950 Dilemma...help me help YOU. (1 Viewer)

[Evan S]

OK, I just got my new Outlaw 950 processor yesterday and it's sitting on my front couch...unopened.
You see, most of you know I have a new Anthem AVM-20 which I purchased in March and is the highlight of my HT. I absolutely love this product.
With that said, I still am a home theater enthusiast and love to try out new gear. Why would I buy a 950 after having such great satisfaction with the AVM-20? Well, it's a long story, lets just say I was doing someone a favor who no longer needs that favor anymore.
So, here is my dilemma. I have three choices.
1) I can open it up, take all the trouble of unhooking everything and hooking up the 950 to see how it sounds. If it is as good as everyone says it is, I might be tempted to sell the AVM-20 and pocket the $1500 difference. However, this would be time spent that I really don't have right now due to work requirements (don't really have the time to spend hours testing out new gear).
2) I can send it back to Outlaw unopened and pay the shipping.
3) I can sell it to some lucky HTF member who is farther down the list who cannot get theirs right away (but I would reserve the right to keep the free set of interconnects included). That new owner would have to deal with any return issues with Outlaw on their own, but the unit will never have been touched by me.
I'm sure if I kept it, I would manage to find the time to post a comparison between the 950 and the AVM-20, but I'm not sure I want to live with the decision should I like the 950. Seeing as I love my AVM-20...I would think that ignorance is bliss in this case.
Give me your advice folks.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

YGM

 

[Mike Nep]

You take credit card?

 

[Brian Corr]

If the earlier posters back out, I'm interested in the 950.

 

[chung_sotheby]

I would have to say do the testing, and then decide which one you want. If the Outlaw does outperform the AVM-20, then you have $1500 in your pocket (or should I say $2500, cause this is what they are getting on the used market now). If you stay with the Anthem, then you can sell the 950 to a HTF member, who will buy the unit for full price plus shipping, so in effect you will have auditioned the unit for free, not even for shipping. I, for one being someone who is way down on the reservation list, would pay full price plus shipping to you for the unit in a heartbeat just to not have to wait a few months to get a unit from Outlaw. And I am sure that I am not alone. Good luck on which ever decision you make.

 

[Michael Mohrmann]

Evan,

You may have answered your own question by the fact that you let the 950 get shipped to you without cancelling the order (at least I think you could have cancelled it). If the feature set of the 950 is sufficient for your needs, then I would go ahead and test it against the AVM-20. If the 950 equals or exceeds the AVM-20 in your system, you would want to know this.

OTOH, if the AVM-20 excels over the 950, then you would have peace of mind. Being an AVM-20 owner myself, it is hard to imagine the 950 even equaling the AVM-20 sonically. But if it did, that would speak volumes (no pun intended!) about the capabilities of the 950 given its cost.

Michael

 

[John Morris]

Evan: My 0nly comment on this is that before you open the 950's box you should decide if the 950's feature set is enough for you. There are some setup features like full speaker delay settings that the Outlaw lacks. You also should consider your speaker setup and the non-defeatable 80Hz crossover on the 5.1 direct inputs and if that would impact or bother you. If you decide that the Outlaw's feature set is fine, then OPEN that box and listen, switch, listen, switch and on and on. I don't know what you make in your job on an hourly basis, but the $2500 savings can pay for a bunch of hours you'll spend testing.

If the feature set is not gonna make you happy, keep your AVM-20, send the interconnects to me and sell the 950 to someone else.

 

[Jeffrey_S]

Evan,

Personally I don't see how you could resist the comparison. My prediction, based on the reviews we've had so far, is that you will like the 950 but keep the Anthem in the end for the feature set. Wasn't that the main justification for the additional expense over the 950 to begin with? (I know the waiting game also factored into your decision as well.)

By the way, if you did decide to keep the 950 and sell the Anthem, you would probably break even on your purchase price, since I know you got a great deal, but you would also save the upcoming $300 expenditure for the DPLII upgrade.

If you do compare the two units, please let us know what you think.

Good luck with your decision making process.

Jeff

 

[Joe Mollura]

Evan,
I agree with Chung and Michael, I would try to find the time to test the 950. However, if you did decide to sell it I would be most interested.

