We have the 950 and the 770 now set up and have listened to a few CDs as well as some movies. Remember that I am not an engineer or a physicist so this report will be about as subjective as you can get. I do recognize that I WANT to like the new gear, and tried to take that into account. I have not "A-B'd" the Denon 5800 and the Outlaw units. It is therefore at best past recollection remembered versus current impressions.

On movies, the Outlaw gear is simply first rate. The Denon 5800 did not sound as clear, distinct or "present" as the new gear. I use Mirage OM-5s for my fronts and Mirages for the surrounds as well. The Mirages have always seemed to me to produce a pleasing wide soundstage (we cook on the weekends and have company over for movies, so the Mirages made listening a pleasure for more than the "sweet seat"). I know this probably makes no sense, but the wide soundstage still seems present, but the sound is clear as a bell and distinct as hell. Previewed Pirates of the Caribbean, and my wife told me that she had never heard a swordfight through the system that sounded so breathtaking. My wife is NOT into audio in any significant way, and her testimonial was surprising to me.

On CDs, I noticed no harshness and again, crystal clarity. There is no fatigue factor yet, and my wife and daughter have been listening to music all day, and still are marvelling at the difference in sound.

The bass is deep and tight. It simply thunders at the appropriate times with no hint of muddiness to these 52 year old ears. (Mirage BPS-400 sub.)

The Denon 5800 was a flagship receiver two years ago, and is a very nice piece of equipment. I am frankly astounded at how much of a difference the Outlaw 950/770 makes in my setup. I wanted ot like them, but the idea of replacing my $4,000.00 receiver with $2500.00 worth of gear and being happier was going against my sense of audio snobbery. I had nothing to worry about. This stuff is simply unbelievable.

In short, it's a keeper.

Again, this is not a scientific or double-blind analysis - I don't have the time. Whether or not it is the triumph of my subjective subliminal hopes or a true improvement that could be verified if I had the time or the instruments, I am a - no, we are - happy campers.

Thanks to all for the information, encouragement and suggestions. This is a great place to be!

I do not have the ICBM in the loop yet, nor the Bijou 7 channel EQ. I am so enamored by the new sound that I ordered a Denon 5900 DVD player that should be here in a week or so. There goes the savings from buying the Outlaw rig!

Thanks again.

Mike

Congrats on enjoying your Outlaw gear. That is the end point isn't it, total home theater enjoyment!

I was just reading about you difficulties in placing your ICBM and/or your Bijou EQ in the system. I have some ideas...

1) Unless you have the proper meausrement tools or you have a friend with them, leave the EQ completely out of the system. The right tools to place the EQ into the system include a meaurement quality microphone, a laptop with a RTA program on it and/or a portable RTA unit. If you don't have this equipment available, putting the EQ into the system will probably cause more harm than good. In other words, don't move the sliders into a nice pattern just because it looks good!!

If you have these tools, you can use the EQ between the 950 and the 770 to cut any frequencies that stick out too much on the RTA. Do not try to use the EQ to overly boost any dips as this is the way you will just add more noise into the system. Also, make sure that any adjustments you do make are not too drastic. The EQ can certainly help with any peaks or dips you may have but it isn't going to fully rid the system of these anomalies without doing some harm to the musical content that is playing.

2) Unless you have stereo subwoofers, I really don't see a place for the ICBM in your set-up. If you are using stereo subs, I would put the ICBM in right after the EQ, just before the 770. This would allow for the subwoofer signal to EQ'd properly but also split into stereo.

The bass managment features of the 950 should be enough to get correct bass management for direct sources. For the final verdict on this, I would, however, post on the 950 forum about bass management with an ICBM and a Denon 5900. I don't personally own the 950 but I know there are some quirks with its bass management. A post on that forum may help solve that issue.

One more thing, before using EQ to solve room problems, you may want to look into acoustical solutions first. Not only will that solve most of the problems the EQ would be trying to fix but it would also give your home theater room a cool new look. There are some great new products out there specifically designed for this purpose. As most would say; your system is only as good as the room it's in.

New equipment gives one lots to think about, huh??

Thanks for the tips. I have my system set up now and have enjoyed a number of movies as well as music for a day or so now. I have removed the Bijou form the loop and do not notice a real difference. I want to keep it around as I may one day try to integreate it into the system, but for now it is fine. Will put the ICBM between my multi-format DVD when it arrives (having some trouble finding a Denon 5900 right now - they appear ot be in short supply). I have a Pioneer DV47 but its video is on the fritz (video drop-outs - only 2 years old, too!). Anyway, I am constantly amazed at the sound coming from my speakers with the 770 hooked up. Pirates of the Caribbean was really something! I read in the forum somewhere that one user's center channel really came to life. My wife has difficulty discerning dialogue form the center, and I use dot have to pump up the gain on the center 9db. With the 770, the center is just fine without adjustment (but she loved it with a 3db gain). I cannot tell you how pleased I am with this purchase. It is more than I expected for less than I expected.

Thanks again.

Mike