I am considering purchasing a used 950. The original sale date was May 2002. Are there any upgrades/fixes that should be applied to correct for the earlier issues. If so then what is the process and what is the estimated cost? Thanks

If the 950 shipped in May 2002, it is the original design. There were two revisions to address hiss in the analog path that affected a few users (the "red dot" revision in September 2002 and the "blue dot" in December 2002), either of which a May 2002 buyer may or may not have received. There is also a DTS-ES software upgrade (done by replacing a chip) that was released in March 2003.

I'd ask the seller if the unit was exchanged or updated to a red dot or blue dot. It's quite possible that the original unit was exchanged for a red dot or returned and updated to the red dot. The blue dot was not universally adopted -- probably 95%+ of the users had no problems with the red dot (exceptions include SoundHound, whose system employs particularly efficient horns). If the used unit is an original, you might contact Outlaw and ask about the policy on updating those units to the blue dot design. The DTS-ES fix (if it hasn't already been done) can be done by the user (they'll ship you the chip, a chip extractor, and detailed instructions), or you can have it done by a local shop and Outlaw will re-imburse up to a certain amount for the labor.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

The seller has not done any upgrades. Sounds like the next step is to determine what Outlaw support has to say about correcting the hiss issue. I would have no problems changing the chip. Thanks for your help. Please advise if I have misunderstood you. Thanks
John

Sounds like you've got it under control. If you have any more questions, between Outlaw's support and the saloon we should be able to get you fixed up.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Row,
I also recently purchased a used 950 without any updates being done by the previous owner. I had him ship it to Outlaw and they did the updates and then shipped it to me at no charge. You will have to get the serial number and the owners name to Outlaw so they can updates their records, also, the previous owner will have to contact them to ok the release to you. It was a painless process that added two weeks onto the time I received it. Hope this helps.

Ssand, that's quite cool! Thanks for the good info.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

ssand, were you responsible for the outgoing freight? Sounds like more of the great customer service I have been reading about for 2.5 years!

Thanks!

[This message has been edited by row1x (edited February 08, 2004).]

Row,

I paid the frieght that the seller was asking to get it to Outlaw. After that I communicated with Scott at Outlaw and he made it happen for me. The 950 is a great piece that goes along with my Outlaw 770 and ICBM. I have this running through a tube pre-amp to soften the sound for music and a Threshold 400 A powering the front 1.6s. A Pioneer Elite DVD player for movies and SACD and a Meridian CD only player. A very nice set-up which leans more to the music side than the movie side.