Have one what? I was asking if there is a picture of the 978 yet?

Outlaw has previously posted this preliminary pic of the 998... I assume the 978 will look much the same.

The two are supposed to share much of the same architecture, so I would suspect that the image GaryB linked to is a pretty reasonable approximation of what the final product will look like.

Just setting up my first Blu-ray player using all analog outs and realized I have a problem with my current setup I am hoping the 978 will cure.

Will the 978 have bass management on the stereo analog outs? Blu-ray and current processor do not. Since this Blu-ray has better audio channels for the dedicated stereo outs, I want to use them but do not want to lose my sub.

Anyone know?

Appreciate the insight.

~Bob

First I haven't seen anything posted about whether the 978 will have analog only bass management (I assume you are looking for something like that in the RR2150 or in the old ICBM).

While I don't know the answer to this question directly, I am curious why you would do this with the 978 as one of Outlaws major claims about the 978 is the quality of the DAC's. I am hoping that they are at least the equal of those in the Oppo BDP-95. If that is the case, then digital to the 978 may be the best way to get bass management.

Interesting thought. Today I am thinking about the new Oppo and the claim the analog outs are above what most would find on a player. So I automatically though for audio they might be a step above the Outlaw. But you may be right. In which case the investment on the Oppo could have been less for the 93 with less advanced analog outs.

Been 10 years since any changes in my system. Lots to rethink to build for the next ten years.

~Bob

The stereo analog inputs on the Model 978 will certainly have bass management, although Outlaw will likely offer an option to disable it (and all other processing that requires an A/D/A conversion process). Whether you want to use this feature with your analog source depends on the source and the transparency of the Model 978's A/D/A capabilities. For most sources, I suspect that this process will be very close to transparent - but in those cases, it could be ever better to simply rely on a digital audio connection if one is available (either coaxial, optical, or HDMI).

The multichannel analog input is less certain. Past Outlaw products have offered it, but most processors and receivers do not - and the emergence of HDMI as the de facto standard connection for "high resolution" audio sources makes it harder than ever before to justify the added cost involved in implementing any bass management solution for the multichannel analog input (either analog or digital). For the case you mention, this uncertainly probably doesn't factor in to the equation anyway.


We don't know what DAC's Outlaw may be using. Someone around here theorized that they could be ESS Sabre DAC's like those in the BDP-83SE or the newer Sabre DAC's in the BDP-95. An analog section equal to the BDP-83SE would be great to have. What I'm seeing of the BDP-95 suggests a step up from the level set by the BDP-83SE, though, so matching or beating that could be a very tall order indeed. Of course, something that could rival the BDP-83SE and had sophisticated bass management and room correction on top of that could easily be enough to justify not spending the extra money required for the BDP-95 and "settling" for a player with a less extreme analog section.

Thanks for that Gonk. A bit to think about.

For now, I'll try to get what I have working as well as possible. I think I am getting closer.

~Bob

Quite frankly, I wonder if there IS a future at all for analog inputs in forthcoming generations of AVR/Pre-Pros? The highly anticipated recently introduced AVRs from "Anthem" have totally omitted the analog inputs from all three of their models.

I am assuming from this they have made the decision that the vast majority of their customers would much prefer the convenience of one HDMI cable and are no longer interested in hooking up a multitude of cables from their source equipment. Besides, I think they probably feel that their internal DACs are going to be as good or better than anything connected to it plus their ARC Room EQ is only going to function properly in the digital domain anyway.

Plus it is cheaper to build without the multichannel inputs. The Sony PS3 eliminated the multichannel analogue outputs, yet still is reputed to have lost money on the early models.