I am in the market for a new amp and I am undecided if I should get a 770 or a stack of 200's. I was just wondering if there is a Sound quality advantage to a stack of M200's, over a 770. any insight will be greatly welcomed. Thank you.

Unfortunately I haven't gotten to listen to a Model 200 to know how it compares to the multi-channel Outlaws, but I would not expect a real difference between the two options. In this review , Mike Knapp replaced a 770 with seven 200's and observed:



The 770 offers a single power cord and a smaller overall package than seven 200's, making it easier to get set up. The 200's would allow you to only run the channels that you need when listening to two-channel material. Also, if you don't immediately need seven channels, you could buy only five or six 200's and add on later (or buy a 755 now and add 200's later).

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

I am not sure if anyone out their would have sent for both amps from Outlaw to make a comparison. I own the 770 and can tell you that it works properly and sounds fabulous, (even my wife noticed the upgrade; you know the type of wife who rolls her eyes evertime the topic of electronics comes around). Currently I am only using 5 out of the 7 channels because I have not installed the back two speakers yet, (wife has to approve of their location). I like this type of flexibility of using as many channels as I want without having to buy more amps later. Enjoy making your decision, this is the fun part of home electronics. If you decide on the 770 I believe you will be pleased.

The review that I linked to in my previous post is the only direct comparison of a 770 and seven 200's that I am aware of, and partway down that thread Mike Knapp clarified the sonic difference between the two this way:



There are (I believe) a few people out there with 755's and 200's together who would be able to readily compare the two (since the 755 is a copy of the 770 with two channels removed) -- I know SpOoNmAn's plan was to get a 950 and 755 to go with his pair of 200's, but don't know if he has yet or not. If Mike's impression is any indication, though, the differences are minimal.

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

[This message has been edited by gonk (edited May 22, 2003).]

I've got a 755 and 2 - 200's... If I get a chance to pull everything out from the wall (it's all in a big entertainment center) I'll try running my front speakers with the 755 and swap back and forth with the 200's...

For movies and anything else.. I can't tell a difference (although there are HUGE differences between the speakers... magnepans for the front and a crappy Infinity cc-3 for the center)..

So anyway, I'll try to do that... Actually I can guarantee that I can do it on Monday... I'm kind of curious myself

[This message has been edited by Unferth (edited May 22, 2003).]

At first I considered buying 7 200's with the idea that I would place each 200 near each speaker. But since there was no easy way to run balanced audio lines between the 950 and the 200's, and since the Outlaws had decided not to put the final digital-to-analog conversion in each amp so there could be digital distribution of the final signal(s) out of the 950 -- I chose, at the Outlaws suggestion, to buy the 770. I then ran very, very low loss speaker cables. I would like to see, some day, the signal(s) be distributed in an easily cabled, or even wireless, digital network.