I wonder what we will designate it as...998, 999?? This will definitely liven up the forum. Go Outlaws.

999 was already taken by Herman Cain.

Hmm. /Me thinks you'd need an 11-channel amp to power all those speakers...

Good point. 11 channels of amplification.

Cue the Spinal Tap jokes.

A 7075 for the surrounds and a 7500 for the mains.

Ritz2, I'm glad I wasn't the only one sitting here thinking about Spinal Tap.

After the fiasco with the last couple of higher end processors flaming out only to be replaced by the rather mundane 975, it had better be something rather extraordinary. I noticed that Emotiva finally got their flagship processor out the door (a year or three after they planned). That seems like a pretty tough business to be in unless you're one of the larger players with a significant dev/engineering budget. I ultimately threw in the towel with the smaller niche players and got an Onkyo unit with Audyssey XT32 and called it a day. Life's too short.

More like 6 years (people had been on that pre-order wait list since 2008).

The feature that is supposed to separate that flagship processor from other 7.1 pre-pros is Dirac room correction, and THAT they have yet to get out the door.

LOL! You are correct. I hadn't heard that dirac was left out on the initial release. Jeez...

So far, I am having pretty good luck with Audyssey XT32. It's "good enough" that I haven't seriously considered upping my game to something like Dirac's PC software solution.

Best,

From the measurements I've seen, XT32 is excellent. It concentrates most of its correction in the low frequencies, where the improvements will be the most audible, and does gentle curve shaping in the higher frequencies.

If the upcoming Outlaw processor is released by the second quarter of 2015, as Peter T indicates, I think it has the potential to truly be a game changer. With Dolby Atmos, HDCP 2.2, and HDMI 2.0 it ought to. However, in my humble opinion, to dominate its' market, it should have state of the art, bug free room correction. Trinnov? A unique flavor of Dirac? Multiple and separate sub LFE correction capability?
Emotiva must be working on a successor to their XMC-1, and it'll surely have Dolby Atmos and Dirac room correction. But if Outlaw can beat them to the punch, they'll have a winner right out of the gate.

Looks like Outlaw is a DTS:X licensee:

http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=94612#Post94612

Best part, DTS:X speaker placement is compatible with Dolby Atmos speaker placement.

This is going to be some pre-pro!

Hope Outlaw brings it in at a good price. By that I mean $1200 to $1500 max. It may be a tough sell at 2k.

I think the 1200-1500 band was their original target for the 997/998/978 processors but this processor will be well beyond what they planned for those, especially with both object oriented codecs on board. No word yet what room correction will be used (if any) but I think it could sell at 2K depending on the overall feature set and performance.

I see some familiar handles from AVS. I still own my 990 and still check for updates and was excited to see this announcement. The next Emotive Processor, from what I've read, is the XMR-1.

Rumored specs for the XMR-1..

• Channels: 16
• "new" Codecs supported: Dolby Atmos
• CPU: TI Series 800 6 core
• Completely balanced (all channels)
• Manufacture Location: Franklin, TN
• EQ: Ship with Dirac Live, Dirac Unison offered later
• Anticipated MSRP: $5k
• Release date: 04/12/2025 - My add

Personally I would really like to see Outlaw do something beyond what the typical big manufacturers are doing. I'd like to see more channels and a different room correction suite if possible. Just something to set it apart.

Has anyone seen and could direct me to a layout for Dolby Atmos ceiling speakers location when there are two rows of seating? The ones I've seen always use one row of seating. Not sure if they should be placed just in front of each row and let my two rear speakers take it from there or maybe one in front of the first row and right behind the second row. I'm running a 7.1 configuration with the sides and rears placed about 2 feet above seated ear level. The rear speakers are about 4 1/2 feet behind the second row head position. I'm concerned if I place them behind the second row there won't be much separation between those and the rears. Thanks for any input. I've got the amplification, speakers and wiring; just not installed yet. Still waiting for the Outlaw pre/pro to be released or if it ends up being cancelled, I'll go with the AV7702.

Layout recommendations are typically in relation to the main listening position, hardly ever for a full row of seats (let alone two rows). Dolby's install guide for home Atmos is no exception, since all the elevation and azimuth recommendations are based on a single MLP.

