Overall the build quality of the 200-M is good, the only concern I have is that of the floor plate of the amp. I think the weight of the torroidal transformer is a bit too much for the cabinet. It's causing the bottom plate on my amps to bend down if viewed from the back of the amp. At least there's no hiss on mine and all the feet are even. Any comments on this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Mine were shipped UPS, so I looked them over very carefully. I do not see any evidence of bending at the transformer. The bottom sheet is stamped with a recess for the transformer. This should improve the stiffness of the bottom sheet, but maybe the bottom sheet ends up a little twisted from this.

Overall, I agree the build quality is decent for what it is. I can't see getting a bunch of dollars tied up in the chassis for an amp. My two amps really look flawless.

Since everybody asks about hiss, mine is very quiet, and the little bit of hiss (ear at the tweeter) does not vary with input. What is notable is the total lack of any kind of hum component. I am using these with a 750 that exhibits a small amount of hum in my setup. The M200's are plugged into the same circuit and do not hum at all!

As a point of reference, the M200's are attached to NHT VT-2's rated at 88db sensitivity.

The whole thing sounds "marvelous".

Scott emailed me this solution for the wobble:

Place the unit on a flat, even surface. Loosen each of the six screws (three on each side) that hold the top cover on the unit. It only takes a turn or two. Press down on all four corners at the same time (forearms work best). Then retighten the screws.

I had four that wobbled to varying degrees. On three of them, I didn't even need to push down to straighten them out. When I loosened the screws, the weight of the unit was sufficient to flatten it out. On one, I held my left forearm diagonally between the two corners that rocked and retightened the screws with my arm in that position. This has completely stopped any wobble. The units are rock steady now.

It appears that when the thing was assembled, it was either on an uneven surface, or held in some sort of vice that caused a slight warp. When the top was attached, the screws froze the unit in that warped position. But, that's just a guess.

Glad to hear there's a simple fix - but it is a bit worrysome that this flex happens in the first place. Maybe some beefed-up metalwork would be in order......

Hmm, this is odd. I don't notice a thing wrong with mine. No flexing or wobbly feet. I hope this doesn't turn into a witch hunt like the 950 hiss did.

I have two and neither wobbles or flexes. No bending of the bottom plate at all. There is a round depression on the bottom that is stamped there for the toroid. Perhaps some have mistaken this for bending? The overall build quality IMO is very good, especially at its price point.

Well I bought 3 of them. I only have the bent bottom plate on two of them, I'm thinking maybe UPS dropped the boxes and that may have caused it. The third one is in perfect condition. No sag or wobbleness at all. I'll try to get a picture up so you can better see what I am talking about.

Gee, maybe I should change my handle to "chicken little". After all, from the responses, you must think I unpacked my M-200's, placed them on the first piece of damp plywood I found and pronounced that the sky is falling.

FYI, I recieved 5 M-200's, four wobbled to varying degrees, and in different directions (three from front right to rear left, and one from front left to rear right). I tried all four on my desk a work, my kitchen countertops, and a butcher-block style workbench in the garage. I even carried one to my mother's house and tried it on a glass dining table. Guess what? they wobbled.

I then tried various washers under the feet but became frustrated. I emailed the Outlaw's for help and Scott suggested a particular washer size that they had luck with. A day later, Scott emailed me with the fix that I detailed above. I tried it, and it fixed all four of the offending units. I then searched the entire forum as well as the Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting page of the website to see if the fix had already been posted. Then, and only then, did I post the fix to help those who have the wobble.

Ya know...you don't have to be an electrical engineer to tell if somethig wobbles, and four out of five of my units wobbled.

I hope (and strongly suspect) that some Outlaws have spent a little quality time on the phone to the factory, quizzing them on just why they were tightening down cover screws with warping present in the chassis. I'm also glad that you shared the solution with everybody, lawdawg, even though I don't have any 200's (although I'd like to add a pair eventually to drive my mains, probably in a year or so).

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

I never doubted that some people had wobbly units. I only posted because rarely do people post when they do not have a problem. This leads to a biased view of the extent of problems. I did question the bending on the underside since I at first thought mine was bending, but it was only the stamping for the toroid.

After all, from the responses
Lawdawg, I don’t think any were doubting the condition just posting feedback generated by the query with some stream of thought on what could be causative for described issue.

I know I’ve felt a tad odd at times repeatedly posting feedback that I had no major issues with my original 950 which had displayed discernable levels of hiss to me on first acquisition, (yet- not to some (deaf?) guinea pigs I rousted for help in the neighborhood). Resultantly becoming to all intents hiss-less, with some tweaking I did and the addition of higher sensitivity, broader frequency range capable, speaker upgrade. But I posted regardless when that topic arose due to whatever value my experience’s could impact on the discussion, that (for me) I was able to cumulatively tweak and upgrade hiss out of my system. (Theorizing that if these actions could impact my system, - it might be beneficial to others possibly dealing with related issues). Although at times I’m sure it just frustrated some to hear so.

When many post…”I don’t have the issue”….I think there just trying to add to the baseline collective experiences of owners, and tally in numbers of whom don’t experince or try to add thoughts on whatever possible resolutions or detective type think tanking on what could generate the issue ….or possibly fix it.
Thanks for posting ‘the fix’ which worked for you.

I’m debating right now ordering another 770, - or a 750 optioning adding the 200’s to it, at a later date. Or waiting to see how the ‘little brother’ of the 770 pans out. So I appreciate seeing feedback from all owners of these products.

The damp plywood was a great visual,- I’ve seen what that can look like, although worse when solid boards twist!


[This message has been edited by Smart Little Lena (edited February 04, 2003).]

Thanks for the tip lawdawg. I received two 200’s on Jan 9 and both wobbled. One a little, the other a lot. I was able to make shims to solve the problem but the suggestion from Scott is much neater. When I get a chance I’ll remove the shims & try the top cover screw “alignment” method.

Two questions come to mind:
1) Why there is a wobble in the first place, and
2) Why isn’t Scott’s fix posted in tips etc. section as you mentioned

Anyway they sound great. And I’m very pleased with the amps wobble or not.

The short height of the chassis undoubtedly makes it less rigid than a taller chasis would be. Probably more screws holding the unit together would cure the problem.

Okay, I feel better. Being overly sensitve--sorry.

FWIW, I was happy with the 200 in every respect except the wobble. Thanks to the fix, I am very happy and DON'T think that any other shortcomings should be inferred from the wobble.

Finally got around to trying the fix suggested by Scott & posted by lawdawg. It works as advertised. Took me longer to remove my home made shims than to loosen & retighten the top cover screws. And what do you know no wobble.

This tip should be posted under “200-M Tips and Tricks” for all new 200 owners to see.

Thanks again.