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Model: 950 Category: Preamplifier (HT) Suggested Retail Price: $899 Description: Preamp/Processor/Tuner for multichannel playback Manufacturer URL: Outlaw Model Picture: View
Review by jimmyjames (A) on February 15, 2003 at 14:31:39
IP Address: 24.163.39.183Add Your Review
for the 950Shopped around and did a little research on a pre/pro for integrating into my 2 channel system to convert to 5.1 for HT and MC SACD. Couldn't swing the McCormack and didn't want to sell my ML 380S. Re-read the 380S owners manual, when all else fails, and it has a way to line bypass everything in the unit via one programmable input function for Surround sound processors. Viola or wahlah. Front outs from Outlaw 950 to my ML380S to my ML332 to my Aerial 7b's.Now on to the Outlaw 950. You get a lot for $899. About a dozen different surround sound modes of decodeing, a tuner, 5.1 analog bypass, stereo bypass, s-video input switching, analog to digital input processing (if you want it), universal remote control, some bass management functions, test tone generator for spl calibration, delay by distance settings and individual speaker volume trims.
The back plane is a little crowded especially when doing the 5.1 channel analog ins for dvd-a and sacd. Sorry only one set of 5.1 analog in's. You assign the digital inputs (2 coax and 3 or 4 toslink) to whatever device or button label you want via the set up software which is a little clunky and not consistent as far as sequence and function of buttons on the remote. Manual is pretty good. I did all setup and programming via front panel display which is hard to read from 10 feet away. Could have done via on screen display, but i have no video hook up from the 950 to my Sony LCD RPTV, preferring instead to go straight from video sources to the TV. It has plenty of inputs on it's back plane.
The tuner section is great. Better than my old Adcom GFT 555II. Can pick up a weak college station now that I could not B4. Overall sound of the tuner is better than the old reliable Adcom.
5.1 channel analog pass thru (known as 6 channel mode on the 950) works well and is my first forray into MC SACD via a Philips 962SA DVD/SACD player. The 950 is dead quiet with no hint of hiss in this or other digital signal processing modes. Initial hook up of the 950 with my system included a digital audio input from my cable company HDTV box. Although I never really tracked it down 100%, this connection presumably caused a buzz and hum in all speakers. The worst being the fronts thru my ML380S with one put configured to SSP straight wire thru. I took the 950 out of the equation and the hum and buzz was still there. Started swapping power cords in and out. By the way, the 950 comes in two wire flavor, no ground as does my Philips 962SA. Solved the front hum/buzz problem with a cheater plug on the ML380S. Went with a TG Audio lifted ground wire PC on my ML332. Cut the ground prong off a surplus 14/3 PC I had for my rear amp, Adcom 5400 and no more hum/buzz. There are various ways to do this and this is probably not the best or safest but it lowered the noise floor so much and made the soundstage expand so much that I left it that way.
The 950 back in the system, I began to play with the various digital audio decode modes available. My system is only 5 channel at this point with no sub so at least half of the 950's mode capabilities as currently of no use to me. DTS sounds great on DVD's so encoded. Some of the dvd's I demoed with the 950 have multiple sound track options. DTS sounds the best when available. So far any movie or program from the HDTV cable box has either been Dolby Digital 5.1 or PLIICor M. Cannot make the 950 decode this input in any other mode other than 2C stereo.
While listening to a blues show on one of the local college radio stations, I switched the 950 to 5 channel stereo mode from 2C stereo and got a pleasant surprise. The whole room filled up with sound. While a lot of MC SACD recordings send specific information to certain channels and you are able to identify the channel or location of that instrument, the 5 channel stereo mode seems to criss cross the room with right and left channel info creating a very pleasing room full of sound. With the trim set so that no particular speaker is louder than another from my listening position, this effect was not subtle and gave the best presentation of 2C source material vs. any other processing mode, even 2C stereo at least thru the 950.The remote is a little clunky and is advertised as universal and some other gear codes are provided. I decided in the middle of building my little HT/MC system to go with some sort of universal remote that does learning of IR codes from other remotes. I bought the Universal Theater Master MX500 and it is by far the coolest gadget I ever bought and is truely the cats ass of remotes under $150. I programmed 6 remotes into this little handfull in about 2 hours. Several days later after getting the hang of the 950 remote I programmed it's IR codes into the Mx500. Even though it said it had learned all the codes as I punched them in, it would not fire up the 950. I reprogrammed these codes into the 500 again and it seems to work fine now. All other remotes I programmed into the MX500 were "learned" on the first pass. We shall see how this plays out in the future with the 950 codes.
In summary, for $900, the 950 does what I wanted it to. It decodes the formats I intend to source, it has 5.1 analog pass thru for those pesky sacd's or dvd-a's but only one so get a universal player or decide on one format. The tuner section is a bonus and sounds absolutely great. Better than any separate tuner I have owned. The 2C and MC d to a processing is first rate and sound better than a $900 box has a right to with all the other stuff it does. The 950 for me was the most economical and best sounding way to get my feet (ears) wet in MC audio processing.
Product Weakness: Remote a little clunky. The 950 takes some time and patience to set up and program. Display is hard to read from 10' away. Product Strengths: Does everything and sounds great doing it.
Associated Equipment for this Review: Amplifier: ML332, Adcom 5400, Para Zamp Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): ML380S Sources (CDP/Turntable): Philips 962SA Speakers: Aerail 7b's and 5's, Gallo A'Diva Cables/Interconnects: a little bit of everyhting Music Used (Genre/Selections): Jazz, Rock and blues Room Size (LxWxH): 25 x 20 x 8 Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 months Other (Power Conditioner etc.): MIT Z centers Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner Your System (if other than home audition): ?
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Topic - REVIEW: Outlaw 950 Preamplifier (HT) - jimmyjames 14:31:39 02/15/03 (2)
- Outlaw 950 Preamplifier (HT) - GregS 08:42:08 02/19/03 (0)
- Outlaw 950 Preamplifier (HT) - jk@home 18:12:25 02/16/03 (0)
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