Well the 200’s finally arrived. Ordered on Monday and arrived on Wednesday. Delivery very quick but pretty expensive.

Anyway, they look great and sound great!!

I’m using them in a two channel audio only system with Classe electronics driving Magnepan MG 12’s. I also have a separate HT setup with the Outlaw 1050 receiver driving Anthony Gallo Micro’s and an Infinity subwoofer.

The 200’s have been powered up about 10 hours so these comments are very preliminary.

THE GOOD NEWS
Almost everything.
Biggest difference is in the bass. I was using a small Classe amp and while it sounded OK it didn’t have the “horsepower” to properly drive the Magnepans. The 200’s certainly cure that.
I also have a Sunfire subwoofer. While the MG 12’s only go to about 45 Hz they sound like they go much lower & certainly fuller with the 200’s. I probably wouldn’t have bought the subwoofer if I had bought the 200’s first. I haven’t put the subwoofer back into the system since I got the 200’s, but eventually I will.
The ability of the Magnepans to disappear leaving a 3 dimensional soundstage is more evident with the 200’s. The Outlaw amps seem to drive the 4 ohm load effortlessly. (Boy am I relieved) After considering amps from Audio Research, Bryston, Odyssey Audio, larger Classe etc. buying the Outlaw was a leap of faith. But so far I’m more than pleased.
I’m using the signal sensing method to turn on the amps and it works perfectly, mind you I’ve turned the amps on and off once so far.
I was concerned with heat based on some of the posts I’ve read. And my 1050 can run pretty hot. But in my 10 hrs of operating the 200’s they run very cool. Actually barely warm to the touch, and that was just above the heat sink. A few inches away from the heat sink and the unit is COOL to the touch!

The not so good news. While the binding posts seem to be a nice step up from my 1050 the lower amp has to be place near the edge of the shelf when using spade terminals since the unit is so thin. Bananas are the way to go.

The other item is that both of my units “rock”. By this I mean only three of the four feet rest on a flat shelf, and yes I’ve tried the amps on other surfaces. Since I was going to put isolation cones under the units this wont be a problem but it seems weird.

So there you have it. My conclusion so far is that the amp exceeds my expectation by a wide margin and the only problems (at ten hours of operation) are nits.

I’ll post other thoughts after a few hundred hours of operation. One other thing I should mention is that I was so anxious to hear the new 200’s I tore into my set up and threw the amps into action. When everything is setup properly it will sound even better (and I have no complaints now). But that won’t be soon I’m going to listen some more.


[This message has been edited by Xyzfla (edited January 09, 2003).]

Me too! Me too! Me too! I got the email today and just finished the order for my pair!

You mean that the legs on your amps aren't perfectly level, kind of like a crooked table? Hmm, that's a peeve of mine. I can't believe that both of your units came that way

[This message has been edited by Mightybuddah (edited January 09, 2003).]

When I unpacked the amps I noticed that one corner of both amps ( I don't remember if it was the same corner) didn't touch the counter. It was quite noticeable. So much so I took it to other flat surfaces and I got the same result. But I'm planning on using 3 isolation cones under each amp so that should keep it from wobbling.

I'm also going to contact Outlaw about removing the feet and shimming the one that’s off.

Thanks for the early info, I'm sure a lot of us find it useful. Anybody have photos of the actual unit up yet? I know there are a few on Outlaw's products page but they don't really show it well.



So, it's just the feet that are slightly uneven? The case itself isn't warped or crooked or something?

It appears to be that the feet are just slightly different lengths. I took the "short" foot off both amps and proceeded to make shims ... after a few tries problem solved. ... and they even sound better ...lets see because they don't rock? .... the whole set up is better (power cords separated from signal cords, etc)? or just more time on them? Let me listen some more while I ponder this.

I just got off the phone with the Outlaws, and mine should be coming in the next few days. Mine will be used to power a monster 15" passive sub. Granted, I still need to build the sub, but I'm very excited to get the amp, and get everything hooked up. It should kick some serious...

Jason

Someone please get pics up of these baby beasts Thanks!!

------------------
Play it LoUd!!

Yup, it'd be nice to see more of them before mine arrive. Unfortunately, I dunno that they've shipped yet, and even then it'll take a long time for them to cross the country.

I'll also be curious to see if anybody has any power problems. The rated maximum draw is 600 amps each, which means just 3 M-Blocks could theoretically draw as much as a 7-channel 770, and 7 M-Blocks could draw 35 amps! I doubt they'd ever approach that in normal use, but I wonder what they do draw in typical use.

Well, I've had a little time to play with my pair over the weekend. I did not have the leveling problem that Xyzfla has. All the feet were on correctly.

