Outlaw 950 Pre/pro Or New Receiver?? (1 Viewer)

[TomH]

I think I would be impressed by my 950 at up to twice the cost, even with the green power button. Next step up for me would be an Anthem.

Tom

 

[Alan Pummill]

In anticipation of the arrival of my 950, I'm trying to figure out just how to hook up my system. The 950 gives me many options, and I'm not sure which way would be the best.

I currently run (2) component video inputs to my RPTV: DVD and HD via cable. I also run s-video from cable to RPTV. I think I'll keep those the same.

Where I am having a hard time with now is with my CD and DVD audio connections. I will be connecting the 5.1 channel inputs from DVD to the 950. I will also be connecting optical from DVD to 950. I think I will connect my CD (Pioneer Elite PDR-19RW Recorder) via analog to the 950. Then I can connect my 950 to my recorder via analog so that I can feed it a signal from a source CD in the DVD player.

I was going to sell my Pioneer Elite PD-M59 CD changer, since I have the CD burner, but what was nice about having it in my system was that I had it optically connected direct to the CD burner, and could burn CD's while watching DVD's or cable. Sometimes a friend will drop by with a CD that I want to copy. Maybe I should keep my changer??

What do you guys think, keep the changer? Any hints or suggestions on how to reconfigure my system would be greatly appreciated.!! Thanks!!

 

[LaMarcus]

I say get another one of those ADP's so you can have a 6.1 setup. I'm telling you man, I set mine up Friday and it's the best addition (next to the svs) that I've done. Pod race scene was reborn!

 

[Alan Pummill]

LaMarcus,

I'll only have 5 channels via my amp. I would have to get an additional amp to do 6.1...BTW, my surrounds are Monitor 3's.

See you in a couple weeks!!

 

[Parker Clack]

Allan:

I am not really sure what to recommend other than to call Scott at Outlaw and ask him what he would recommend for your setup.



BTW, you can always buy one or two of the monoblocks that Outlaw sells and have a 7.1 system. They are some of the best monoblocks out there.

Have you gotten it yet?

Parker

 

[Alan Pummill]

Packy,

It arrived and left Dayton this morning...it's on a local truck for delivery today!!

 

[Parker Clack]

Alan:

Woo hoo!

Parker

 

[Alan Pummill]

My Model 950 finally arrived late this afternoon. I had most of the preliminary things laidout and ready to go.

After I finally got my system all hooked back up, about 8:30 this evening, I did just enough of the setup config to hear cable and my CD player.

I put in a jazz CD, Acoustic Alchemy, some great guitar and nice horns. As soon as it started playing I was aware of a wider sound stage and more depth and detail to what I previously had with the 09TX. I actually walked up to the center channel to make sure it wasn't putting out sound!! I listened to a few songs and then remembered to try the Bypass feature. It sounded even better. (I use to listen to my CD's with Direct on with the 09TX). It is great to have sound back in my house.

I have my golf league tomorrow night, but I plan on getting the rest of the setup completed on the 950 Thursday evening. I went to Parts Express this afternoon and picked up some new cables for my 5.1 channel input. I also bought banana plugs for all my speaker wires. I had been using bare wire connections. I know the 950 has a bunch of great features, and I can't wait to hear what a DVD, SACD, and DVD-a sound like with it.

One final thought. I was bi-amping my mains with the 09TX, but now I use the Carver to push all 5 channels. Maybe bi-amping passively, like I was, didn't really accomplish much, or maybe the 950 is just that good!! I will expand on my reaction and results as they become available.

Hey Packy, you didn't steer me wrong sir. I can't wait to put this thing through its paces!!

Edit: I am now listening to Al Di Meola, World Sinfonia. This is an excellent recording with some fantastic dynamics and harmonics. I am hearing things that I have never heard before, and I have listened to this CD about 30 times. The 950 has so much better presence, makes the speakers seem to disappear. Hey, it's getting late, I think I'll finish this CD and hit the hay. I can't believe how much better this sounds. Wait till the ol HTF Local gang gets a load of this!!

 

[Philip Hamm]

I'm surprised the difference is that dramatic. The 09TX is no slouch. Haved you tried Prologic II yet for Prologic materials?

I actually walked up to the center channel to make sure it wasn't putting out sound!!

I love when this happens.

 

[Parker Clack]

Alan:

You just described what I have been saying about the 950. It is so clean that you actually hear stuff that you never noticed was there before. I guarantee you are going to relisten to a lot of 2 channel, multi channel and 5.1 that you have listened to before and just shake your head.

Al Di Meola? Isn't he just about the best guitarist that you have ever heard? I love to listen to Romantic Warrior too with Di Meola, Chick Chorea, Linny White and Stanley Clarke. Talk about great stuff. Elegant Gypsy is one of my favorite Di Meola albums.

I know you are going to be just as overwhelmed with the multi channel (DD, DTS, DTS ES, DD EX, etc.) as you are with the two channel.

Parker

 

[Parker Clack]

Alan:

So now that you have had it for a few days. What do you think?

Parker

 

[Alan Pummill]

Tonight, we watched The Matrix on DVD, sounded great. I set up my speakers using just the test tones from the 950. Saturday, when I have more time, I am going to configure and calibrate the whole setup.

So far, I am very impressed with the stereo and DD modes. But I think that a good session with my Avia and SPL meter will reveal what is probably a better configuration than I currently have. One thing I noticed was that the 950 doesn't let you set independent distances for you surround speakers, so I used the average. One of my surrounds is a couple of feet farther away than the other.

