Quote:
Originally posted by gonk:

The 990 will sound better than the 970, particularly for music (it has better DAC's). It's a heck of a piece of gear, and one that I heartily recommend based on my experiences with it.

Better sound... $300 more. OK seems worth it.

There are actually three LFM-1 models in production, unless they've phased out the Plus when I wasn't looking. The Compact uses a 10" driver, while the Plus and EX use a 12" driver.

Sorry assumed the compact was a different model, so I didn't count it. I meant the two 12" ones.

The Plus is very similar to the original LFM-1 that I have (there's a link to my review of it down in my sig), but adds the ability to plug one port and achieve lower frequencies at the cost of a couple dB of output. The EX has a larger enclosure than the Plus, which is part of the reason that it can get a bit louder and lower than the Plus. It also allows port plugging. Basically, the performance numbers shake out like this:
LFM-1 Compact: 25Hz, maximum 112dB
LFM-1 Plus: 25Hz or 18Hz, maximum 115dB (both ports open)
LFM-1 EX: 22Hz or 16Hz, maximum 118dB (both ports open)
The size of your room and your desire for heavy bottom end would be instrumental in determining which sub is right for you. In my room (a bit over 3100 cubic feet), the original LFM-1 does a great job for movies as well as music. The Compact might even do fairly well for me, although if I were buying now I'd probably go for the Plus just to give myself some options (plug the port to dip below 20Hz).

There's an issue with playing SACD's via the PS3: it has no multichannel analog output, thus no way to play back SACD's except stereo analog output (or HDMI, which won't work with th e970 or 990) due to the copy protection requirements of format.
Oh well, the SACD feature was one of the things that made me decide to hunt down one of the 60gb PS3s. Aaaarg! mad I was looking forward to the SACD mixes of "Tubular Bells" and "Dark Side of the Moon"...

I guess I'll pick up one of those B-stock Denon SACD/DVD-A players floating around on eBay for less than $200 instead. (Will a 970 or 990 handle the bass management of that, or do I still need to invest in a used ICBM?)

Gonk, thanks for your answers. I hope at the very least, Outlaw gives you deep discounts on their stuff for you!

Thanks again!

Oscar