With the sound quality, they're not fully broken in, but I really like them. I had only tested them on Bose 301, so I can't say just how good they are as the speakers would limit that. They did provide a lot of clean power to them though. I plan on moving them around a lot, which is why I did not hook them up to my Mirage OM-5 mains yet. Those would really be able use the power. I had them hooked into a portable CD player and was able to go to 112 db with hardly any noticeable breakup. I believe this was from the player, not the amps. I then hooked them to my computer (SB Audigy soundcard) and went to 117 db. Again, any of the slight distortion I would write off as coming from the computer. Eventually I'll get them onto my receiver, but someone else will probably beat me to it (and probably give a better review).

With theconcern about the power consumption, don't most amps have a max/dynamic rating that's about twice their RMS rating?

It depends on many factors, including how conservative the factory rating is and the amp design, among others. I've seen anywhere from 1.2 to 3 times for short term transients.

Damn. Only one showed up today. I guess I shouldn't complain too much since the second one is free

Glad to hear JT & morphsci received (at least some of) their amps. I think you'll like them. I've had a few more days of listening and am still impressed.

I was concerned about the possibility of turn on transients when using the signal sense method of turn on. I can happily report that none exists. I guess I’m still gun shy from my time with a Dayton Wright preamp. Great sound …. but turn on sent SEVERAL volts to the amp … be careful …very careful.

Just curious about:
1) You lucky folks with a 770 or 755. Does the 200 have the same “sound”?
2) What people are doing with their 200’s. Subwoofer, HT or like me two channel stereo?
3) Any comparisons with obvious competitors say from Rotel, Parasound etc?

Happy listening!!

Doing 2 channel stereo with my 200's (when the second one gets here).They will replace a pair of Marantz MA500's.

Initial impresions. Very sturdy build, no foot problems, much heavier than you would expect from the height of the unit. That is one big toroid in this puppy. I can't wait for my second unit to arrive so I can actually hear these amps!

[This message has been edited by morphsci (edited January 14, 2003).]

I don't have my M-Blocks yet (scheduled to arrive tomorrow.) I'm using them for an HT system, adding 3 of them for external amplification for my front speakers. I do use the system for 2-channel stereo a fair bit, though, and am hoping this will improve things.

Not using them for a sub; my subs (SVS) are powered by their companion Samson S1000, and while the 200 is probably higher quality it doesn't have as much power.

Anyway, will report here on any wobbles or other problems. I'm going to have to dis-assemble my Flexy rack and move a few shelves around in order to make room.

Got three!

I received my trio of M-Blocks today, and my initial impressions are pretty positive. Stereo music sounds more detailed and the midrange seems better than it was (previously using the amps of a Denon 3802.) Movies also seem better, but stereo music is where I notice the biggest improvements. No, I'm not doing double-blind observations, so there's likely some bias.

Of my 3 units, 1 has a slight wobble, but I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been specifically looking for it.

Dimensions: c'mon, Outlaws, let's be accurate with our numbers here. Yes, the unit is 1 3/4 inches tall -- if you don't count the feet. Once you do, it's very close to 2 inches. I have a stack of 3 of 'em, and it measures just a hair over 6 inches tall.

The only other negative I've seen thus far is some mild hissing. Whenever the amp is on, there's hissing from the speaker. It can't be the source, or the interconnect cable, because the hissing remains if you turn the amp on with no input cable attached. It's not bad, audible within about 2 feet of the speaker, but it's there. It doesn't sound anywhere near as bad as some of the hiss problems I've read about people having with the 950 or anything.

It may turn out not to be the amp, but rather the fact that my power isn't very clean. Are other folks hearing any hiss? How's it compare with other amps you've used in this regard?

I haven't noticed any hiss from mine - although it's only been hooked up to a sub. I have a pretty nasty hum that's probably being picked up from my cable, but with the input disconnected, it's as quite as can be. I can put my ear INSIDE the driver and hear absolutely nothing.

I would actually be really surprised if the amp itself was producing the noise. If you can, try the amp/speaker in a couple different places around the house to see if it changes anything. The next step might be to try some sort of power conditioning.

Jason

To give some follow-up, I've experimented a bit. The hiss just barely registers on a Radio Shack sound meter if you hold it right up to the tweeter (which puts it around 50 dB.) This is with Paradigm Studio/60s, which the manufacturer claims have a sensitivity of 90 dB (room).

Compared to my old setup (using the built-in amps on my Denon 3802 receiver) there's a bit more hiss when the sound is muted or at low volume, but less when the volume is turned up (since the 200's hiss is constant while the 3802's hiss vaires with the volume setting.) I haven't been able to hear it from my listening position 9 feet away.

Adding noise filters to the power line (sub-$100 noise filters anyway) didn't seem to change anything.

I've read that all amplifiers hiss, it's just a matter of how much and whether it's a constant or varies with volume. I'm not sure this degree of hissing is a problem; it's quieter than other noises in my listening room (e.g. the whirring of my CD player, the fans in my ReplayTV and Samson S1000, etc.) If I had particularly sensitive speakers and/or sat closer to them and/or had a listening room that was dead quiet I'd be more concerned.