard codecs. Give me balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs. Give me flexible bass management. Give me true bypass on all the audio inputs (just in case I do splurge on a reference source device). Give me an easy way to update firmware (USB or ethernet, don't care). Give me a good warranty and great support. Package it all up in an ugly industrial case to save cost.
To give you an idea of my mindset, I'm almost ready to pull the trigger on a NAD M15 (non HD) even though it is severely limited in its HDMI support (no audio, just video). Only its inability to do true bypass on audio inputs is holding me back. Granted, this is extreme and I hope I don't end up having to compromise so many features just to get an affordable pre/pro with a great analog section. But I will if that is what it takes.
I honestly believe Outlaw lost its way with the original vision of the 998 in trying to beat the competition on hi-tech features. I truly hope the above marks a return to the value oriented audio first approach that sold me with the 950.
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