Hi all,

I own a 950/750 combo and have been happy with it for years. Recently I picked up a Sunfire signature grand cinema amp (400 x 5) for a good price and this has sparked an interest in upgrading the pre/pro as well. A 990 would be the natural choice but I see the Emotiva DMC-1, MMC-1, and LMC-1 have also entered this space as "big sound, big value" pre/pros. On paper, I have a hard time telling if one of these is better than the others.

So how do the Emotivas and Outlaw 990 compare? I have zero interest in video switching of any kind (DVDO VP30 does all that), and only a mild interest in the new HD-DVD sound formats (I consider them in a state of extreme flux.) I would love to get True-DVD or whatever it's called, but if I have to buy an Anthem AVR-50, forget about it.

So really what I want to know is how do these products compare on: sound, features, ease of use?