I have a older Outlaw 950 Preamp with 7100 amp which is still working strong but want to upgrade. Was considering the 575 but now there is the new atmos processor coming out. Is there going to be any trade in programs to make me consider buying the 575 now and trading it in for the newer atmos processor later ?

dandiodati,

To address your concerns, here is what we wrote when we announced we were starting work on an Outlaw Atmos processor:

... "we will offer special programs for owners of current Outlaw processors so that present and future owners of the Model 975 can experience its award winning performance while being assured of an attractive pathway to this new processor."

Peter

Somehow I missed that line! Thanks, Peter!

This is indeed a nice unit and not just with Atmos!

Auro 3D is a planned upgrade in Dec.

http://www.auro-3d.com/blog/denon-and-marantz-to-support-auro-3d-upgrade-available-in-december/

For those who are unfamiliar with Auro 3D here is a video:

Like many, I can't cut in ceiling speakers for an optimal Atmos install, however I can easily do height speakers.
...and I suspect many can also.

bootman,

Thank you for you posts. The Auro 3D video was very interesting. Also, I think it's great that the AV7702 is going to support it. However, I'm having a hard time conceiving how you could get both Atmos and Auro 3D to coexist in the same room (assuming a home theatre) without having a bunch of extra speakers and possibly having to switch cables back and forth. Auro does not want the ceiling speakers and frankly most Atmos users would probably be using the upward pointing speakers anyway. And I don't know what Atmos would do with the elevation speakers that are required for Auro. So it seems to me the average consumer would have to pick one or the other setup.

If in fact you are effectively limited to just one of these technologies for a given speaker configuration, may initial feeling would be to go with the Auro. My reasoning being that the requisite elevation speakers could use a greater variety of speakers, i.e. ones that would match sonically with my 5.1 equipment. However, another thing to consider is going to be how much content will there be. In that regard I think Auro is way behind. I think I'll wait this one out for awhile before I jump in.

Now the next big question is will Outlaw's upcoming processor support Auro. I'm almost hoping it won't! I'd hate to see the Outlaw processor get caught in the death spiral of feature creep.

The main 5.1 speakers around ear level are the same for Atmos and Auro. If the first pair of height speakers are designated "Front Heights" then they will work with Atmos and Auro (and their associated upmixers) and even DTS Neo:X.

The problem is the second pair of height speakers. If you designate them "Surround Heights", then they will only work with Auro, since there is no such designation for Atmos. Likewise, if you designate them "Top Middle" or "Top Rear", then they will only work with Atmos, since those designations don't apply to Auro.

So it's not so dire, since all the speakers except one pair will work with both formats. Personally, I would not fuss over Auro. There doesn't seem to be enough content on the horizon to make it worth the rumored $249-299 firmware upgrade.

Peter,

I applaud Outlaw's efforts at design and operation simplicity, since the Marantz processor represents overkill for my system. However, I would like to suggest the following from my experience with the 975 processor. I would drop some of the older technology such as composite and component jacks in favor of including 7.1 analog ch jacks for use with DSD rather than PCM as well as HDMI of course. A processor ranging in the $1K range is what I am driving at.

crlalbr

I'm not sure this is the appropriate place to put this, but I found it interesting. The Dolby layouts I've seen for ATMOS haven't really agreed with my thoughts on positioning. Also, I really hadn't put much thought into using wide channels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DFbqJkjfABQ

First off: Thanks for that link. I thought 1 hour 12 minutes? You're kidding? but I was riveted.

And it brings up the very important question of what is the minimal, best-bang-for-the-buck Dolby ATMOS configuration for home theater use?

If we believe the video post (which makes a lot of sense from an engineering point of view, imho) then there is more benefit for a 9.x.2 system than there is for a 7.x.4 system.

So what paradigm is the new Outlaw processor going to implement? And why? I say without shame that my house is currently full out Outlaw Audio. products Why should I take the next step?

The minimal 5.1.2 set-up will give you the essence of Atmos by letting you hear sounds around you vs sounds above you. For anyone that already has a minimal 5.1 set-up, that means either adding a pair of speakers overhead or a pair of Atmos-enabled height modules. Everything beyond that is an incremental improvement (i.e., better sounds around you and better sounds above you). A little lopsided for my tastes. Given 11 speakers, I would do a more balanced 7 around me and 4 above me. Plus, 4 speakers above allows for left-vs-right AND front-vs-back movement overhead.

Grimani's rooms tend to be a bit overdamped for my tastes. By absorbing early lateral reflections he reduces soundstage width, then advocates speakers at the Wide locations to fix a problem he created.