Yes I do agree in that if one has a good processor don't just replace it right away. I would wait a bit and see some reviews on the 978. I'm sure it will be an excellent product but I'm not sure Outlaw will enjoy the success they had in the past. They need to market this very well and also price it accordingly. Your friend's Integra is a whopper at $2600 clams and out of reach for most people. I'm running my AVR as analog and it sounds fantastic. No Audyssey which isn't the best thing but it still sounds good. Price is the object here.

Full towers? Huge sub? 60hz crossover is the key. Small speakers? Huge sub which can be localized? 60hz xover. Small speakers? Medium sub? 80hz xover. Small speakers? Small sub? Get bigger speakers and a bigger sub or stick with Bose lifestyle system....my brother has that system. Still sounds ok though.

beyond, I have a pair of Newform Research R645 speakers up front that go down to 36Hz. I have a pair of R630 in the back that do 40Hz. Being a fellow Canuck, I hope you know Newform. My sub is an SVS 16-46PC that goes down to 16Hz. If I were to use the Oppo 83's bass management, I would want the crossover set at 40Hz so that only sounds below that go to the sub; the Oppo 83 can only do 80Hz. The Oppo 93 & 95's bass management supports a whole range of frequencies down to 40Hz.

Hey Jam

I have heard about Newform Research and I did check out the website on the R645. I must say this is a very impressive speaker you got. For music you don't really need a sub on with these speakers but for home theatre a proper sub IS needed like your SVS.

Newform states this about the speakers......

"For home theater systems the majority of users will want a very good subwoofer with the 645v3 since it can operate solidly into the low 30s and can be crossed over well below 45Hz. Owners frequently run the 645s full range with the sub as augmentation rather than replacement at low frequencies."

You see Jam....the R645s operate solidly into the LOW 30s. Since your SVS 16-46PC goes down to 16hz then a crossover at 40hz will be needed on your system. I know about the power of SVS as I own a new version of the PB13 Ultra.

If your Oppo 83 can only do 80hz I take it you do not own a pre/pro with bass management that hits down at 40hz. You may need to replace you Oppo for the 93 or 95.

Also note that even in the low 30hz region your SVS will totally out perform your speakers so a 40hz crossover is the best. You may want to experiment with 50hz and test it on a movie you are familiar with. In closing you got to get down to 40hz somehow either by a new player or by a pre/pro for bass management. Then meter out the power to 75db on the speaker system and 78db on the sub and Bob's your uncle.

Yes the R645s are fine sounding speakers but they're butt ugly (low WAF). However I have the R645v1 that I've owned for 10 years now. You're basically arriving at the same conclusion I've come to and that's how I've been using these speakers all these years. I want a new processor to replace my old Rotel R972 receiver that I use only for home theater or surround music. The new processor must be equipped with with HDMI, good room correction is a must as my listening room is square and suffers from some really nasty room modes as a result and of course of the utmost importance is great SQ. That's why I'm waiting for the release of the 978, a new Marantz AV8006 or whatever else may come out along those lines.

Hey Jam

I know you post a lot on the 978 thread and I love reading your posts. You must be very young or expect to live to 110 years if you have the 978 in mind. I am looking more and more the way of Marantz in their 7005. Love to get the 8006 but the price may be a bit out of my reach. If the 978 is for not then Marantz are fantastic. Seen them up close and they look like a million bucks which brings me to another point. If the 978 looks cosmetically like a cheap bandage job like the original photos posted by Scott and ends up looking like something $300 then why even buy the thing even if it could take on a Lamborghini?

Beyond, thanks for the kind words. Let's just say that I'm closer to 50 than to 40. I would recommend that you wait a few months to see what happens with the 978 and perhaps by that time Marantz may bring out a surprise of their own in the form of an AV7007. They'll probably both be at the same price point. Marantz have always had a flair for making really good looking gear. As for the 978, some people have posted that they liked the esthetics of the faceplate; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If an hypothetical AV8007 is out of your price range but an AV7007 and 978 were to become available, then I would personally go for the best sounding one. However, you have to go with whatever needs and preferences you have.

Hey Jam we are probably the same age. I am willing to wait a while and an AV7007 would be nice in Marantz. I honestly would love to see the 978 out and reviewed. I would like to see it at a fair price and nothing like Integra. I'm not in a huge rush but I like to know where this thing is headed. When I do want to buy then I will be waiting for nobody's product. You can forget Emotiva. I am not going there.

I agree with your point of view.

As for Emotiva, while I find some of the concepts and features from the XMC-1 very seductive, I have a feeling that it may not perform as well as the 978 in terms of SQ and as I have expressed in a previous post, I'm not convinced that the Tact digital room correction system would be the most adequate, mostly because of it's single listening position nature. I could be wrong but time will tell. Furthermore, Tact have yet to integrate the Tact DRC technology into a unit other than the Tact TCS processor although I have no doubt that Dr. Radomir Bozovic (the co-founder and president) is up to the task as he's a brilliant man but he's also extremely busy with running most facets of Tact Audio and this could add quite some delays in the delivery of the DRC technology to Emotiva.

I just had a look at the up and coming Emotiva XMC-1 and cosmetically it looks beautiful compared to the redundant looking 978. For me Outlaw missed the mark on the design of the 978. I realize the platform remaining the same helps keep the cost down and within a price range that a lot Outlaws can afford but honestly with all of the delays regarding the 978 I do believe that Outlaw has lost some of its potential bottom line. All of this for me means that I have been able to save a bit more and possibly might be willing to spend more money on a completive product.
I know that there has been some negative talk about the Emotiva product line on this forum but can someone direct me to a website where I can get an unbiased opinion about this company.
As mentioned in another post I am not in a rush to make a purchase whether it be Marantz, Emotiva or Outlaw. I certainly would not at the front of the line. I'd rather sit back and wait until some reviews came out.
I knew nothing of Marantz coming out with a new processor but if it happened I would be listening very closely to the comparisons of all three companies.