Since you have a 7.1 set-up, with surrounds already elevated, I would place the height speakers so that they are angularly separated from the other speakers. The front pair of heights can go in the gap between your front and side speakers; the second pair of heights can go in the gap between the side and rear speakers.

To keep the height speakers from overwhelming the closest listener, I would point them at the listener furthest away (a little time-energy trading). So, for example, the front left height speaker would be aimed at the listener at the right end of the back row.

Technically Dolby does publish a guide that specifically shows a multi-row Atmos enabled home theater. In that configuration there is a row of overhead speakers that is directly to the apparent side of each row ("row side heights") as well as another pair that is forward of all the rows (essentially "room front heights"), and one pair to the rear of ALL the listening positions( "room rear heights") thus it is bit confusing as there THREE rows and TEN Atmos overhead speakers (and a mind boggling 24 floor standing speakers) I believe this is very similar to how a top notch commercial theater would be configured -- http://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/...-guidelines.pdf

I seem to recall an interview with the sound designer(s) of The Hobbit that really liked the effects possible when they "steered" content to the overhead channels via front / side / rear biases so I assume the ultimate config uses those six channels per "room" with each "row" getting a reinforcing speaker ...

Thank you both for the posts. I've been thinking about it. I kind of wonder whether splitting the front height channels into four and mounting in front of each row and then mounting the rear heights behind the second row would be a bad thing. It would change the sound concerning each row, but wondering if that might be an okay setup. Just thinking out loud.

The only current prepro that could actually process 24+6.2 channels would be the Trinnov Altitude 32 http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Dolby-Atmos-Preamp-Processors-A-Buyer-s-Guide.shtml I don't have any experience with actual audio content that is encoded / mapped from a BluRay disk or any other source, though Dolby does supply info for folks to incorporate Atmos into existing surround based mixing workflows so I suppose you can deduce that the various x/y/z spacial info is in fact part of the digital stream and then it is up to the prepro to properly setup for accurate playback -- http://www.dolby.com/us/en/technologies/...ound-manual.pdf

Even assuming you had relatively high efficiency speakers in the ceiling, with nicely matched voicing and moderately narrow dispersion, it would be a challenge to get things sounding nice for all the listening positions. It is still going to be a struggle to get each seating area its own sweet spot. The conceptual way that Dolby markets Atmos for cinema, as an "object oriented" process that "frees sound designers from channels" translates to an ANALOG world still means a whole lot of amps, wire and measurements to get the levels and time delays working...

Recently I've read a lot of reviews on DIRAC which seems to be the best room correction software on the market to date. I know Emotiva has implemented the LE version and other's the full version including miniDSP. I'd like to see Outlaw go this direction too, but if not, perhaps the new processor would have Atmos and be similar to the 975 and drop the internal room correction to avoid licensing costs, but increase the number of channels.

There are a lot of Denon units with Atmos on the market but still the standard 5(7).2.2(4). Offering something with more would certainly be appealing to enthusiasts.

I would think at this point Outlaw is way beyond a design change of this magnitude.

After using Audyssey XT32(Platinum) on numerous installs, as well as being intimately familiar with Pioneer's room correction software and Yamaha's YPAO, I will say that I would not purchase a receiver/processor for personal use without room correction software.

We are currently installing a system with Yamaha's newest receiver (RX-A3050), which is an Atmos install, and their latest YPAO offering measures angles, reflections and of course is multipoint. We have also implemented MiniDSP's with DiracLive and was very happy with the options and tweaks available post measurement. Yamaha and Pioneer both allow some choices and adjustments post measurement which is something that Audyssey is lacking with the exception of choosing one of two EQ's and of course enabling Dynamic EQ and Volume.

Overall I would choose Audyssey Platinum if I had a choice. I have found that Audysey has provided the most pleasing corrections when compared to Yamaha's and Pioneer's software, I would give a slight edge to Dirac Live in listening test. The bullet points that support Audyssey in my opinion is that it is on board and not a separate component (a big deal on some installs), it's fast, excellent results and Dynamic EQ is very popular with customers. Dynamic Volume not so much.

