Anthem AVM 20 V.2, Outlaw 990, or ???


I'm interested in upgrading my circa 1998 Sony ES pro. My other equipment is as follows...Amp: Rotel RB985 (100x5)...Speakers: B&W Nautilus 805s (front), B&W DSMs (rear)...Sub: B&W ASW-3000...DVD: will upgrade to blue-ray soon!

I have been eyeing the Outlaw 990 for a while. I have always liked their approach to quality and value, and have heard mostly positive feedback on all of their equipment. With the announcement of the new 997, the 990 is going pretty cheap these days! I have come across other quality brands that represent a great value on the used market, notably Anthem. Any thoughts or recommendations on what would be a good complement to my current components. Because of my room layout, I don't see going to 7.1 so that is not a huge consideration. My primary use is movies followed by music. I don't necessarily have a budget, but both the 990 and Anthem can be had for less than $750 so lets say $1,000 at the top end.

I look forward to your thoughts. Thanks.
Dave
lodi

Showing 3 responses by lodi

Thanks for the feedback and sorry for the duplicate post. Not sure how to remove it or I would.

Ultraviolet, thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning in this direction.

Does anyone know the practical difference between the AVM 20 and 30. The 30 replaced the 20, right? Both seem to go for around the same price used, but I see lots of discussion around the 20 and little (other than good reviews) about the 30.

My biggest concern (I think) would be the inability to decode the latest audio formats. Is it correct to assume that a capable Blue Ray player will decode the formats and pass them to the processor via analog? Is there a huge disadvantage here?

How about HDMI switching? It seems like this is still a bit immature in that only the very latest equipment offers 1.3 (please excuse me if I'm wrong). Am i losing much without it.

Another consideration is the Sunfire TGP-5. Any thoughts here?
Thanks again UV. I've started digging into the Integra 9.8 (and its Onkyo Pro counterpart 885) too. Its gets very favorable reviews. My guess is that the Anthem does some things better, but given the HDMI switching and current formats that the 9.8 handles I'm now curious.