950 questions

Hello All,

My current Yamaha 2095 was lost due to a lightening strike so I am in the market for a new receiver/preamp. I have narrowed down my selection to the Denon 3805 950/7100

A few questions. I have done quite a bit of reading through this forum so most of my questions have been answered. Great forum BTW.

1) The 950B will have all current fixes done before it’s shipped to me?
2) I double my changer as CD player and DVD and would like to use the coax connection between the two. One of the problems with my current receiver is I have to keep switching between Stereo and DD as I change from CD to DVD in the player. Is there a way around this with the 950. Can I assign the CD and DVD source to the same coax digital input with a different mode of processing?
3) Is the digital lock a problem to worry about with CD’s or DVD’s?
4) How would the 7100 compare to the 3805 in terms for power output. The 3805 seemed to be a strong amp as tested by S&V. Too bad Outlaw has not sent any of their amps off to S&V.
5) Does the bass management work in Stereo mode, i.e. I have trim and crossover adjustment for Stereo mode.

Thanks All

Bob

i have the 3805, and dont use its amp, but i did try it out and it was solid if unspectacular. i would think the 7100 is better... i havent tried it though. also, there is nothing wrong with solid.

why not look at the outlaw 1070 which will be out soon... i would have taken it over my 3805, if i didnt have to have something.

you may be on a timetable too, due to that power strike...

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>you may be on a timetable too, due to that power strike...<

Ya I need to get something and who really knows when the 1070 will be out.

Thanks for the reply, I am glad you like the 3805. Bob

1) Absolutely. Every 950 shipped from Outlaw after December 17, 2002 include the "blue dot" revisions, and every 950 shipped after March 17, 2003 include the DTS-ES fix. Any unit you order from Outlaw will be up to date.

2) I've done the same thing with my DVD player for some time, and have a simple solution. The DVD input on the 950 always operates in some form of surround mode, but the CD input (which uses the same digital audio input as the DVD input) is permanently assigned to stereo.

3) Not from my experience. I lose the first moment of audio in most DVD menus, but I've never wept over that loss. Once the 950 acquires the PCM audio from a CD, it keeps it as long as the CD player isn't stopped, and I never seem to notice that lock at the start of the CD.

4) The 3805's rating is 120W/channel at 8 ohms, which is not very far removed from the 7100's 100W/channel. I don't know about S&V reviews, but over the years there have been a number of reviews of Outlaw amps (from the Model 750 that I use to the 7100, and everything in between) and Outlaw's amps have been consistently well regarded. I'd expect it to at least match and very possibly exceed the 3805's amp section.

5) The 950's bass management is pretty robust. Since you are using your DVD changer's digital output for CD playback, that will leave you in the digital domain for your stereo listening - which simplifies the discussion significantly. In that scenario, the bass management behaves exactly the same as it does for any other surround mode. We could also get into the subject of bass management while in stereo bypass mode (where the stereo analog signal is passed through without processing, but a digital copy is processed to generate a signal for the sub) or the analog crossover for the six-channel analog input, but we'll leave that alone.

Hope that helps.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

Another tidbit of information is that the Denon receiver whilst rated at 120 wpc x 7 did not perform as stated. In the S&V review it put out a respectable 93 wpc into 7 channels but not 120 wpc. For 2 channel stereo it put out 139 wpc. The link is here:
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=645

If the link above does not work, go to soundandvisionmag.com and choose archives and then the july/august issue. The pdf file contains the relevant information.


hope that helps.

Gonk,

It sure did help, thanks,

I will also be purchasing a new DVD/SACD from Sony. It order to use SACD it seems pretty easy to setup. Set all speakers to large in the DVD player. Turn on the 950's bass management, above ~80Hz will go to the speakers and below ~80Hz to the sub. As you said on your review of the 950, this will avoid the “double bass” condition so I should be all set. Do I have that right?

Do any of the new universal remotes come with Outlaw 950 codes? You would think that the SL-9000 would?

The 950 looks like a great unit underneath the hood as well. Not that I am an expert, but there was an interesting article a few years back on SMR title “Blowing the lid off”, www.smr-home-theatre.org. The author took a look under the hood of a few receivers and noted the difference in design between good and bad. I think the 950 would have been at the head of the class according to the author’s criteria.