It will be interesting to see the features and specs of the upcoming Outlaw unit, I would be overjoyed if it includes Audyssey Platinum. I will end with how I have seen a swing to receivers instead of separates. Maybe that will change again with Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D, which of course require more amplification.

I don't remember a room correction scheme being mentioned in the original announcement. It has been a while since the last update and I couldn't locate the announcement here. I still wonder how the various room correction schemes will interact with Atmos and/or DTS-X.

I don't recall a mention of room correction software either, but I believe that they were planning on implementing Audyssey MultEQ XT32 in their 978 if my memory is correct. I would hope they follow in that direction with the new unit.

As far as Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D, there may be concerns with regards to processing power, but with Yamaha and Denon, it does't appear to be an issue. Speaking with Onkyo, after they announced that they were dropping Audyssey and implementing their own AccuEQ, it appeared that processing power was the reason but I have my doubts. Of course they did not come out and state that directly, more of a round about answer. I wouldn't be surprised if licensing was the reason behind the drop.

Both Yamaha and Denon have released and are releasing receivers with Atmos configurations, Denon using Audyssey Platinum and Yamaha using YPAO R.S.C. 3D. Yamaha's software measures angles and reflections and with Atmos, that could be vital and of course would be dependent on room layout and measurements. Without taking some readings and observing the corrections, it is difficult to say how well it works. Some rooms will probably work well, other maybe not. Unfortunately, the interior designers on my projects have the final say with respect to room layout and furnishings with natural light, draperies and art work taking precedent over speaker layout.

Not to get off the topic, but I was underwhelmed with the Yamaha RX-A3050 yesterday. There is a noticeable delay in the receiver locking on to the audio decoder when switching inputs and viewing/listening to various media such as CD, Blu-Ray, etc. We even experienced this delay when switching tuners on the DVR. Reset the unit, reinstalled firmware, etc., no change, we reached out to Yamaha and are awaiting a response. Hopefully it can be corrected with a firmware update.

I decided Atmos is not in my future and I can still correct my room via Velodyne SMS-1 and thus ordered a 975 b-stock for $449!
I installed an inexpensive Harmon Kardan Receiver for a friend recently and its room correction really did work nice. Im not disputing the value.

Really, its all I need. With BLue tooth, Wifi, correction and Atmos the price point will likey exceed $1000.

Recently there were nice In ceiling M&K speakers used I could gotten for $200 each and there were nice. $400 for two, at this time a Marantz Atmos process b-Stock is $1500, and I'd need two Mono blocks at $650 for the pair. Im at $2500 with little Atmos content available for the near future and not assurance it will be the standard going forward. For the $2000 I have to start considering what upgrades for the money can make a bigger difference. Im running a pair of M&K subs for the last 10 years and very happy, but for that kind of scratch I can upgrade nicely to a more modern sub.

My CS series MK rears fire up at the ceiling as well as to the sides and do a great job for NOT being ATMOS. Creates a lot of space for a speaker 3 feet next to primary seating area and one hardly can place it.

Kudo's to Outlaw for waiting until a new format (ATMOS)is available and including it. Im sure it will be a great unit. I am very pleased they have the 975 and at a price point that is a no brainer!!!

Earlier today (October 23) my FB feed had a hint from Anthem that pricing for the AVM-60 would be start around $2999.

Considering the feature set, that compares quite well with the Marantz 8802a, that seems like a decent value -- http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-AV8802A-Pre-Amplifiers-Processor/dp/B00X95GQP6

http://www.facebook.com/anthemav

Backed up by Canada's HiFi site -- http://canadahifi.com/anthem-avm-60-preamplifier-processor-matching-mca-series-amplifiers/

The obvious question arises, where will Outlaw's new Atmos pre-pro hit on the price / performance curve?

Wow and it will be available in early 2016.

Anthem's new AVM-60 for $3k and ready early next year, you bet "wow!" If my sole option from Outlaw to replace my 990 was the 975 I'd be very, very tempted to put up the additional money for an AVM-60. I always thought the 990 was Outlaws equivalent to the AVM-20/30 and I hope Outlaw's new pre/pro will match up well (features, lower price and availability) with the AVM-60.

