Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Is this a good Av?

Graeme,

Have you ever considered seperates? I currently own an Outlaw Audio 990 pre-pro and an Outlaw 7500 amp (5 X 200 watts) and I absolutely love it. My M80's, VP150, and QS8's really shine. If you are not familiar, Outlaw Audio is an internet only retailer. Costs are significantly lower because they sell directly to the public. In my opinion, quality is not sacrificed by the lower prices.

You mentioned new technology on the horizon. Outlaw just announced a new pre-pro...the 997, which will be out in early 2009. The estimated price will be about $1,400 (US). Pair this with a 7 Channel 7700 amp ($2,150 (US)), and you'd have one sweet setup. The new pre-pro uses HDMI 1.3 and has on-board Trinnov Optimizer technology. For more information on this, you can check out the Outlaw's announcement here:

Outlaw Audio 997

Also check out all the other products they offer. I couldn't be happier with my current system, but I might just have to upgrade when the 997 comes out! Just some food for thought...no idea what shipping would be to Australia.

Graeme,

I did the same 4308/3808 decision making thing back in Feb. I opted for the 3808 because comparing features didn't get me over the hurdle for the price difference. Of course the 3808 gives a bit less in the area of bragging rights and the smell of testosterone in the air, but it saved me ???, so the offset was fine.

The 3808 is a real beast in it's own right. I set it up with a wireless bridge and all works perfectly.

I don't think you'll miss the 4308 if you go for the 3808.

This is one time I’m going to recommend you not take John’s advice. He means well and I always appreciate his very frugal advice. He is also the first person I go to for just about anything A/V related. However, for this particular topic, the 3808 is heads and tails better than the 661. I’ve had both and still have the 3808. I can (and will) buy anything I want. The 3808 does everything I want and more. I have had ZERO interest in replacing it, which is a remarkable achievement when considering how often I waste money on crap I don’t need. The 661 was OK, but it’s not in the same league as the 3808, not even in the same sport as far as I’m concerned. The 4808 is a waste of money in my opinion. If you are going to go above the 3808, go with the 5308.

must be nice!

Hey, Mike's had a lot of stuff, and he breaks most of it eventually. So, if his 3808 has not only satisfied him but also stayed operative for this long, it must be pretty great.

Considering the gremlins Mike lives with, a glowing review of the 3808 by him makes me glad I have one.

It seems that everywhere I look, people are very happy with their 3808.

I feel the 661 is very cumbersome and its hard to set things up, it does not give an on screen display if HDMI is connected and trying to navigate the little front panel is a real pain.

The manual is shocking, if I am looking up something and the index says its on page 12, you go to page 12 and find its spread out on say page 5, 26 and 40. For a novice its very hard to try and understand.
There is no clear explanation for anything in the manual.

I know most manuals are this way but there are better.

As far as HDMI goes the 661 is 1.2a Am I missing out on anything not having 1.3b?

I am in two minds, should I get another AV? or should I get to know the 661 first? Should I wait until a new model is released so as to try and future proof my purchase. Or buy one that has been out for awhile and has been tried and tested by a huge range of people?

I really don't know what I am missing out on, apart from a very nice GUI for easy navigation.
The other thing is the sound options, again I am not sure of what I am missing out on. And also Video conversion, again I know nothing, what can a new AVR do that the 661 can't?

So from my point of view its very hard to make a decision, because I am not up with all the technical aspects of AVR's

I guess what I need is an AVR that has a good list of features and is very easy to setup, use and understand. Is there such an AVR?

Not in my experience.

I guessed as much. Although from what I have read the 3808 is relatively easy to use compared to the Yamaha's.

Can anyone recommend some sites where I can learn a bit more? Something that is in layman's terms.