J
John Morris
Hi Danny: I'll address you second concern first. One thing to consider is that the Outlaw 950 is sold direct to the consumer, with no middlemen, and therefore represents a pre/pro which would cost the usual B&M dealer $900. And that is the intro price only. It is estimated that the regular price will be somewhere around $1050 or so. That dealer price puts the 950 costwise in the same ballpark as the B&K Ref 30 and a few others.
Next: here are the specs which I've copied from Outlaw's web site. To these specs they've since added a fixed selectable 80Hz crossover for DVD-A and SACD, and have upgraded the 6.1/7.1 processing to true DD-EX.
FEATURES AND SPECS
We've made mention of the unit's specs and features before, and we are finally able to take the wraps off some of the things we have kept to ourselves until now. In addition to answering many of the questions we've seen in the various Internet discussion groups, the following should provide answers to many of the individual questions addressed to us via e-mail. To start, here some information announced today for the first time:
The Model 950 will be the first surround sound product to feature Cirrus's new "Triple Crossover" capability. Developed specifically for us by the software team at Cirrus (formerly Crystal Semiconductor) in conjunction with the Outlaw team, this will give you the ability to individually set the crossover point for the speakers in three groupings: Front Left/Right, Center, and Surround/Surround Back. Within each of these speaker groups you may choose a crossover point for the bass management at 40 Hz, 60Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 120 Hz or 150Hz. This is one of the most requested features for the Model 950, and we are please to be among the very few products at ANY price that offer this type of bass management flexibility.
While the Triple Crossover takes care of sources that are routed through the digital decoding and processing, we are very aware of the need to provide bass management for the "5.1 Direct" input that will be used for external sources such as DVD-Audio or SACD. While it would have been nice to include the comprehensive bass management capabilities of the ICBM within the 950, the cost and complexity of doing that would not be possible within the pricing target set for the 950. However, in order to provide some way to control bass with direct inputs, we have included an 80Hz filter on the direct input. This covers most speaker systems a 950 user is likely to have. For those who require the more precise settings possible with the ICBM we will most likely offer a special package price for the 950 and the ICBM.
Speaking of analog inputs, we realize that there are still many audio enthusiasts who have significant analog libraries. To accommodate high-end analog sources where you do not wish to have the signal run through the A/D - DSP -D/A path so that the analog input is never digitized, we are pleased to announce that all analog inputs may be chosen as a "bypass". In that mode all A/D and D/A conversion is bypassed, and the analog source goes straight through to the volume control. You can do this on not one input, not two inputs, but on EVERY L/R analog input. Again, we can't think of ANY product out there that does that.
Of course, for home theater applications, digital decoding and processing is essential, and the Model 950 will have it all. As previously announced, it will have the full suite of Dolby and DTS modes, including Dolby Digital, Dolby ProLogic II, DTS 5.1, DTS-ES Discrete and Matrix and DTS Neo:6. IN addition, we will be among the very first, if not THE first surround processors to offer Cirrus Extra Surround. This process will enable you to listen to ANY digital or analog input source in 5.1, 6.1 (added center back surround) or 7.1 (decoded mono rear surround back channel, fed to two outputs, each at -3dB), depending on your speaker configuration. Extra Surround may be set to automatically switch to a surround mode that takes advantage of 6.1 encoding when a flag is present, or you may select it manually. We will have the absolute latest code for this exciting mode, and expect it to be the favorite for many listeners. The Model 950 will be the first component "separate" processor/tuner/preamp to offer Cirrus Extra Surround.
Elsewhere on the surround sound front, we will be among the very few processors to offer the COMPLETE range of adjustments for Dolby ProLogic II. You will not only be able to select from three DPL modes (Movies, Music and standard ProLogic), you will also be able to turn the Panorama on and off, but there are also separate settings for Dimension and Center Width so that you may adjust the mode tailoring specifically to your taste and the specific acoustics of your room and the influence of speaker placement. We asked our engineers to give us EVERY possible DPL adjustment, and they delivered!