The Anthem AVM-60 will be 3K, the new Marantz 7702 MkII will be about 2K....where does that leave the Outlaw? With Outlaw having stated it will contain "premium, audiophile grade components throughout the design", I'm really curious how they'll price it. I'm willing to pay extra for performance, but not so much for features. I have a Marantz 8801 right now - while it does a great job there are so many features on it I don't use - like the extra zones, video processing, Airplay and streaming options. I would hope the new Outlaw pre/pro just excels at the basics, and doesn't bother with some of these extra "features". Maybe that will keep the price down a bit?

I will be surprised if the Outlaw processor comes in at <$2000, especially since it will have both Atmos and DTS-X.

I agree Xenonman - I too would be surprised if Outlaw can price it much less than 2K. That's what makes it interesting: The Marantz 7702 MKII occupies that price range, with every feature under the sun. I hope the Outlaw uses at least XT32 for room correction, or maybe Dirac. Hopefully it has a great analog section & DAC's.

I really so hope it does come in around $2K but I am not holding my breath.
I am thinking closer to $3K.

I'd love it if they can come in around 1.5k or even 1k. I'm sure I'm dreaming, though. I want to upgrade the 975, not because I'm unhappy with it, but so I can get more inputs and start stepping toward ATMOS, etc. Already prepping the better half for spending the money, but 2k+ is going to be a tough sell for me to make when we bought the 975 just not that long ago. I mean, we had the 1050 for about a decade before upgrading it so...

I can't help but think that there the leadership of Outlaw very much has a score to settle with some "North American based audio electronics firm" and will work very hard to come to market at price that will not go unrecognized for value...

TL5 there is no mention in the original announcement in regards to any room correction being designed into the new processor. There have been some questions about what would be used and how it will interact with ATMOS and DTS-X but at this time we do not know what, if any, room correction will be used.

While there was no mention of room correction, Outlaw refers to it as "high end". To me, this means at least xt32, if not Dirac. After having experienced how xt32 works in my Marantz AV8801, I wouldn't consider any pre/pro without a good room correction solution.

I am not trying to be objectionable or just stir the pot but if your idea of "high end" means it must have room correction I suggest you read what guys like Nelson Pass a PhD Walt Jung have to say on the subject. $300.00 AVR's from Best Buy include room correction. Buy the chapest AVR with pre outs as the amp has as much to do with overall sound as the pre/pro. A great amp can make up for a multitude of sins upstream in the audio chain.


To me "high end" means the highest quality parts in the signal path as can be afforded for the price point. High end is much much about the electronics as it is about the gimmicks.

I will trade room correction (that anyone can do themselves) for 1% parts in the form of non inductive resistors and film caps. Take the money from the room correction licensing and spend it on better power supplies and rear panel connectors. Outlaw needs to continue on the path that has made them successful.

The average person shopping for an Atmos/DTS pre/pro is shopping Marantz, Anthem, Yamaha, etc. They all include room correction. Outlaw knows this and will include a form of it on the new pre/pro I bet. We aren't talking "purist" 2 channel audio here.

As Outlaws we are not your average person shopping for electronics. High end means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Based on what we know from the announcement there is nothing about room correction. I am not sure how much processing power will be left over if both Atmos and DTS-X are on board. Although Outlaw tried unsuccessfully to bring Trinnov to home theater, they have in the past only included basic speaker setup algorithms in their processors. Without further info from Outlaw we will have to wait to know the answers. I am not holding my breath.

But don't forget - before the 978 was cancelled it was to include XT32...

Yes but it didn't have to contend with either Atmos or DTS-x.

I know this has been hashed out many, many times but I can't help but state it: For the vast majority of folks I don't think these new complex advanced features are necessary. I bet if we did a poll of Outlaw's customers (different from folks in the Saloon) most folks have 5.1 or 7.1 systems and all they want is excellent audio, reliability, proven room correction, compatibility with new TV technology and easier connectivity to sources via HDMI. IMO Outlaw is getting wrapped around the axle trying to accommodate features that will be used by a select few customers and they will miss the window once again. It is deja vu all over again!

There is really no evidence to suggest that any "complex advanced features" are what are causing the delays with the new pre-pro.

It is entirely possible that there are rather mundane production issues related to things that have nothing to do with how simple / complex the product is and might be resolved very quickly. (Please lets hope it is not another contract manufacture getting pressured by a fearful mainline brand...)