Bob


[This message has been edited by bobm (edited September 06, 2004).]

>Denon receiver whilst rated at 120 wpc x 7 did not perform as stated. In the S&V review it put out a respectable 93 wpc into 7 channels<

I saw the review. Like you said the 93 wpc into 7 channels is respectable. Denon always seems to get the job done when it comes to power. I believe the 1050 did ~65 wpc into 5 when that review came out which gives you a good idea of how well the Denon performs. David Ranada does most of the receiver lab measurement so the results would be easy to compare if they took a look at the 7100.

I did a little research, the Denon 5803 7x170 has a 1.2kVA Torroidal Power Transformer with 66,000uF of power supply capacitance The 7100 7x100 has a 1.2kVA Torroidal Power Transformer with 140,000uF. I am no expert but the 7100 looks to have better parts than the 5803.

The power is always fun to watch but I also like to look at the noise. Denon always scores well on the noise figures. I remember how low 1050 scored here. The 950 was much better and I bet the latest addition is even better still. Too bad they did not send it in for a retest.

Bob


[This message has been edited by bobm (edited September 07, 2004).]

Ok guys I just pulled thr trigger on a 950b/7100. Everyong please tell me what a great purchase it is.

Bob

Fear not, bobm, you'll enjoy it.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

i have a yamaha 2092 receiver before i bought my 1050, and then a 750 amp and then a 950 pre/pro and then two M200 amps, you can go wrong with outlaw.

>I have a yamaha 2092 receiver bef<
The 2092 was a great reciever, No DTS or 5.1 input if I remeber. Friend mine still has his for about the last 6 years without failure.

Do you still have your 2092?

Bob

Nop, but it's still in the family, i sold it to my brother who uses for hi's home theater and yes it works very well, the lack of DTS it's why i decided to switch it for the 1050.

Hello All,

My 950B/7100 arrived yesterday. I am still waiting for my DVD player so I decided to test what I could and have some fun.

My unit has a blue dot sticker next to the serial number. I assume this is ok since I purchased a beta?

I hooked up 5 channels of the 7100 with Blue Jean cables. My speakers are NHT Super Ones and Super Zeroes. I set up the unit, which was very easy btw. All speakers set to small.

I can hear a slight hum from the 7100. I can here the hum from about 1 foot away. I assume this is normal hum from the power supply.

Since I did not have CD/DVD player, I decided to test out the famous hiss issue. Remembering from Gonk’s review, he could not here any hiss at 10db with CD sourced to analog. I tried this, I hear slight hiss starting at 0db and it increased as I pump up to 10db. It’s not real loud but at 10db I can hear it from 10’. If I switch to a digital source on the CD, the hiss goes completely away. I tried different surge protectors and plugging into different outlets with no difference.

Nothing is connected to the 950 except the 7100, all speakers set to small. The 950 was in 2ch stereo mode. Hiss will get worse if I moved in one of the surround modes. If I switch the 7100 off I can still hear the hiss for a few seconds as the capacitors drain. The hum from the 7100 goes right away when switched off.

The hiss issue does not seem to be a big deal just more of a curiosity. Tonight I will try the VCR out and see how it sounds.

Bob


[This message has been edited by bobm (edited September 21, 2004).]

bobm,
Any follow-up with your likes/dislikes with your new setup now that you've had it for a couple of weeks? It's always good to hear people's thoughts once they start using their systems.

Jeff

Jeff,

I have been away for 2 weeks on a business trip and just got back this weekend. I really have not had much time with the unit. I lost my old receiver, DVD and VCR to the lightening strike. First priority was to get everything hooked up and running for family use. I did that before I left and finished programming my Radio Shack remote to work with the 950 the other equipment on return

So far I have been generally please with what I have heard but I need to sit down by myself for a few hours and just listen.

A few points:
-I am not a big Fan of the 950 remote but since I have moved what I need over to the Radio Shack remote I am happy with the operation.

-I do like the on screen menu with the 950. I can do everthing here which makes it easy when programming a universal remote.

-I am not too happy with the heat of the 7100. It does get pretty warm even without a source playing.

- The 7100 has plenty of power for my NHT S1's. I have not yet brought the system up to refernce, it's just too damn loud for my ears but up to about -10 dbs the system held it's own and kept control.

More latter as I gain experience.

bob