The Model 950 is equipped with a complete separate multi-zone system. You may select a separate source for the second zone, and adjust the volume in the second zone through the use of an IR sensor in the zone. We've even provided a separate trigger jack that works in concert with the multizone system so you're your remote room amps will only turn on when they are needed.
Yes, of course the remote has direct access to all input sources and easy selection of surround modes.
Other "neat stuff" includes a special equalization circuit for use with movie sound tracks, an easy to read two-line display for system messages, easy to understand on-screen menus, HDTV compatible component video switching, a removable power cord, and one or two more things we might fit in before shipment.
The unit is designed with the capability for software upgrades through replacement of an E-PROM chip. We have included that as a something that might, or might not be used in the future. No guarantee that there will be any upgrades, as we can't foresee the future. In addition, there are certain things on the horizon that would require a basic architecture change and a replacement of the main DSP processor. When you get to that point, the upgrade is more than can be accommodated through software only changes.
At this point we do not have final pricing or information about the "family discounts". However, we are committed to an introductory price of $899 that we expect to maintain for at least the first three months of availability. Pricing beyond that point is subject to change without notice.
The Model 950 will be available with a 230-volt power supply for worldwide use. All units will have the ability to display the on-screen menus in either NTSC or PAL video formats. However, the 230-volt model may not be available until late December. Beyond this new information, the basics remain as previously announced:
Seven A/V inputs, all with S-Video
Dedicated "audio only" inputs for CD and Tape
Four optical inputs and two coaxial inputs for digital sources
Coaxial and optical digital outputs
An FM Stereo/FM/AM tuner with 30 presets
Discrete Power On/Power Off Controls for ease of use with programmable remote controls or in complex integrated theater systems.
There are some things we can't release at this point, and those are the system specs. As you read this the final spin on the unit's motherboard is being made on the pilot manufacturing line. The specs for the alpha units were well beyond our expectations, and are comparable to units double the 950's price. We fully expect that the boards now being made for the beta units will be even better, so we'll wait for that before releasing things such as S/N, channel separation and so forth.
Hope this was of some help!
Next: here are the specs which I've copied from Outlaw's web site. To these specs they've since added a fixed selectable 80Hz crossover for DVD-A and SACD, and have upgraded the 6.1/7.1 processing to true DD-EX.
FEATURES AND SPECS
We've made mention of the unit's specs and features before, and we are finally able to take the wraps off some of the things we have kept to ourselves until now. In addition to answering many of the questions we've seen in the various Internet discussion groups, the following should provide answers to many of the individual questions addressed to us via e-mail. To start, here some information announced today for the first time:
The Model 950 will be the first surround sound product to feature Cirrus's new "Triple Crossover" capability. Developed specifically for us by the software team at Cirrus (formerly Crystal Semiconductor) in conjunction with the Outlaw team, this will give you the ability to individually set the crossover point for the speakers in three groupings: Front Left/Right, Center, and Surround/Surround Back. Within each of these speaker groups you may choose a crossover point for the bass management at 40 Hz, 60Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 120 Hz or 150Hz. This is one of the most requested features for the Model 950, and we are please to be among the very few products at ANY price that offer this type of bass management flexibility.
While the Triple Crossover takes care of sources that are routed through the digital decoding and processing, we are very aware of the need to provide bass management for the "5.1 Direct" input that will be used for external sources such as DVD-Audio or SACD. While it would have been nice to include the comprehensive bass management capabilities of the ICBM within the 950, the cost and complexity of doing that would not be possible within the pricing target set for the 950. However, in order to provide some way to control bass with direct inputs, we have included an 80Hz filter on the direct input. This covers most speaker systems a 950 user is likely to have. For those who require the more precise settings possible with the ICBM we will most likely offer a special package price for the 950 and the ICBM.