Personally I think it is admirable that the leadership of Outlaw Audio does as much as they can to bring high quality products to market at a very attractive price; the trend for too many brick & mortar AV dealers is to move increasingly toward prices that do much to kill off all but the wealthiest buyers.

I look forward to news of the availability of their latest product and given the relative stabilization of video standards and audio the lifespan of these products could very well fit with the admirably long lived amplifiers that they've built their reputation upon. It makes a good argument to consider a higher end pre-pro as being something that will provide years of service...

I absolutely agree with AVfan that this could be deja vu all over again. I want an update about progress...

My 990 has been a stellar performer for many years and I consider it an exceptional value. Outlaw has created many other products that share the 990's bang-for-the-buck. The problem is the 990 is very outdated and I have had to resort to work arounds with newer components to have a home theater experience. Since I bought my 990 Outlaw has tried to bring to market three pre/pros with only one, the 975, available. Looking back it seemed to me those two pre/pros were delayed and then cancelled in part because of the cutting edge technology they wanted to incorporate into them. With Atmos it looks like Outlaw is trying to include advance features that most customers won't use. No, we don't know it is these advanced features are causing the delay, but we don't really know what is causing the delay. I sincerely hope the past isn't an indication of what will happen with the development of their latest pre/pro. Based upon my experience with the 990 I want to continue to be an Outlaw customer just sooner rather than later.

Lastly, I appreciate that Outlaw provides us a forum to talk about their products and on occasion to vent our gripes.

+1
My 990 has served me well all these years and I hope it continues to do so until Outlaw comes out with their new Pre/Pro.

I'd like to see Outlaw fulfill area's that other manufacturers do not, but I think I'm in the minority here. If I want 5.1 thru 11.2 with built in room correction, there's a tons of options out there and in all price ranges. For me my next processor is something that has more than 11.2 channels. I'd like to see a unit with 16 or more channels and I don't mind if they leave out room correction unless it's going to be something on the level of dirac. I think that would be a rather expensive unit in the $5K plus range, so I don't see Outlaw producing something like this, but I'd love it if they did.

I keep seeing more teasers for the the Anthem AVM60 and I can't help but wonder how things are going with the Outlaw's efforts to bring their similarly features Atmos pre-pro to market... http://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/anthem-mrx-520-720-1120-receivers-and-avm60-processor

Like many other proud 990 owners here, I am dying for information on the new pre-pro, especially with the past history of cancelled products.

Please, PeterT or other Outlaws, can you offer an update for the New Year?

Many thanks!

2016 is my year to upgrade my 990. Hoping to hear something about the new processor soon.

Thanks.

You're not the only one!!!!!

Isn't hope a wonderful thing?

It's what keep us moving forward.......

Thank you, Outlaws, for the product update on 1/25/16. It is very much appreciated. Even without specific dates, having the information is very helpful. Sorry to hear about the delay and I hope your DSP supplier comes through for you... and all of us!

Again, thank you.

I also wanted to thank the Outlaws for the update. I have done my research, and there is really nothing out there that will match the new pre/pro that is in the works...with a reasonable price tag. I would buy the current 975, but I want to be as future proof as possible. My Denon AVR 3808 CI, purchased in 2008 for $1500, was just such a device...and has performed admirably. It is now the pre/pro for my new Model 5000 5 Channel Amp...but I am eagerly awaiting release of the new black box by Outlaw to replace it. I will never have, nor do I want, more than 5 channels. However, I want the BEST sound (music & movies)from those 5 channels.

Emotiva has their processor priced at $2500 which is probably close to where the Outlaw will come in.

I hope Outlaw comes in under that. I'll have a tough sell for the spouse approval factor at that price.

I was hoping for somewhat under $999! Otherwise, what's the point in staying with Outlaw and it's philosophy of providing affordable high end audio.

The original price for the cancelled processors was well above $999 so I would expect the new processor to be at least that and more. We shall see. The emo is built in the USA and may cost more because of that.

That's not gonna happen!!!!!!

What isn't gonna happen?

This.....

I would say there is no chance of the new processor coming in at less than $1500.

I am guessing $2500.00 +.

I am thinking around $2000. Less than the EMO with more codecs.

