I’ve had the 1070 for one week, and I’m very pleased with it so far. Sound quality is excellent: neutral but detailed through my Ascend CBM-170/Hsu STF-2 5.1 system. Build quality is very good for its price, and it has more than enough power for my midsize room.

I compared the 1070 to an H/K AVR-635 (too warm) and a Panasonic SA-XR55K (too bright), and I preferred the sound of the 1070 (just right). Given the fact that you can buy a AVR-635 *AND* a XR55 for about the price of a 1070, this might be an unfair comparison. I’m also using a BFD to EQ my sub, so the AVR-635's EzSet/EQ wasn’t a factor in my decision.

Things I like about the 1070:
• Sound quality
• Build quality
• Layout of the back panel, which is extremely clean and sensible
• Number and flexibility of inputs
• Size of the unit (it’s slightly shorter than average at 5.9”)
• 80 Hz analog crossover on the 7.1 inputs for DVD-A and SACD (I love this feature, and it is basically what convinced me to audition the 1070. Does any other receiver offer this?)
• Great customer service from Outlaw


Things I dislike about the 1070:
• It defaults to Dolby IIx-Cinema when the input isn’t a surround source. I would prefer to select the default mode, ideally for each input. It would be great to see this changed with a future software update.
• The front panel looks nice but could be improved. I like that you can access all settings from the front panel buttons, but these buttons don’t offer good tactile feedback. And the LCD screen is WAY too small.

But, despite these minor gripes, I think the 1070 is a winner.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

I second the problem with Dolby IIx-C. Personally I'd prefer the option to keep everything in pure stereo unless a specific surround mode is detected, but I'm a purist. The ability to set default modes through setup was nice, but there are occasional problems this doesn't correct for. Just today I was playing a CD through my DVD player and even though the CD was playing at the time I just wasn't able to change it over to anything else either using the remote or the front panel buttons. Changing the CD fixed the problem, but for it just seems to hate the audio stream on that one disc.

My other gripe is one that isn't something I can really complain about too much, but considering the 1070 is replacing the 1050 the price is a tad high. Is it worth it? Definitely. But the shift from a $500 price point to a $900 price point is pretty steep.

Ture, an increase to be sure, BUT look what has been added: DVI switching, OSD, video cross-conversion, 100 Mhz component switching, seven channels of amplification instead of six, RS-232 upgradeability, four-way crossover, improved analog bass management and more.

OK, so they took away the famous green power button, but I'd say it's worth the money!

I also wish the 1070 was a bit cheaper. I'm not using DVI switching at the moment, so I could do without this feature. Indeed, my ideal receiver would be the 1070 without DVI switching for $699.
Yes, the 1070 is worth its asking price. Maybe I'll just need to upgrade my TV to take advantage of the DVI switching.

Just how small is it? I mean, how big are the letters?

The blue color might have something to do with it. I can easily read the read the green screen of the 950 but the 1070 is completely illegible at the same distance.

So about how big are the letters/numbers actually? I'm trying to get a picture of how the 1070's display compares to what I'm used to.

Thanks!

808htfan,

I had problems measuring the individual characters, but the display measures 3" wide x .5" high. This space contains two lines of informative (but sometimes crowded) text. For example, this display can present the following information:Hope this helps.

Matt

Indeed, the display is rather hard to read. I personally think it's a combination of being a bit small and using just the wrong shade of blue. I have an old shelf system sitting just above it and while the text on the display is only a little bit bigger the color is more of a blueish white and very visible.

As for the price... well, it's still a tremendous value. The only problem is that the 1050 was an amazing value for an entry level system, this is more of an amazing value on a mid-level system. One of the critical differences though is that the other manufacturers are offering similar features, but they haven't really increased their prices that much meaning that the quality has likely just gone down to support more features.

There's a quote on my desk at work "There is hardly a thing in the world that some man can not make a little bit worse and sell a little cheaper". In the Hi-Fi and HT world I find that this tends to work both ways pretty steadily. Thankfully Outlaw exists in perfect balance right in the middle, making a great product and selling it for a great price without compromising anything.

Great post, Belgand. I agree completely.

One thing I didn't mention in my review is the binding posts on the 1070. It probably doesn't cost Outlaw more than $10/unit to use these binding posts, but I don't expect that they will ever chip or break off. (And they just look so cool!) Outlaw spent money on a part that matters, and I'm perfectly willing to forego 18 Hall/Concert/Stadium DSP effects for this.

Given the sound quality of the 1070, I suspect that Outlaw also spent money where it counted inside. That's why I'm a happy 1070 owner.

Matt

Here's another good way for me to tell the sound quality of the 1070. I've never realized how horrible my MP3 files sound until using this receiver. My previous receiver, a Sony STR-DE935, would make everything sound the same. Now I can definitely tell the difference between MP3 and CD quality.

To put it into purspective

to get dvi switching from say denon you would have to pay atleast 3499 from Onkyo 4999, sony 1999 source crutchfield.


Glad to see postive reviews, now i must decide the new preamp/amp or this all in one

I've got my 1070 up and running for a few days now. Adding my two cents worth to the review:

My wife commented that she thought the sound was better than the 1050. Me - I spent too many years in Navy engine rooms so lost a lot of high frequency hearing, but the 1070 seems to have a better (feel for lack of a more definitive comment).

Echoing other comments, we both noted we could no longer read the 1070 display from our viewing seats - never had a problem with the 1050. I too think it's the blue color that's mostly the problem. But the OSD feature is easy to access when necessary and it's a nice feature. I'll probably get to the point where I'll turn OSD off though.

I too replaced a 1050 with the 1070. Price was higher, yes, but so far I think the quality is better. Great customer service continues - got an input on the weekend from one of the moderators on a remote problem that was fixed by doing the 1070 software update.

I'm not using upgrades like DVI switching, but I recognize this will likely be an important feature for next TV/monitor I buy.

Although my DVD player has component out, I don't run component to the 1070 then to the TV. The reason is that my TV won't allow PIP when using component inputs. It's a 5 year-old Samsung that works beautifully with progressive scan, but I do love the PIP for keeping an eye on the Red Sox while watching something else. So I run component direct from DVD to TV and then run S-Video from the 1070 for cable viewing.

Definitely see the value of 1070's video switching though for the day I go HDTV.

Overall I am very pleased with the purchase. The bonus is that I've now got the 1050 in another room and we love using it when don't want to watch from home theater setup.