 

[Mary M S]

Dang it Evan..
OPEN THE BOX, I now know you have no feminine tendency's what so ever! - the curiosity would have killed me.
I have a 950 in the mail, and am not scared to hear the review go either way.
You have guys begging for head to heads on another thread.
COME ON - OPEN OPEN OPEN

 

[Bob-N]

Mary, too many Mervyn's ads...hehe.

Evan, I was going to email you guys as I also got my 950 last week and have been testing it ever so slowly (busy week at work too). However, unlike you, I'm still waiting for my AVM20 as it is on backorder.

I also wanted to do a comparison between these two plus the 1066. Funny enough, the 950 beat them all timing wise. My local dealer has the 1066 backordered and you know the situation on the AVM20.

Anyhow, I was seriously considering selling the 950 or returning it this week and wait until I can get the other units. I'm on the other side of the fence (having a 950 in hand) in the case of ignorance is bliss.

My 30 days with the 950 will expire prior to my receipt of either the 1066 or the AVM20 with no guarantee that I can get a hold of either. So then I'd be stuck with the 950 (if I liked the 1066 or AVM20 better) with the "fervor" of early 950's worn off by then.

So I'm leaning towards just keeping the 950 and keeping the $1800 or so in my pocket. I honestly don't know whether the additional feature set of the AVM20 will be worth the great looks, additional wait and the extra $$$$.

However, since you do have both in hand, I would do some sort of comparison and keep what you like. It's too tempting to pass up and you've already spent shipping costs so make it worth your while. Otherwise, you've spent your $30+ just to look at the box.

I think the interested parties here won't care too much if it was slightly used during this early adoption phase for the 950 so you should be able to get your $899 from them and keep the cool Outlaw interconnects.

It's also nice to know (for me) that there is some interest if I change my mind in the next few days to sell the 950 and wait for the 1066 and AVM20.

Email me off line if you want to chat.

Bob

 

[Brian_Smith]

Evan,
Open the box!! Do a comparison and when you decide to keep your AVM20. I'll be more than happy to take the 950 off your hands
Brian

 

[Samuel Des]

Wow -- I just saw it online. Two transformers. Can't think why you want to keep the 950 in favour of the AVM-20. I voe that you keep the AVM-20.

 

[Evan S]

OK, I have gotten a ton of e-mail regarding this situation and there are enough people out there who are willing buy the unit off me even after letting me take this puppy out and give it an A/B comparison to the Anthem.
I will be hooking this baby up by the weekend and giving it about a 48-72 hour trial at least. I fully expect the Anthem to remain in my home, but I will give Outlaw the benefit of the doubt and post my results on a separate thread in about a week's time.
Thanks for all the kind folk out there who are willing to buy the unit off me while letting me try it out in my own system first. I owe you all a great debt of gratitude.

 

[Patrick R. Sklenar]

Evan,
hmmm going to be A/B'ing the Anthem & the Outlaw this weekend, eh? Hmmm, perhaps I should stop over? Somewhere near The Main Pub, wasn't it?
If I can believe the UPS tracking info, I *may* actually receive my 950 tomorrow. {fingers crossed}

 

[BobRoulier]

Evan,
Glad to see that your making time to compare the two units you would have been kicking your self if you didnt I am anxious to hear your results and would be surprised if the outlaw was as good as the anthem its a very nice unit which you already know I know you live right down the road from me If you would like to hear my system I would be glad to have you over! Im 10 min south of spearit sound
good luck Bob
my system:
mits 65819 hdtv
pioneer elite 49tx
parasound 2205
paradigm studio 100s v2
studio cc
mirage 595is (surrounds)
jbl control 5 (rears)
sony ns700 dvd player
svs 20-39 sub
custom house interconects
kimber cable speaker wire

 

[Evan S]

Pat, you are more than welcome to head over if you want to hear it all set up. That's right...walking distance from the Main Pub.
Bob, I love the offer. Thank you very much. I will be taking a ride to your home in the near future as a 25-31 PCI will be my next upgrade and the 20-39 will be a good reference point.

 

[Legairre]

Evan. You know I'm close.

 

[Legairre]

I should clarify my above post. I'm not looking to buy a 950. I've already bought my pre/pro. I am more than willing to help demo the 950 against the AVM20 since I'm only about 45 mins from Evan.

 

[Michael Yung]

PARTY AT EVEN'S HOUSE THIS WEEKEND!