We don't know that much about the 990 and we know even less about the 1070, but the 990 vs 1070 is the question I need to get answered. My situation is such where I really need to upgrade (my current sound processor has Dolby Surround ... and that's it). I'm wired for 7.1 surround and my video is wired for s-video, component, and DVI. My main usage for my HT is movies and sports with very little music.

I realize the differences between pre/pro and receiver and I'm not interested in that whole discussion (i.e. quality of separates vs receivers). I'm more interested in the feature comparison between the 990 and 1070 that may sway me one way or the other.

Any takers on comparing these units?

Since the 1070 has been in the works for quite a while now, I'm hoping that we'll see something about it at the NY show. I'm pretty sure it (and the 790, I think) showed up there as a coming soon item last year. Maybe this year it'll show up as a now available item? That'd be a nice surprise for those who don't want or can't afford separates coming right on the heels of the new pre/pro.

Edit:

Oops... forgot the whole point of the post! If the above holds true, we should actually have a feature set to talk about and compare.

Perhaps someone that is attending the NY show can make some comparisons for the rest of us that are unable to attend. Someone should also ask the Outlaws WHEN is the 1070 expected to appear on the market?

Feature-wise, we know bits and pieces about the 1070 and have a very well-developed general picture of the 990 - enough so that I have nearly complete entries on both units in my pre/pro chart and receiver chart . We can deduce a lot about what each will offer. At this point, the 990 appears to take everything included on the 1070 and up the ante somewhat, with more inputs, a second zone, auto calibration (which we've seen no indication of on the 1070), balanced outputs, and a USB input. On the other hand, the 1070 will sell for at least $100 less and comes with its own amps. I'll be curious to see what comes out of the HE show that's now less than two weeks away.

I promise to take photo's and post what I can. I'll be there for a good bit of both Friday and Saturday.

Looking forward to your report, Pat. Your pictures and notes from last year were a great source of Outlaw-related info for those of us watching from a distance.

Pat, if needed, I can mirror those pics when you get them....

Ian

Gonk, was this the price difference between the 950 and 1050, or has there been a suggestion on pricing in the past? That price point is very attractive if you're right [mouth watering].

Outlaw has said in the past that the Model 1070 will sell for under $1000, hence the statement that it will be at least $100 less than the 990. It is possible that "under $1000" means anywhere from $999 to $949 to who-knows-what. The Model 1050 originally sold for $600 and dropped to $500 after a little over a year on the market, similar to the Model 950's pricing changes (started at $900, fell to $800 a little over a year later, and most recently changed to $700).

Ian,

Thank you very much, but I don't think that'll be necessary. My host has been pretty reliable and I get 10GB/mo of bandwidth. After last years show I think I hit a high of 1GB that month. And I know I was linked to from not only here, but from AVS, HTF & HTT as well, so I'm not concerned about posting them. On the other hand, if I *should* have problems ... I'll keep this thread bookmarked and contact you ASAP.

No problem,

If I can help, let me know what I can do.

Ian

I can't help but believe that the pricing and feature set comparisons between the 990 and 1070 is what is actually driving the 1070's release. The Outlaw's have a pre/pro and a receiver with roughly the same feature set (outside the balanced outputs, USB port, and probably other items) and with similar costs. As a consumer, if the 990 does not offer significant features above the 1070, then I will probably look at purchasing a 1070, save a few dollars, and use it as a pre/pro. In this situation, the Outlaw's have out priced the 990.

Also consider the following scenario. If I'm considering making the jump to separates, the 1070 might be advanced enough to keep me out of separates and into a receiver. Since the Outlaw's sell amps, this could hurt their amp sales.

Don't get me wrong, I like Outlaw's equipment. I just happen to think that the Outlaw's were forced into releasing the 990 before the 1070 to ensure that the 990 and amp sales will not be hurt by the 1070's sales. Call me jaded, but a part of me believes that the 1070's are in a warehouse somewhere just waiting for the 990 to gain some market share.

Actually, I suspect (and I've said it before) that they'd prefer to have the 1070 shipping now so they could be making money off of it - I tend to believe that a receiver has a larger potential market than a processor, meaning a higher sales volume. Plus, I doubt a company Outlaw's size could afford the expense of developing and manufacturing a product that then sat in a warehouse.

I do think that the 1070 is a big part of why the 990 was developed - the features and procing suggest a product that would cannibalize a lot of their 950 sales, since folks would get it to use as a pre/pro instead of getting the 950. And for that, I will now thank the 1070 - we appreciate its silent encouragement of the development of a product that has as much potential as the 990.

I doubt it. You're either in the market for a pre/pro or you're in the market for a reciever. And even though the feature set is similar, eliminating all the extra electronics normally found in a reciever but not in a pre/pro will make the sound better. Usually the noise floor is distinctly lower at least.

And the difference in price isn't that much. You either want the best or you don't care that much. It's definitely two different markets.