"Higher quality..OUTLAW AUDIO MODEL 950 or Rotel RSP-1066?"

[BKSinAZ]

I am considering one of these Pre/Pros for my home theater. I am a 50% theater watcher and a 50% music listener, 50/50. I also realize that the Rotel is more expensive, but I don't care about that.
Could someone help me narrow down the research I've already done?

[dali]

Two questions:

1. What research have you done?

2. What answer to your question do you expect from Club Rotel?

[Andrew Pratt]

Given that we're all Rotel fans here you aren't going to get a unbiased oppinion in club Rotel so for that reason I'm going to move this thread to the Home Theater area.

[greggz]

Back when the 950 *finally* started shipping a number of people on several forums took advantage of Outlaw's 30 day money back offer and Rotel dealers in-home trial policies. They were able to compare, side by side, the 950 and 1066 in their homes with their equipment and their preferred media.

Most described the 1066 as warm and the 950 as bright. Those who were more critical about their music listening tended to prefer the 1066. Those who did mostly HT seemed to be influenced by the brightness aspect. People with bright speakers leant toward the 1066 and people with warm speakers leant toward the 950. If I recall correctly, and unscientifically, at least 3 out of 5 of those who reported their comparisons kept the 1066 and returned the 950.

As far as quality goes, there is manufacturing quality and aesthetic quality. Both units appear to be well manufactured. Both manufacturers make their share of goofs too. Rotel had a 100% recall of the very first batch of 1066's due to a grounding loop problem. Outlaw has had several recalls but none that were 100% inclusive of all units (I believe there are 3 different 950's; no dot, red dot and blue dot, depending on what problem they have been patched for). In general Rotel has been faster to correct their problems than Outlaw primarily because Rotel manufactures their own product and Outlaw outsources their manufacturing to a company called EastTech. The software upgradeability of the 1066 has been a real advantage in getting fast fixes too.

With regard to aesthetic quality, people seem to have rather strong opinions about the 950. There are a lot of people who don’t like the big cowboy logo, the green power button, and the cheap volume knob on the 950. And then there are people who are fine with it. Most people like how the 1066 looks or are indifferent (nothing wrong with it, but nothing to get excited about either).

Both companies seem to get passing marks on their customer service. With Outlaw, customer service is direct from the manufacturer. With Rotel you can choose to either go thru your dealer or contact Rotel directly by phone or email.

I don’t believe you can go wrong with either unit. If an AM/FM tuner is important to you, then the 950 is definitely a more economical choice. If software upgradeability is an important “peace of mind” aspect to you, then the 1066 is a better choice.




Gregg

[Brandon B]

I havea "no-dot" 950, and absolutely agree with Greggz post.

BB

[Aeromos]

The only thing I would caution you on is that if you purchase the Outlaws and you're not happy with them, I believe you may lose the money for S&H. You should try to find someone who may own one to test it out (may be difficult). The plus on the Rotel side is that you'll be able to test it at many dealers and possibly even a test-run at home.




Aeromos
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