Considering an Outlaw 970 (1 Viewer)

[Mark Leiter]

Well my old receiver finally went kaput. Which is not really a bad thing as it was an old Yamaha 992 that has been in need of replacing for at least 5 years or so. Anyway, I have started searching around for its replacement. A few years ago i purchased a separate amplifier. A Sherbourn 1500 so i'm pretty set with power. What I really need is a pre/pro to control it all. As of now I am strongly leaning toward the Outlaw 970. It seems to be able to do everything I need and the price is about right at 699. My question would be, are there any other brands/models that are about the same price I should consider?

Thanks all.
Mark

 

[Chris S]

I don't know of any other pre-amps near that price point but I do currently run the predecessor model to the 970, the Outlaw 960, and I love it. Best my system has even sounded. If you're not worried about HDMI video switching and the like then I would highly recommend the Outlaw based on my experiences with their previous model. Very good sound quality and you just can't beat the price.

 

[Doug_]

I have had both the Outlaw 970 and 990 in my home. I ended up keeping the 990 over the 970 due to performance and build quality. I have since sold the 990 and tried a Boston AVP7 (same as the 990 if you can find one), and finally ended up with the Anthem AVM30. If you are going to buy Outlaw, I would strongly encourage you to come up with the extra few hundred dollars and take the 990 over the 970; it is well worth it. I did a small write up about the two units here:

http:\processors.globalmutantd.com

 

[Mark Leiter]

Thanks guys for your replies. I apprecieate it. Nice review Doug I don't konw if I can swing for the 990 or not, $1100 is a little steep for my price range at the moment, but perhaps if I happen to catch a nice one slightly used I can do it.

 

[Doug_]

Mark,

You can probably come across a used 990 for about $900-950. Remember, Outlaw has a 5-year transferable warranty on these units so as long as the unit looks good (no scratches, etc.) you should be in good shape.

You can also look and see if you can find a Boston Acoustics AVP7 processor. It is basically the same as the 990 (better in my opinion as I had both units at one time and preferred the looks, sound, and setup options the AVP7 provided over the 990). These were selling for around $700 a while back if you can find any out there, remember no warranty though, unless someone bought an extended one at the time of purchase they can transfer to you.

 

[Brent_S]

And the AVP7 is just a Sherwood Newcastle P-965 which are still in production.

Another option, especially on a tight budget, is running the Yamaha RX-V659 as a preamp only. See the glowing review at Audioholics. I've got a S-N AVP-9080 that's starting to have issues and the 659 will probably be my interim plan when it finally dies...until the hew HD-DVD/Blu-ray audio formats get worked into prepros/receivers.

-Brent

 

[Parker Clack]

You might also want to give the guys at Outlaw a call and see if they have any refurb 990 for sale. Peter and the gang at Outlaw are great to work with it and I am sure they can fix you up.