I think the 990 was priced around $1,000.00 when it was being manufactured. Outlaw is offering the Marantz AV7702 right now for $1,200 and the 975 is currently around $500-ish. Placing the new Outlaw Audio branded pre-pro about 2-3 times the 975 pricing seems about right. Pushing it out to five times that feels disproportionate; even four feels like a stretch. I'm gonna say it won't be over $1,500. I'm thinking maybe they bring it in around the $1,200 mark and then drop the Marantz. That would fit the Outlaw Audio value for money model and keep it in line with their historical offerings.

If Outlaw were to give us a few more details on it's feature set (hint hint) we could take better guesses at the price....

If I remember the original email correctly it has all the codecs for 7.2.4 atmos and now all the HDCP stuff for 4K and HDR plus a tuner and connections for 6 HDMI with two outputs including ARC. The email did not mention room correction or balanced outputs and I would anticipate a slim design similar to the 975. I would expect it to compete directly with the Emotiva XMC with a similar feature set but no graphic equalizer or Dirac RC. This is from memory as I didn't keep the email and the announcements forum is lacking that announcement.

This could be a real game changer for Outlaw although it seems receivers always get priced more competitively than separates.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/marantz-sr7010-av-receiver-review#tKQyxvEuj8RRCAxi.97

That pricing is very attractive for folks that want nine channels of power on-board but I am not sure that is really the target that Outlaw can or should pursue...

If somebody wanted DUAL Outlaw 5000 series amps they'd have 10 channels of 120W at very competitive price, but my gut says the core of Outlaw amp buyers want more flexibility...

My point is that it is a receiver with 9 channels priced at about the point where Outlaw is likely to target. If you look closely there are other receivers in that line priced at less than $1000 that will include all 3 object codecs.

Have I missed something? Why do we think Outlaw is aiming at a 2k price point?

The original 990 replacement processor was priced at $1500 or so but it never made it to production. With all the new tech and licenses I would expect $2000 to be where they price it at. Emotiva is their direct competitor and the XMC-1 is very similar in feature set (although we do not know what room correction if any the Outlaw will use). The XMC-1 is priced at $2499 and has a graphic equalizer and Dirac room correction standard. Without further word from Outlaw we won't know the price range or even its designated name/number of their new pre-pro.

Hmmm... I didn't remember the pricing on the scrapped model, but $1,500 seems to me like it would be more in line with their historical and current offerings than $2,000. Comparing to the 990 pricing and current offerings on this site, $1200-$1,500 still seems closer to the mark than $2,000.

Yes, there are newer licenses and technologies in it, but it's not unlike computers. There is always the next thing on the horizon and whatever amount of money you spend today will inevitably net you a lot more spending it in the future. About every three years I build a new PC for someone in our family and always end up spending right about the same amount of money. You have any idea how much more is in a computer built today than one over a decade ago for the same money?

Of course, as has been mentioned multiple times, until we know what's actually under the hood, it's tough to make much of a guess at the price.

I agree. I hope the $1500 number is a little high otherwise it could be a tough sell with everything else out there.

Unless you're willing to use an AVR's RCA pre outs, there really aren't that many pre/pros on the market that have both Atmos & DTS:X that aren't priced in the stratosphere. I count 2 from Marantz & 1 from Yamaha.

All 3 of the above have a ton of bells & whistles that, in least in my system, are duplicated by other components. If Outlaw can get this thing to market with top quality DAC's & sound, a good room correction package, a nice neat layout & a minimum of bells & whistles for $1500-$2000 - I'll be all over it.

While there is really no comprehensive source to establish the price of recent audio equipment, like Kelly Blue Book does for automobiles, the pricing from sources like ebay or http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-s...wer-amps/1.html suggests that non-Atmos gear is rapidly decreasing in value.

I suspect that just as it now all but impossible to find a car that does not have electronic stability control http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/safety-features so too are advanced immersive audio formats and 4K going to be standard on every piece of gear very quickly.