Speaking of analog inputs, we realize that there are still many audio enthusiasts who have significant analog libraries. To accommodate high-end analog sources where you do not wish to have the signal run through the A/D - DSP -D/A path so that the analog input is never digitized, we are pleased to announce that all analog inputs may be chosen as a "bypass". In that mode all A/D and D/A conversion is bypassed, and the analog source goes straight through to the volume control. You can do this on not one input, not two inputs, but on EVERY L/R analog input. Again, we can't think of ANY product out there that does that.
Of course, for home theater applications, digital decoding and processing is essential, and the Model 950 will have it all. As previously announced, it will have the full suite of Dolby and DTS modes, including Dolby Digital, Dolby ProLogic II, DTS 5.1, DTS-ES Discrete and Matrix and DTS Neo:6. IN addition, we will be among the very first, if not THE first surround processors to offer Cirrus Extra Surround. This process will enable you to listen to ANY digital or analog input source in 5.1, 6.1 (added center back surround) or 7.1 (decoded mono rear surround back channel, fed to two outputs, each at -3dB), depending on your speaker configuration. Extra Surround may be set to automatically switch to a surround mode that takes advantage of 6.1 encoding when a flag is present, or you may select it manually. We will have the absolute latest code for this exciting mode, and expect it to be the favorite for many listeners. The Model 950 will be the first component "separate" processor/tuner/preamp to offer Cirrus Extra Surround.
Elsewhere on the surround sound front, we will be among the very few processors to offer the COMPLETE range of adjustments for Dolby ProLogic II. You will not only be able to select from three DPL modes (Movies, Music and standard ProLogic), you will also be able to turn the Panorama on and off, but there are also separate settings for Dimension and Center Width so that you may adjust the mode tailoring specifically to your taste and the specific acoustics of your room and the influence of speaker placement. We asked our engineers to give us EVERY possible DPL adjustment, and they delivered!
The Model 950 is equipped with a complete separate multi-zone system. You may select a separate source for the second zone, and adjust the volume in the second zone through the use of an IR sensor in the zone. We've even provided a separate trigger jack that works in concert with the multizone system so you're your remote room amps will only turn on when they are needed.
Yes, of course the remote has direct access to all input sources and easy selection of surround modes.
Other "neat stuff" includes a special equalization circuit for use with movie sound tracks, an easy to read two-line display for system messages, easy to understand on-screen menus, HDTV compatible component video switching, a removable power cord, and one or two more things we might fit in before shipment.
The unit is designed with the capability for software upgrades through replacement of an E-PROM chip. We have included that as a something that might, or might not be used in the future. No guarantee that there will be any upgrades, as we can't foresee the future. In addition, there are certain things on the horizon that would require a basic architecture change and a replacement of the main DSP processor. When you get to that point, the upgrade is more than can be accommodated through software only changes.
At this point we do not have final pricing or information about the "family discounts". However, we are committed to an introductory price of $899 that we expect to maintain for at least the first three months of availability. Pricing beyond that point is subject to change without notice.
The Model 950 will be available with a 230-volt power supply for worldwide use. All units will have the ability to display the on-screen menus in either NTSC or PAL video formats. However, the 230-volt model may not be available until late December. Beyond this new information, the basics remain as previously announced:
Seven A/V inputs, all with S-Video
Dedicated "audio only" inputs for CD and Tape
Four optical inputs and two coaxial inputs for digital sources
Coaxial and optical digital outputs
An FM Stereo/FM/AM tuner with 30 presets
Discrete Power On/Power Off Controls for ease of use with programmable remote controls or in complex integrated theater systems.
There are some things we can't release at this point, and those are the system specs. As you read this the final spin on the unit's motherboard is being made on the pilot manufacturing line. The specs for the alpha units were well beyond our expectations, and are comparable to units double the 950's price. We fully expect that the boards now being made for the beta units will be even better, so we'll wait for that before releasing things such as S/N, channel separation and so forth.
Hope this was of some help!
