Firmware update impressions

I have to admit that I considered not doing the firmware upgrade, but a lazy Saturday turned into a firmware party. First, my Oppo DVD player (that one was the easiest). Then my SMS-1 (second easiest), which I just unplugged and moved to the only Windows computer in the house with a serial port.

And that's when I paused and took one long, hard look at the 990. Do I unplug EVERYTHING (about 20 different connections), pull the thing out of the rack, move it upstairs, plug it to the PC, do the upgrade and then reverse the process? It was a long pause.

After playing with my newly upgraded SMS-1, I could no longer wait. So I devised a plan B: kicked my kids off the computer, unplugged EVERYTHING that was hooked to it (only about 10 things), moved the PC downstairs and parked it next to the 990. I could almost see the 990 giving me an approving glance. The upgrade went so smoothly that I felt silly for contemplating it so long.

The primary reason for this post is to urge anyone who is on the fence as to whether you need/want the upgrade to go for it.

I was satisfied with the bass management on the 990. However, over time I did stay away from 2-channel modes as I felt that my system sounded better in the multi-channel modes. I had assumed that I had to optimize it for one or the other and when the 2-channel modes sounded a bit dull, I thought it was because of this reason. After this firmware upgrade that is no longer the case. The UPSAMPLE mode sounds awesome. It always did, but the bass was always lacking in my opinion. To describe the improvement in one word, I would call it dramatic.

I would like to hear other impressions.

Thanks for the great work Outlaw.

Glad to hear the firmware update went so well. Equally glad to hear that the upgrade has given you renewed enjoyment and possibilities with your 990. I’m still processing through a 950 but thought I might offer you another option to try in your arsenal of playback options. You mentioned an Oppo player in you setup. Oppo has a great feature of spreading a stereo source material through the other channels when you have “Downmix” set to 7.1 or 5.1. It is not a 100% L/R duplicated in the SR/SL but a very nice sound distribution. If you have your Oppo setup with analog outputs (typically for SACD/DVD-A) and use you 990 “7.1 Direct” mode, you’ll get a very good stereo feed that utilizes more of your systems speakers. You might try it to see how that sounds for you. The firmware update should also now provide just the right Outlaw Bass Management.

When listening to 2-ch music, I use the Upsample mode, have the Left and Right Speaker set as Large, Crossover at 40Hz, and the Sub set at L+R/Sub. This way I always get full range music sent to the 2 main speakers and added bass to the sub. I have tried setting them to Small and placing the crossover at 80 or 60Hz, but it makes the music sound 'thin', almost like it is losing instruments.

When watching movies, I still keep the fonts set to Large and crossover at 40Hz, but then put the Sub in LFE Only mode. The Center and Surrounds are set to Small with a crossover at 100Hz.

It's kind of a pain to have to change the settings all the time depending on what I watch, but after 2 years I've got the hang of it.
It would be nice if the replacement 990 allowed for individual speaker/crossover settings per input.

I look forward to trying the new firmware this week and see if it makes a difference in my setup.

Thanks for the "impression". I have not done any upgrades on the 990 or my Oppo 980H as I usually say 'if it's not broke. don't fix it" but after your thoughts I think I'll give it a try.

I had some time today to disconnect my 990 and hook it up to my PC to install the 3.24 firmware.
I listened to one CD for an hour (before update) and then again (after update).
I always use Upsample mode, and re-entered my info back into the 990 after it reset.
I could tell a definite difference right away.
The bass through the main speakers and sub was more pronounced. Fronts were set to Large, 40Hz, and the Sub was set to L/R+Sub, as I have used these setting for 2 years.
I changed the fronts to Small, crossover 40Hz, and Sub to Yes and -10dB.
This now sounded right. There was still noticeable bass, but not nearly as overpowering as when set to L/R+Sub.
Sound quality was still good, and there seemed to be a little more detail in the instruments.
One thing I imminently noticed was that instruments now sound like they are 'in front' of the speakers, instead of at the speakers or behind them.
But instrument also seem to be 'pushed' slightly to the sides and not 'filling' the center as much.
I tried a few other CDs and after a 2 hours I got use to the 'new' sound.
In the end, I would say the upgrade is worth it, as bass management works better and there is more resolution using Upsample mode.
I'm just not sure why instruments that use to be heard in the dead center are now closer to the left or right side of the soundstage.
Not all CDs are like this, which is confusing. If its a small group (quartet/quintet) it is more noticeable than a larger group (orchestra + chorus).

