Good point, that is a nice feature. Bob

Why would anyone pay extra to have the amps disconnected? Assuming the design is adequate it sounds odd that we would buy the device and then have the amps surgically removed because we don't want them to do what??? Make too much noise, use too much power, generate too much heat, what line of BS will we be convinced of next.

Stop the presses here! Onkyo is not an alternative due to reliability issues with this company. I am presently using an Onkyo 906 as a pre-pro and the HDMI board is fried. Their 906s have had huge problems. The AVS division of my company has stopped carrying any of the Onkyo higher end receivers due to reliability issues and dissatisfied customers. Onkyo's customer care service is brutal.

For a good pre pro that will not kill you I would go Marantz 7005. Why get another receiver if you are already running an Outlaw amp like I am in the 7500.

That's correct, the Onkyo 05 and 06 series receivers were of poor design that were in-fluxed with problems. However, I have been told by the A/V and home theater companies that I work with occasionally that the 09 series Onkyo's have been completely redesigned and have solved the heat issues causing the failures. Whether or not this is true I guess is still up for debate, but if you research reviews and test of the TX-NR809, you will find that they have been positive and some of the reviews are on units that have been used extensively. I have also read comments about how cool they have been running.

Furthermore, the reason for mentioning the 809 was within the context of comparing the Marantz 6006 and the Denon 3312 which are both receivers in the $1000.00 range. It was also mentioned in the interest of someone looking for a "fill-in" while they are waiting for the 978. The Marantz 7005 is $1600.00 the last time I checked and I would not consider that an alternative for someone who is set on purchasing the 978 when available, especially if it is only a few months away. Why spend $1600 when you can spend $700 to hold you over if need be?

Finally, I appreciate your input because you have experience with Onkyo products and that may be helpful for forum readers. You mentioned an AVS division of your company, I would be interested in their experience and thoughts on the 809 as what I stated may be incorrect, and if so I will edit my post so as not to misguide fellow Outlaws.

If you're looking for something interim while waiting for the 978, and you believe the wait will be relatively short, consider the Marantz SR5005, which the Outlaws have in stock again, but in "limited quantities."

$499
Audyssey MultEQ XT (but not XT32), Dyn EQ, Dyn Vol
HDMI 1.4a
Anchor Bay upscaler
7.1 pre-outs (if you want to use it as a pre-pro)
...etc...

I really don't want to spend even $500 for a stop-gap solution, else I'd jump on this.

FWIW, the SR5005 only has the basic Audyssey MultEq, not XT.

Yep. If you can live with Chinese electronics, you'd be better off stepping up to the Marantz 6006 or it's twin, the Denon 3312CI which include Audyssey MultEQ XT. I remain unconvinced that there's any audible difference in stepping even further up to XT32, but it does increase the sampling resolution quite a bit. I'll be really intrigued to hear the Emotiva implementation of Tact's room correction in their new processor. I always found Tact's correction to be EXTREMELY good while being very unobtrusive. If Emotiva doesn't trip on their weenies like they did with their last processor effort, that would be one hell of a deal in the sub-$1500 range if they get the rest of it right.

Differences between various Audyssey implementations:

http://www.audyssey.com/audio-technology/multeq

Best,

Rethinking this a bit, is that the only real differnece between the two? If that is the case, why would the the 978 cost more than the 6006 which inlcude amps? Perhaps the price will be about the same when the 978 is released.

Bob

It will be very difficult for Outlaw to compete with Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, etc. at price point simply based on volume sold. The number of 978's sold will be a small percentage of the comparable products sold by the large outfits.

It's going to be a very interesting situation once the 978 is available on the products page along with 3 Marantz products that may offer more for less. Of course all of this is speculation at this point but I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility. Certainly the 5005 will be gone at that time but the 6006 and 7005 will more than likely still be available.

Of course there will be those that feel we are comparing apples to oranges with respect to the 978 as a pre/pro and the 6006 a receiver, but I don't think that would stop most consumers from giving some consideration to the Marantz products.

There are also different DACs, at least. The 978 will also have balanced outs.

More generally, identical specs does not equal identical performance, just like not every 50" 1080p screen is the same. Specs only tell part of the story.