After all this waiting, I don't know what to do! (1 Viewer)

[Luis M]

I have heard more than once by now that the Outlaw is very revealing or bright as some people say and I am wondering if as lively as my room is, with glass and few areas to stop high frequencies will this preamp sound too harsh?. I have as front speakers, The Floor standing JBL HP-520 with titanium tweeters and with only a thin carpet between the speakers and me.

I have heard that The Denon receiver AVR-5803 may have a warmer sound and that this could help in my situation.

Should I go with the Denon 5803 0r the Outlaw 950/775 combination? Or as hard as this question is, Which sounds best?

 

[Andrew_Ballew]

If you want to stay with the seperates plan, the main competition for the Outlaw- the Rotel RSP-1066 has a very "warm" sound in my opinion. You also might want to be looking at other amps- the Outlaw amps (I think they are ATI clones) are said to be a little on the bright side, too-again, I recommend that you look at Rotel again- the RMB-1095 is a KILLER 5 channel amp, with another 2 channel amp of your choice for the back surrounds-

Andrew B.

 

[TomH]

With a live room and bright speakers the 950 and/or Outlaw amps may not be the best choice. The Denon is just another receiver and for the price probably will do little to achieve a warm sound. For the $2000.00 savings on the Denon you may want to look at replacing the JBL's with less forward speakers.I am using a 950 with both Acurus and B&K amps, Snell speakers and bare floor. Previously I was using JBL L100T's with titanium tweeters. The 950 is a great match for the B&K with Snells.

Tom

 

[RAF]

A quick comment on the "brightness" issue (copied from something I posted over on the Outlaw forum):

And on the matter of "brightness" I have some feelings on the matter. One of the first things I noticed when beta testing the 950 was that it appeared a bit "bright" (I thought more of the term "harsh)" when listening to certain source materials - especially satellite TV in my particular case. Then, as I listened more I realized that I was mistaking "brightness" or "harshness" for what is really "accuracy" of sound. My Dish Network audio is inherently bright or edgy sounding and all that the 950 was guilty of was reproducing it with a degree of accuracy that was missing from my previous equipment - a Denon 5700. Don't blame the 950 for doing its job in this area.

However, some people have probably become accustomed to other than accurate sound so they may not prefer accuracy, as curious as that may seem. Once again, an important reason to listen for yourself rather than to listen to others if this is feasible.

 

[Dalton]

RAF,
What are your thoughts on the 755 compared to your Marantz monoblocks? Is it brighter than the MA700's? More nuetral? Thanks for any input.

Take Care,
Dalton

 

[Luis M]

Thanks to those trying to help out.

Robert, I understand your point but with a live room and bright speakers I am begining to wonder if this combination will work, I understand The Outlaws give me 30 days to try the preamp at home but time goes on and on and the damm thing is not here.

 

[Jed M]

Luis, I own Klipsch and the Outlaw and I am sure some people may be clutching their ears in pain, but I think it sound great. I am interested in trying the 1066 if the opportunity arises in the future (its too bad Rotel doesn't have a 30 day guarantee), just to see what I prefer. Since I own Klipsch, I obviously like a bright sound so I am biased. I probably own some of the brightest speakers on earth and mated with the 950 I think it sounds very smooth. Maybe glossy would be a better word. I understand what people mean by harsh, but the opposite choice would be muddled. I tend to be positive and say, do you like detailed or smooth sound? If you like the sound of your JBL's I would imagine you will not find the 950 harsh. It also depends on what you are replacing? Do you have a warm or a bright receiver right now? I find that I am in the minority on this forum because most people here prefer a warmer sound and will steer you that way. I enjoy both (my other system is Diva/Rotel, not the 1066 obviously) and its really something you should just try since Outlaw gives you the chance to. I would actually categorize the Outlaw more toward the Neutral side, but I own horns so my idea of what bright is is probably way out there.

 

[Luis M]

Thank you Jed, I now have the Denon 3801 which apart from being a receiver is a little bright all by itsel, so I am sure the 950/775 combo will be an improvement over my current system. I guess I will give the 950 a home trial and see what happens.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Luis- I would get the Outlaw, and try it out for the 30 days. If you like, you keep; if not, then return it.

I have 2 Acurus A200x3 amps. I remember one reviewer saying that they sounded "sterile". I came to realize that that didn't necessarily imply any coloration of the sound, just plain and simple accuracy.

 

[RAF]

Quote:

Luis,
Like others said, nothing substitutes for actual in-home evaluation, but I understand the frustration you are having with the waiting. Outlaw was claiming at the NYC show that the back orders will be cleared up "within a month" (Outlaw speaking, not me) so maybe this will help.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

[Michael Yung]

Luis,
If you're worried about 950 being "bright", maybe you should consider pairing it up with a "warmer" amp like B&K and maybe Parasound. I am not familiar with Outlaw's amp but I think the general concenses is that the Outlaw amps are neutral sounding with plenty of clean power. And I don't know anything about your speakers either but I assume changing speakers is out of the questions.
Anyhow, I think a B&K AV5125 5 channel amp goes for about the same, and maybe cheaper then the 755. Hope this helps. Take care.

 

[John Corkery]

Then, as I listened more I realized that I was mistaking "brightness" or "harshness" for what is really "accuracy" of sound.

How are you able to determine if a piece of equipment is "accurate" rather than simply emphasizing certain frequencies?

 

[Luis M]

Thanks to everybody who tried to help me out on this issue.
Like I said I will wait some more and give the Outlaw a try at home to see what happens.

 

[John Tompkins]

I dont care what you call it, if a component comes off as being bright(call it accurate,doesnt matter to me) in my system its outta there. It was mentioned that the denon 3801 was kinda bright in this thread, but I had it along with alot of other processors/recievers and believe me the denon 3801 isnt bright, so if a denon appears bright I would most assuredly stay away from yamaha, sony and the like. Some nice canidates for "warmth" would be B&k ref 30 or 307, Denon 4802, 5800 or 5803, Marantz av9000. Lexicon is nothing but neutral but with the TILT feature you can zoom it in on any system (from bright to warm).
Secondly I would say that a processor CAN make a system bright as much as an amp can(try the sony 9000es) VERY bright to my ears and this was mated to a very warm carver 753 thx 250 amp. People will disagree but I have actually found that the processor has more to due with this then amps do!
Hate to say it but all of the "worthless-gee gaw" features on the Lexicon that people here on this forum pooh-poohed as being not needed, are indeed very nice to have and can make a huge difference as you can system match without having to sell all of your speakers(read-pain in the arse)

 

[Jed M]

People will disagree but I have actually found that the processor has more to due with this then amps do!

Actually John, I agree with this statement. Also, I agree that the "gee-gaw" features are really nice and far from worthless, especially the TILT feature. I'm going to have to check out a Lex someday.