I haven't tried the Cirrus Surround mode yet, or my 5.1 channel inputs for DVD-A or SACD. (I don't have any selections for these yet). I read a good review in Sound & Vision about Dark Side Of The Moon on SACD. I am going to get that.

I have all my speakers set to small and crossover at 80Hz. I can tell that I'm not exactly where I want to be in DD mode yet, but I will be Saturday. I am getting the hang of the remote and menu functions. I haven't really had the time to do much else, but the 950 has already convinced me that it is a step up both in sonic quality and functionality over the 09TX. Thank goodness for OSD, (On Screen Display), for I would have one hell of a time trying to read the front panel display from my recliner!!

Fellow HTF member, and my best friend, Kevin, will be over Saturday evening to audition my new addition. I plan on having the 950 tweaked to the hilt so that Kev and I can do some real critical listening. I'll post our reactions and comments after that!! Take care, Parker!!..Packy

 

[DaleBesh]

Nice review, Alan! I am seriously considering the 950 myself, from all I have read here and elsewhere it offers a very cost-effective and good sounding solution.
I have a NAD receiver now (T751) serving as a pre/pro to an extent, but with fixed bass management, and limited mode processing control it leaves a lot to be desired. Nice FM tuner and good power reserve for a receiver though. But I already have a 3 channel B&K amp, and an AudioSource One amp for a total of 5 solid channels, I am ready for the 950!

 

[Parker Clack]

Dale:

Pull the trigger on the 950. With the Outlaw return policy you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Parker

 

[Terry Flink]

I have been using a Marantz DP870 Dolby Digital processor as my "preamp" for the last few years when I picked up my Outlaw Model 750 amp. Ordered my 950 on Wednesday after a long and thoughtful wait (and much influence from this forum). Tracking UPS it arrived in Vegas today and I hope to have it tomorrow. I would hate to go through the whole weekend waiting for a Monday delivery.

 

[Alan Pummill]

Terry, I had to wait over the whole 3 day long weekend last week to get my 950. So far, nothing but smiles!! Hope you get a Saturday delivery.

My wife and I were just in Vegas over Easter. We were also their in Oct. of 2002. We plan on doing New Years in Vegas this year. If you are in town, maybe we could get together...Viva Las Vegas!!

 

[Terry Flink]

Alan....shoot me an email as New Years gets closer. It'll be good to see a fellow Buckeye. The 950 is "scheduled" for June 2 delivery, but shouldn't be any reason why Brown cant get it out on Saturday since it arrived in Vegas today. I will check the tracking number in the morning and see if they got it on a truck.

 

[Lewis Besze]

Alan, congrats on the 950,I've been enjoying it for a year now!

 

[Levesque]

Congrats Alan!

I started 3 years ago with receivers, and now I'm a firm believer in seperate. I just sold my RSP-1066, so I know that the 950 will give you loads of love and fun!

Don't look back. Enjoy it.

 

[Alan Pummill]

Updated Review:

Well my good friend, Kevin, just left. We put my system through its paces, and for the most part it passed with flying colors....that is, until the tweeter in my Paradigm CC-350 center channel blew!!

We were watching the lobby scene of the Matrix, and I'm sure we were way past reference level, when all of the sudden the vocals just sounded terrible. It took a minute, but we quickly discovered that no sound was coming from the center channel's tweeter. I had just looked over at the Maximum Output/Mute LEDs on the front of my Carver AV-705x amp. I noticed that the center channel LED was brightly illuminated, suggesting that it was being pushed past the point that it should. Now this amp has a feature called "Power Steering" which can direct up to 200 watts to any one channel demanding the strongest signal. Looks like it pushed that tweeter past what it could handle!! Oh well, I will contact Paradigm for a replacement tweeter ASAP. But this post is a review of the Outlaw Model 950, so here goes.

In preparation for our critical listening session tonight, I spent a portion of this morning doing a thorough Avia calibration on the audio section of my system. I also went to Best Buy and purchased two new selections: Pink Flyod's Dark Side of the Moon on SACD and Neil Young's Harvest on DVD-A. The following is my thoughts, Kevin said he would post his review later.

I had previously determined that Dolby Digital sounded awesome, but during that dreaded lobby scene of the Matrix I experimented by switching back and forth between Optical input and 5.1 channel input. Kev and I both felt that the sound from 5.1 channel analog input had better bass response. It also seemed to have more surrounding sound. I don't really know what that means, is the DAC of my Pioneer Elite DV-47Ai better than the one in the Model 950??

Today was my first experience with both SACD and DVD-A. I must say that I really enjoyed the mix that both of these formats provided. The sound was clean and detailed. The bass was solid. The separation was fantastic!! I will definately be getting more selections on these formats.

I have always enjoyed listening to my CDs in stereo. I use the analog inputs from my Pioneer Elite PDR-19RW CD Recorder. As I have stated previously in this thread, the sound stage is wider and deeper with the 950 than it was with the 09TX. At 80Hz crossover, my Paradigm Monitor 7's and my Paradigm PW-2200 blend beautifully. I got a kick out of watching Kevin do exactly what I did, walk up to the center channel to make sure it wasn't putting out sound!! (This was when he first got here, and before the tweeter failure)

Between the Model 950 and my Carver amp, I have less that $1500 invested. I think you would be hard pressed to find an A/V receiver that could touch this combo in both features and performance. I think the Outlaw Model 950 has found a home in my system. I can't see ever going back to a receiver. I've just got to keep the volume down below jet engine levels so that I don't end up blowing my speakers or busting out windows!! LOL