I am looking to replace my Outlaw 970, which I never did grow to like, with something. One of the options I am looking at is the Marantz SR5005. Has anybody mated one of the with the Outlaw 7125 amp? If so, what is your opinion on the combination together?

Any other recommendations on a "relatively" inexpensive pre/pro or receiver to mate with up with the 7125? I'd like to stay with Outlaw, but I'm getting a bit tired of waiting for the next pre/pro to see the light of day. And yes, I realize that the next pre/pro will not be inexpensive, at least not by Outlaw standards. I was thinking of upgrading my 990 with the next Outlaw pre/pro and then replacing my 970 with the 990 and then beating up the 970 with a large hammer.

Any advice you can give will be appreciated, especially regarding the SR5005.

Thanks,
Jeff

Has anybody compared the Marantz SR5005 against the Emotiva UMC-1? I see where Emotiva has the UMC-1 on sale for the same price as the SR5005 and was wondering about the upside of either of these and whether or not anybody has given them both a close look. I would be using this for 5.1 TV viewing only, with an occasional movie thrown in when I don't want to fire up the projector. For music I will listen through the den system which I'm looking to upgrade with a better DAC. I've never heard any of the Emotiva gear, as you can see from my signature I've been a fan of Outlaw's gear. Missing from the signature are the 950 and M200s that I passed along to a friend when he helped me do some work around the house. He wouldn't take money, but he did appreciate the sound quality improvement that the 950/M200 combo gave him for 2-channel listening over his previous receiver.

Again, thanks for any advice you can give.

Jeff

I've never heard the Emotiva UMC-1 but I know it has had ample issues with firmware and other bugs and quirks. They took alot of heat from their own customers and reviewers for releasing this product with so many bugs. I have owned an Emotiva XPA-3 amp. I upgraded to a 7 channel Outlaw 7075 and realized that I am an Outlaw guy not Emotiva. Those cheesey ass blue lights were god awful. I personally don't trust these guys at all. Even Audioholics found some specs on their amps were stated incorrectly on their website. There have been debates on whether their amps can truly produce the power they say they can all over the internet. You never seem to hear that about Outlaw, Bryston, Parasound or any of these other amp manufactures.

jkvoth,

Thanks for the response. I had remembered hearing bad reports regarding the UMC-1 early on, but didn't remember hearing anything recently after what I'm sure have been several firmware updates. As for the Emotiva aesthetics, I'm not a big fan of the glowing blue lights everywhere, but overall I do like their looks a bit better than Outlaw's when it comes to the pre-pro's. As for amps, I prefer the Outlaw look, less-is-better. I've never heard an Emotiva amp so I have no reference to say if I like them or not.

I've been an Outlaw fan for a number of years and have had a fair amount of their audio devices. I have liked everything with the exception of the 970, which is what I'm looking to replace. My first Outlaw purchase was a pair of M200s to use as amplification for my front L/R channels instead of the Yamaha RX-V1200 internal amps. The improvement in sound led to purchasing a 950/770 combo which I really liked, what a major improvement in the sound. Then I picked up a 990, which is a fantastic pre-pro, to replace the 950. I gave the 950, and the pair of M200s, to a friend and used that as an excuse to replace them with a 970/7125 combo for my everyday TV system. I like the 7125, a good sounding dependable amp, but the 970 has always been somewhat problematic with audio dropouts. It was/is out of character from what I had come to expect from Outlaw products.

What I'd really like to do is to get a 978 to replace the 970. I was thinking of getting a 978 to replace the 990 and moving the 990 to the den. But there are a couple of issues with that, the 978 is not yet out plus I'd have to replace the TV stand in the den that came with the Sony rear projection TV due the height of the 990. The second part isn't such a big deal, but the lack of an adequate replacement for the 970 is. I've finally had enough of working around its quirks and want it out of the system. So I'm trying to find something inexpensive so that I can at least keep dreaming about the possibility of getting a new Outlaw pre-pro when it finally comes out. But I want it to be decent as it may be a while before I can afford a 978 if I purchase something else. I've been an Outlaw fan and want to stay one, but at this point I'm considering alternatives.

Again, thanks for the response.

Jeff