I know that sound characteristics are subjective, but I have a question for any veteran 1050 users. I have had my 1050 for a week now, and have played it about 15 hours. My main speakers are Pinnacle Classic Gold Reference Towers. They are are a "bright" sounding speaker. I had an old Harman Kardon receiver that gave up the ghost powering them until I got the Outlaw. The sound was rather smooth on the HK. When hooked up to the Outlaw, the brightness seems a lot more evident, to the point of harshness. I've moved the speakers around,experimented, etc., the brightness is still there. My question is, does the 1050 require a break in time, or can I expect this sound character to continue? I know that the professional reviews have stated that if the 1050 errs on anything as far as sound quality,it is on the soft side. Do I need to play the receiver overnight for a few days to properly break it in? Thanks.

Yes, the 1050 requires break-in for about 1500 miles or so. During this time, don't rev it past 5000 rpm and try not to hold your speed constant for long periods of time. Also avoid sudden stops and full-throttle starts. Be sure to change the oil after the break in period and at 3k mile intervals thereafter.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

-- Rotate the feet to get even wear, too...

Seriously, I would recommend giving it 40-50 hours for the amp channels to get settled in a bit. That brightness may fade.

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Gonk

poor Matthew. he needs his 950 very soon here. breathe Matthew, breathe. it's gonna be okay.
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another poor college student

When I got my 1050, I also thought it sounded bright, especially compared to the Creek 4240 it replaced, a very warm, musical amp.

But after two+ months of owning it, the 1050 does seem to have settled down. Or it could just be my ears have settled down.

Whichever it is, it is a great piece of equipment and is much better than the mass-market stuff I heard before I took the plunge and bought Outlaw.

If you are talking about Cd play, and if you are using a digital input, then switching to analog input will kill some of the very very top end and tame the brightness a bit. If you are already using the analog inputs then try using the direct inputs, bypassing the pre-amp stage and see if that is better.
Still I did find that the unit needed about a week or maybe a little longer (almost constant play during waking hours) to come into itself.

I've always wondered about breaking in equipment, but never really knew what to do. Do you just turn the turn the FM tuner on and let it go? Do you have the speakers connected? What about volume levels? I would really appreciate any help someone could give me.

Why not just subject it to normal use for a few weeks? I know for me, when I get a new piece of electronic equipment, "normal" usually equates to 10+ hours a day and absurd volume levels.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

There are 2 camps of thought, believers & non-believers in break-in. I'm a believer...

I usually subject any new audio gear to app. 100-200 hours of "stress". For your 1050, leave the tuner turned to a station that plays lots of dynamic music while you're at work or not home. Set it to some mode that drives all channels. Set the volume control to about 35-40. Leave it on 24 hours a day. Do this (with the speakers connected) for a couple of weeks. That should do it.

Most change usually happens in the first 20 hours. The preamp in my 1050 is not the quietest I've ever heard. It's driving a VERY quiet (Bryston 4B ST) amp which is connected to a pair of B&W Nautilus 804s. The major change I heard was less hiss from my speakers. BTW, before the 1050, I heard NO hiss from my speakers...

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Lynn Olan Little

I'm just saying, if you believe that your equipment needs 100 hours to break in (I'm not saying that I do or that I don't), why "waste" those hours? Play it when you ARE at home, not when you aren't, so that you can at least be using and enjoying your new equipment while you wait for whatever's going to happen. Seems kind of silly to me to leave the radio on when you're not at home.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net