I have a 950 and seven M 200's. I haven't really paid much attention in a while. I would prefer not to buy a receiver and bypass its amplifier. But I'll list the three I've seen, as I think it's worth discussing.

NAD T748 $700
Marantz 5007 $850 (Audyssey MultEQXT)
Onkyo TX-NR818 $1200 (Audyssey MultEQ XT32)

Is there anything between the 975 and the Marantz pre/pros?
Marantz AV7005 $1200 (Audyssey MultEQXT)
Marantz AV7701 $1700 (unless I'm missing something, this is hard to justify vs. the 7005)

Other than a lack of auto calibration is there anything the 750 is missing versus the competition, feature-wise or sonically? I have a RS sound level meter and that calibration DVD in my basement, and I'm not afraid to dig them out. I've read that some swear by the auto calibration and some that wouldn't touch a unit without XT32. For those who have calibrated manually and used auto calibration do you think it is worth 2x the price? And is XT32 worth going with a receiver vs. a separate pre/pro?

Scott-
I am basically in the same position you are; I have had a 990 since the beginning.....and I am getting the upgrade bug again (just purchased a Samsung plasma). I am basically keying on the same units you listed (AV7005, TX-NR818). I will wait a little while and see what the reviews on the 975 look like.

Scott,
I have an Onkyo TX-NR5009(used as a preamp only), which has Audyssey XT32. My last pre pro was an Onkyo PR-SC886, which had Audyssey MultiEQXT. I found that I get better results with a careful manual calibration than using either of these expensive room calibration systems. Even though I have Audyssey, I have it turned off. I would not pay for it again.

The only things that I can see that you are giving up from a more expensive processor are:
1. Balanced outputs, which are unnecessary unless you have noise problems or an exremely long run.
2. A phono preamp section. With the price of this unit, you could buy an excellent external phono preamp and still save a lot of money.
3. Automatic room calibration, which I expressed my opinion of above.

I think this product is a winner. I can't judge the sound quality, not having heard it, but I expect it is very good. If I had not already invested in a good preamp, this unit would fit the bill for me and I could have saved a small fortune.

For a different perspective consider this: http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubbthreads/ub...91555#Post91555

Thanks, I had looked at the beginning of the thread and stopped reading because it looked like it was all complaints about the delays and cancellations. There is some interesting info in there.

An entry level separate pre/pro should be different from an entry level receiver. We're gong to have to wait for reviews to learn about the sound quality. At this point, it seems that if you want a separate pre/pro, there really is no option for less than double the price. If Outlaw adds USB/ethernet, gold plated RCAs, balanced outputs and auto-eq, do they then have a $1,000 or $1,200 pre/pro? If I had amps with balanced inputs and balanced cables, I'd want to stick with them. I could see that being a deal breaker for some, especially if they bought the amp and cables from Outlaw. Since I didn't, it's not an issue for me. I really hope to see a review of the 975 vs. the Marantz 7005, that would be perfect. With both manually set up, and with the Marantz using the auto-eq.

I really wish it had a zone 2. Fortunately I really like my Yamaha which has turned out to be a fine pre/pro with my Outlaw amp. Maybe next time Outlaw. -Bob

Zone two is easy to get with a speaker selector box. You just can't run both at the same time.

Since this thread is asking for 975 competition, wouldn't Emotiva's UMC-200 directly compete? Seems like it's a bit more money.

Keta,

I didn't realize the Emotiva UMC-200 was out. But indeed, the UMC-200 would be a direct competitor to the Outlaw 975. Feature-wise UMC-200 lacks analog video inputs but does have 7.1 analog audio inputs, eq capability and multi-room support. It the sound quality and usability/reliability is up there it should be a good battle of the welterweights.

Here's a link with a bit more info:
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/processors/emotiva-umc-200-pre

-John

Looks about $50 more than the 975, but it has an eq feature. It also looks to use the same Crystal CS-497024 chip as the 975 as well.