I haven't tried any DVDs yet, so can't comment on how the new firmware will effect it.

FAUguy, thanks for sharing your impressions. About 99% of the time I have had my 990, my mains were set to small crossed at 40Hz and my sub to LFE Only.

When I tried my sub at L/R+Sub, it was way too much bass for anything multi-channel - I have 7 speakers and all others were crossed at 80Hz.

Before the update, the Small Mains (40Hz) and "LFE Only" was the best setting for multi-channel in my system, but this caused Stereo 7 to sound better than Upsample, which sounded too bright, and regular stereo, which sounded a little dead for my taste.

I have to go through a few of my DVD movies that I typically demo, but I already know I am going to like what I hear. I played The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over DVD in DTS yesterday and it sounded awesome.

I don't think it gives you the option to have the fronts st to Small and the sub set to LFE. If the frot are set to Small, then the sub is set to Yes. The only time the sub can be set to LFE is if the fronts are set to Large.

Oops! I meant Yes. Thanks.

I have not read the instructions yet for the FW update;

Do I have to unplug eveything from the 990 or can I use my (portable) labtop to run the update?

From what I understand, you can leave everything connected to the 990.

FAUguy, Just to confirm;

If I want the low notes going to main speakers and the sub, I need to select L/R + Sub on the subwoofer settings?

Yes. The low frequencies only go the fronts if they are set to large, at which point the front channel low frequency data only goes to the fronts unless you also set the sub to L/R+Sub (in which case the front channel low frequencies are duplicated and sent to both fronts and sub.

I've done it before with my laptop and everything connected - just follow the instructions.

Has anyone noticed that the subwoofer xver is not working when in the prologic II modes. I am not very happy right now

From the way I understand it (maybe Gonk will corret me), if the Fonts are set to Large and the Sub it set to L/R+Sub, then all the bass is sent to the front speakers (regardless of that the crossover it set at) and some bass is also sent to the sub. This was the setting that I have used in my system for the past two years.

Now that I have upgraded to the newer firmware, I found that I was getting way too much bass. To correct this, I changed the Fronts to Small with a crossover at 40Hz and the Sub is set to Yes. That way the front speakers only get bass down to 40Hz, and everything lower than 40Hz is sent to the sub. I tried setting at 60 and 80Hz, but 40Hz sounded best, since I'm using florstanding speakers that can go down to 40Hz.

Hello Davin,

What are your speaker settings (front speaker size and x-over, subwoofer setting)? Please confirm these settings as I am seeing subwoofer output in PLII mode with both analog and digital input signals.

Thanks,

Scott

I have tried every possible configuration and it still does not work I do not have a subwoofer xover so I rely on the the 990 to take care of that. Since the update it passes everything to the sub full range

Hello Davin,

I think there's something else going on in your system. I checked this last night when you first posted, and again this morning at the office. Please feel free to call me at the office: 866-OUTLAWS.

Best,

Scott

Sorry to jump in. This link to the 990's bass management matrix might help. I believe it is up-to-date.

Thanks!

This update is suppose to fix the problem that was outlined in the post that went on for an entire year ?

-=
speakers set to small the 990 still passed data to the sub.

IIRC that was the problem ?

I don't know if it's supposed to fix that problem in particular, but I would imagine so (I have not seen a "release notes" that describes what was changed in the firmware).

The problem you are describing, I believe, is one in which if the mains were set to "Small" in Bypass Mode, they would still have some type of low-pass filter applied (thought it did not seem to follow the crossover frequency as directed in the Settings Menu). The complaint was that when in Bypass Mode, the mains should always receive a full range signal, and they were not.

Yea that was the problem. To bad the Outlaws locked the Firmware post . No questions allowed!! I hope it fixes that problem, as I have just purchased this 990 .. Argh.

- The locked thread was just the announcement. Scott always locks those.

I still haven't installed the new firmware (too hard to figure out how to get the rear panel switch flipped and the cable connected), but it sounds like they've got things in order with the new firmware.

Gonk, you mean to say that with all of your knowledge, you do not know how to flip that little switch from operation to service, or how to plug in a usb cable? You funny!

I mean that I have a broken hip and can't get behind the equipment rack.

Ouch, sorry dude!

Gonk, I hope you recover swiftly.
The firmware update is an improvement, definitely!
KJ

I've been listening in upsample mode mostly and mostly casual listening, but I must say a very nice improvement. It was well worth the effort.

Ditto. Very nice.
Thank-you Outlaws.

Best wishes gonk.