I haven't heard the 1803, so I don't know how the two compare. I was very pleased with the sound of the 1050 when I had one (upgraded to a 950 earlier this year). I suspect that some others around here may have already made the comparison between the two.

If your concerns are future expansion, both receivers offer certain limitations. The Outlaw has somewhat fewer inputs than the Denon (no component video switching, three S-Video inputs vs. the Denon's four, one less optical digital input). Both have a single 5.1 analog audio input for DVD-Audio or SACD. One thing that the 1050 has that the Denon lacks is pre-amp outputs. If you decide to add external amplification at some point down the road (which may or may not be in your upgrade plans), the Denon would not allow you to add an amp.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review