1070 or Boston AVR-7120

I've been doing my research and had finally settled on the 1070 to finish upgrading my home theater. I already have:

Fronts: Boston VR-3 (8ohm)
Center: Boston VR-12 (8ohm)
Surrounds: Boston Bravo (6ohm)
Processor: Pioneer Elite 24txi

The Pioneer has served me well for the last 6 years, and I gave the new 74txi an audition. I came away pretty dissapointed.

Now the dilemma: the Boston AVR-7120 is on clearance at OneCall. I know this has the same preamp stage as the Outlaw 990 and I've read the comparison reviews between that and the 1070. Thus, on sound quality the 7120 comes ahead. The 1070 has the edge with DVI switching and future support.

Considering I only got approval to spend $1k from the wife, which route would be best.

Oh and 60/40 movies to music.

Michael

Never heard the 7120, but the 1070 has Bypass and as you noted DVI and also analog bass management, which I have found extremely helpful. You can also send the Outlaw back if your not completely satisfied. The ability to upgrade the 1070 software has been a great benefit as well. Good luck!
Ragnar

Thats a pretty amazing discount on that site, though it seems they are the only one selling it. I like that it's 120W/ch vs the 1070's 65.

I don't see how they can take 2 grand off the receiver. I am also looking at upgrading my 1050 to a 1070, though currently have no need for the dvi switching. I do like that boston's usb connection for upgrades and and audio streaming.

I don't see many web reviews of the boston.

They have discontinued the BA 7120. So I am not sure what kind of support you will get

I saw it selling it at Audio Advisor for the same price a few weeks back, apparently Boston didn't get the response they were looking for (shockingly).

Thinking about an upgrade for the bedroom, I read some reviews (but no comparos), and mostly they're positive although they all cited the high cost of the unit for what is delivered. Perhaps at 1/3 the price, it'll be worth it, but you can kill any hopes of any firmware upgrades, and once the warranty's out you might find service to be a problem.

For a while I was sure Outlaw would release a 1090 receiver based on this platform, not sure if the demise of the BA unit makes that less likely.

I doubt that Outlaw's interested in a 1090 when the package price for a 990/7125 is $1900 (less than 2/3 the original price of the BA receiver for a separates solution that has comparable power and more features). Besides, one cluster of binding posts would conflict with the DVI switching.

Saw the Boston Acoustic 7100.... great price!! Is it a better option than the Outlaw? Really like the Outlaw and keep getting close to pulling the trigger, but still haven't.... please help me decide..

The 7120 is intriguing, but I haven't been able to figure out why they've discontinued it (which is why the price is so rock-bottom cool). It's doubtful that you'd see any firmware updates for it. On the one hand, the 7120 has more power and a potentially more robust platform. On the other hand, the 1070 has better bass management (both digital and analog domains), DVI switching, and better customer support. It's a tough call, and I don't know quite what I'd recommend.

BA was bought by D&M Holdings, the company that owns Denon and Marantz and others. Might be the electronics side is going away but not the speakers side. Just conjecture!

Last week I noticed that Audio Advisor is clearing out the BA AVP-7 (pre/pro version of the 7120, and a close cousin of the 990) and the 7200, their 120 wpc amp, for under $1K each. Bugbitten, I think you are correct about the D&M effect - makes no sense to continue building a new line of electronics with so many proven brands in their portfolio.

It does make sense to discontinue all three products (the 7120 receiver, the 7200 amp, and the AVP-7 processor) now that they're part of the same corporate ownership as Denon and Marantz. Still odd that they're discontinuing them so quickly by feeding them through AudioAdvisor and slashing the prices (rather than just letting the existing stock sell out). Maybe D&M wanted to be rid of the electronics line in a hurry.

The 7120 is no longer listed at AudioAdvisor, so they may have sold out. OneCall still has 7120's. Both sites have the AVP-7 and 7200 now, but they seem like less compelling values. The AVP-7 is only $100 less than the 990 (a savings that gets you an MX-500 remote but omits the quad crossover bass management, balanced outputs, DVI switching, and the benefit of firmware updates in the future) and the 7200 is the same price as a Model 7125. The package price (AVP-7 plus 7200) at AudioAdvisor is also $100 less than the 990/7125 package, but it's actually $100 more than the 990/7125 at OneCall. AudioAdvisor is offering free shipping, of course, but that still doesn't seem like a real compelling deal.

I think AudioAdvisor did have the Boston units back when they went into market, I remember discussing them here last summer after marvelling at the high prices. AA is always a good source of clearance buys on demo equipment, but it's rare that NIB units go on the bargain shelf like these are. Still, I think the fact that the line is obviously going bye-bye is a good reason to stay away (and buy Outlaw, of course).

I just pulled the trigger on the Boston AVP-7 and 7200 amp from Audio Advisor. They're clearing them out for $799ea with free shipping. The Boston gear is the same as Sherwood Newcastle under the hood so I'm not overly concerned about having any issues with it.

I've been having troubles with my Outlaw 950 and with the quality and timeliness of service from Outlaw so I decided to replace my Rotel RB-985/Outlaw 950 with the Boston setup. I would have liked to get another 990 but it's just too big for the AV rack in that room.

Let us know how the Boston set works out - the AVP-7 should be sonically identical to the 990, so it certainly should be a nice sounding rig for the bedroom. For what it's worth, though, the AVP-7 is the same size as the 990 - exact same chassis, just without the extra features (balanced outputs, DVI switching) tossed in.

They are going into a VTI BL503 AV Rack with 9"H x 19" D shelves. The Boston AVP7 is .75" - 1" shorter than the 990 but still huge in my book. My only concern is the depth since the rear supports on the VTI rack are in the middle effectively giving me slightly over 18" of depth. It should just fit in there, worst case stick out about .25" in the front. Here's a picture of the rack:



I wasn't planning on going this high-end for the bedroom as I now have to seriously consider upgrading my speakers in there but it was a deal I couldn't pass up. I love this hobby : )

I've got my 990 in my main media room hooked up to a Lexicon CX7 and am more than pleased with the performance.

It's definitely a sweet deal, doubly so for a bedroom system. It should be a great setup.

Boston Acoustics lists the AVP7 and the AVR7120 as being 7-1/8" high, but the rear panel is identical to the Sherwood and the 990 - and both Sherwood and Outlaw list the height as 7-3/4". I'd be curious to know if Boston's measurement is correct - and of so, how they shaved over half an inch off. I wonder if they're not including the height of the feet.

As it turns out the dimensions are exactly the same as the 990 as you suspected. Even the included manual has it listed correctly so they must have a typo on their website. The AVP7/A7200 just fit into the rack.

With the 990 having balanced outputs, DVI switching and far better bass management, it's clearly superior to the Boston AVP7 but I'm not going to complain considering what I paid for it. The Boston looks better IMHO and has a much better remote control.

Glad to hear that the manual is right, at least. The AVP7 is certainly a great value, especially for a second system where the 990's extra features aren't likely to be missed and the lack of future firmware updates isn't such a big deal. And the MX-500 remote is a nice bonus, too.

I sure wish Outlaw would hurry up with their firmware update. Or at least specify what will and will not be included. I don't use the quad crossover in the 990 or the balanced inputs or DVI connections. I would really like to know if they will have any type of EQ and what else they plan to do asside from fixing the BM issues.

I may go ahead and pick up a AVP7. I wish there was more information on the sound quality of the units and if they are similar to the 990 as they both use many of the same components. I can tell everyone the A7200 amp is an absolute steal.