A new 1070 review

Audio Video Revolution has posted a review of the Model 1070 . It's a rather nice match for the 970/7075 review from back in January and the SMS-1 review that they posted this week as well. (Oh, and the SMS-1 review briefly mentions Outlaw's guide...)

Great review...thanks for the link Gonk.

Makes me miss my 1070

Thanks

I've noticed that gonk is pretty well informed about stuff, so I have a comparison question. How would you say the ARCAM DiVA AVR200 rates next to the Outlaw Audio 1070? Has anyone out there ever heard the ARCAM? I know it was recently discontinued, but I have a chance to acquire a barely-used demo (w/ parts and labor warranty) at a considerable bargain. I currently have an RR2150 on order, but I've been thinking that surround might be a better way to go even though our apartment's small and our system is music only. This way, I can put my Mirage Omnisat speakers to use in conjunction with the NHT Three speakers I just got. Price is obviously a concern—and it'll be a little bit before I need the 1070's seven channels—but maybe it's a good time to weigh splashing on a 1070 anyway, as a sort of future investment. If anyone else has opinions, I'd love to hear those, too.

I haven't heard any of the Arcam gear myself. I have heard good things about Arcam's stuff, but it's been mainly in relation to their newer and higher-end gear (the AVR300 and particularly the FMJ stuff). If the Arcam dealer will let you demo in your system before you buy, it certainly could be worth considering.

Couple of purely general observations about AVR200 vs. Model 1070... The Arcam's an older design, with no support for 6.1/7.1 (no Dolby EX, DTS ES, or Pro Logic IIx). It also offers only composite and s-video switching (no component switching at all), and the remote does not appear to be a universal type. The AVR200's bass management is also very basic (single global crossover that is fixed at 100Hz), which is a far cry from the 1070's quadruple adjustable crossovers and even from the RR2150's adjustable analog crossover. For a system that is likely to be mainly a stereo setup, the RR2150 may still be the best bet. For a system that may evolve into a surround setup, you'd need to keep in mind that in the case of the AVR200 you'd be investing in a receiver that is already several years out of date from the standpoint of feature set. Arcam's reputation for quality is pretty solid, but if you plan to slowly evolve up to a surround system you may find yourself needing to replace it to obtain features that are already considered standard in new surround receivers.

I have an Outlaw 1070, Arcam 200, and Arcam 300. The Outlaw replaced the 300 initially. The 200 was used in a smaller 5.1 setup. Of the three, my ears really enjoy the 200. The receiver has a sound quality that I just love. Its real strength is the DVD-A and SACD sound. As Gonk pointed out it is the oldest of the ARCAM line. I believe that they have stopped production of the 200. If the price is right, I would give the 200 a listen.

Thanx a lot, gonk. That actually confirms some of the reservations I was having, so I'll probably be passing on the ARCAM. Not sure the 1070 has the power I'm looking for.

Sound is the key factor in my selection process, and it seems like the RR2150 is still tops in its price range. I wish there was a way to make one of these Omnisat omnipolars simulate a center channel without going digital, though.

Oh, and thanx mebryant, for sharing your thoughts. I think I missed that post earlier. It's interesting that you prefer the AVR200's older platform to the other two. The deal's still on the table, so maybe I'll give it a listen for the heck of it.

The 1070 is the highest quality, most thought out receiver at it's price point. You can spend less money and get HDMI and you certainly can spend more to get analog video scaling. The 1070 gets the basics right without being just a basic receiver. Sound quality, build quality, software support, and exceptional bass management should be heavily sought in this A/V world. What's your priorities?

My favorite feature with the 1070 is it's 'integrated' DVD/8ch Analog input.