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.