The differentiator very likely will remain how precise is the filtering technology for EQ and other less obvious issues related to DAC and timing precision. http://www.audyssey.com/technologies/multeq/flavors It does seem that mainstream publications are taking some notice of things like bit-rate of audio formats -- http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/05/high-res-digital-audio/index.htm My gut says the next big thing will be not just bit rate but a more widely held technical understanding of how things like jitter leads to poor quality music reproduction -- http://audio-probe.com/en/documentation/clock-jitter-and-audio-quality/

Beyond the audio side of higher end AV prepros, the understanding of how color space issues will ensure better images is also likely to grow in importance -- http://www.wired.com/2016/01/what-is-hdr-tv/

That sort of coverage strongly suggests that more informed consumer decisions are not a fad, but will likely drive a new category of purchaser that is more aware of the value of higher quality electronics. Coupled with trends towards wanting more quality and less hype (look at the growth of direct to consumer firms that sell everything from eyeglasses to razors to workout clothes and underwear...) I remain convinced that Outlaw is well positioned to find willing consumers IF it can reach the correct target market(s). There is a very different picture painted by these articles about a related surge in analog tech -- http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/07/vinyl-sales-tesco-lps-labels

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/06/why-millennials-are-buying-more-vinyl-records.html

If Outlaw makes an effort to tap into the growing importance of younger people it will do better than catering to grey beards... http://www.articulatemarketing.com/marketing-to-millennials

It might be uncommon to have both DTS:X and Atmos together right now, but I don't think that's going to be the case for very long. They'll both be side by side in everything just like DD and DTS or Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD are now.

You could likely get a few to pay a premium to have both today but that pool is pretty small compared to the masses that will be purchasing in the near future. It seems like it would make more sense to get your product out there ahead of the pack and priced to compete.

I have to wonder if Dolby does not covertly encourage DTS to remain in business as much to ward off monopoly charges as anything else; the firm makes 10x less revenue... http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/DTS_(DTSI)

Remember that Atmos and DTS-x are set up for NINE channels of speakers normally a 5.1.4 arrangement. Even the 5.1.2 setup requires 7 channels. At this point I am unsure if the channels are hardwired as overhead or can be configured to support non-atmos 7.1 or 9.1. Anyone know for sure.

Atmos and DTS:X are currently 11.1 on mainstream gear, which can be laid out as 7.1.4 or 9.1.2, which means non-Atmos sources can be played back with either of those layouts (with or without heights).

Did I miss an announcement? When did the Marantz NR1606 appear on the product list? Is this the "New ATMOS Processor, errr Receiver"?

...and so it begins.

Nope, you didn't miss anything; it was just recently put up to replace the NR1506 we had been carrying. As you all know, we've been offering a few Marantz products for some time. We were able to test out the NR1606 and we were really, quite impressed. It is something we are happy to offer and recommend as an all-in-one HT solution for people with efficient speakers or with smaller sized rooms. It is also a great pair with the Atlantic Technology 3.1HSB soundbase!

Hopefully this bodes well for the new Outlaw processor. The specs on the NR1606 sound a lot like what the original email said.

Wow... they sure do. That receiver certainly suggests that Outlaw's new processor could come in closer to 1,000 than 2,000, though. Seems one of the biggest arguments I was reading for pricing it higher was the inclusion of both new surround formats but here they are and it's not even 700.

Actually, can anyone tell me what wi-fi would be used for? Is that for streaming Spotify, etc?

Marantz receivers have access to Spotify, Sirius, etc. so probably for that and for DLNA streaming would be my guess.

The Marantz specs state that the NR1606 is capable of 100 wpc into 4 ohms and 50 wpc into 8 ohms. However, the power cord says 250 watts max so I would not expect it to challenge any of the amps Outlaw markets as far as available power.

Looks like the new Outlaw processor will be ready about the time I am ready to replace my Marantz AV7702. Nice timing on my part for once.

And you know this how?

I'll be curious to see what it looks like, but Outlaw hasn't hit a published release date for a processor in many iterations...some of which resulted in the projects being scrapped entirely. Which is probably why there is no published release date for this one.

Best,

Another new year is coming up and no new Outlaw AVP. Looks like they got us again for the third year. So when will the Marantz AV7703 show up on the site for sale? Oh, look, there it is, and at list. Sad fact, never intended to sell a new AVP. Prove me wrong. Not likely after just adding the 7703 to the line up. Oh well - tricked again.

What?