HT Separates on a budget can anyone help me decide

[enthusd]

Hi everyone.. I'm new to this forum

my problem is i've got 3 adire kit LCR's and 2 kit 61's for surrounds but I have nothing to power them and I've been looking at the following systems
1: outlaw 990, 5 m200 monoblocks and oppo DVD for now or
2: av123.com Emotiva Ultra lites w/ a Denon 3910

if I get package number 1 the amps put out 200wpc and I'll probably be able to up the DVD to 3910 in about 4 months.

or if I get the ultra lites but I wonder if 125wpc is enough to push those LCR's.

Room is a dedicated HT room 18x16

ahhh what would you do?> 8O

[David Meek]

Hi Michael, welcome to The Guide. :welcome:

I'm not familiar with the Emotiva products, but I do know that the Outlaw 990 is a fine sounding unit that plays well above its weight class, and the m200 amps are getting very good reviews. The Oppo isn't a bad choice for a temporary solution - here's a thread on it - especially with the option to upgrade to the 3910 in a short time. I'll have to vote for #1. :T

[enthusd]

Thanks for the vote David.
I don't know why i'm having so much trouble deciding everything else up to this point was easy.



also don't know if this matters but the emotiva processor and amp are only 1200 together pro/ based on the cirrus 49300 chipset amp is 125x6 and you can split the sixth channel to 60 x 2, whereas the outlaw setup would be about 1000 more for the 990 and 5 m200's but its based on the cirrus 49400 chip (not sure of the diff) and amps of course are 200wpc monoblocks
Thanks again

[gd]

Either amp should be fine for those speakers... based on their published specs, anyway.

And yes, the Outlaw and Emotiva are pretty much your only options for separates in that price range... you might consider a used amp (on Audiogon) if you crave more power, while I'd always prefer to get the most current pre or receiver possible.

Haven't heard Emotiva, but have heard the Outlaw 950 and associated power amps in demos... I feel the Outlaw is an excellent movie system, with topnotch steering... but the signature sound strikes me as overly sharp and strident for music... if you are strictly movies, that kind of sharp, crackling sound may be preferrable... and if you are equally interested in music, you'll need to audition anyway.

You might consider waiting til the Emotiva UL is ready to ship, and if funds allow, order them together, do a head-to-head comparison, and keep the winner... they both have generous 30(?)-day trial periods.

Yet another option is getting an upscale receiver like a Rotel or Arcam, and use it as a pre later when you add a substantial power amp.

Happy hunting.

[Nick M]

Rotel is also in your price range.

I have an Outlaw Model 950 Pre/Pro and Rotel RMB-1075 Amplifier.
I'm not sure what the sensitivity of the adire speakers are, but you may not need 200W/ch.

Anyways, the Outlaw 990 is a great deal, you have my vote for that one.

[Al Garay]

Your setup seems very familiar...

You should consider having Adire build you 5 channels of Hypex UcD180s. It has more than enough power to drive all the speakers. That's the configuration I heard at my house ... LCRs up front and Kit61 in rears. The Hypex amps are excellent. I would put more money towards the amps and save with the OPPO dvd player. The Denon may sound better with music (unless you use the P990's internal DAC) but will not do any better than the OPPO in PQ and video sound quality.

[enthusd]

seems like the 990 will be the way for me to go.
just one last question though. i've been given the ok to go up to around 4k for amp and pro.. if I don't get the 990 would you recommend rotel or B&K
Thanks
Mike

[Andrew Pratt]

While the Outlaw and av123.com are likely fine products I'd be concerned with resale value...lets be honest its not a question of if but when you upgrade and the resale market on those two products is likely going to be fairly limited...at least in traditional markets. The older Outlaw preamp was great for HT but wasn't as well recieved for music as many people found it to sterile...I can't say if that's being improved in the new model but given your speakers I'd lean towards the warm side not bright. As someone above mentioned buying a used amp is a great way to save a chunk of money. Amps really don't change much in design over the years so buying one that's newer but used can save you some money that you can then invest into a new pre amp where technology does change rappidly. The Rotel 1068 pre amp would be a great addition and you'd have access to some first rate service with our Club Rotel and our links to Rotel.

[Nick M]

Remember that you will get less features and be charged more money by going with something other than the 990. Sound quality is arguable, but I compared my 950 with a Rotel 1068 and couldn't tell any difference in 5.1 audio. I think "sterile" is actually a good thing when it comes to pre/pros and amps.

Resale of the older 950 and 750/755/770 amps are all good on audiogon and eBay, actually you don't see many Outlaw products for resale...

Unless you are completely put off by the looks of the 990 or truely feel the 1068 tonal differences sound better, I can't see any reason for going with it over the newer, and cheaper 990.

[aud19]

I'd have to disagree with you there Nic, neutral = good, sterile = bad

[Nick M]

I guess I don't understand what sterile means then, as I thought it was synonymous with neutral.

When I think of the word sterile I think of clean and untouched.

[aud19]

Aaaaah just symantics buddy

I tend to think sterile would me un-emotional, un-involving, un-musical etc.

[Nick M]

Lol, more terms.

For components I thought "Musical" was synonymous with "Warm", which in actuality is inaccurate distortion (from my limited understanding). For subwoofers I think of "Musical" as being heavily damped.

Un-involving?

Un-emotional? :B

Is there an official dictionary people use? :rofl:

[aud19]

Is there an official dictionary people use? :rofl:

:lol: I think Steve (Bam) tried starting one but there were so many words and variations of perceptions of those words that it made everyone go :blink: :banghead: :crazy: :gah: :thud:

[RenoReno2]

just one last question though. i've been given the ok to go up to around 4k for amp and pro.. if I don't get the 990 would you recommend rotel or B&K
Thanks
Mike

Personally, I think for home theater B&K is the way to go but for Music Rotel is better, this is my opinion though. Comparing my B&K system to my brother in law's rotel system, the B&K has a far superior processor than his using DD. But again while playing music his sounds better. But I haven't tinkered around with mine yet, it's at the factory settings. I mean as far as the notch filters go.I'm using b&K ref 50 s2 and 125.7 he's running Rotel rsp 1066 and rmb 1075.