Disclaimer on following post: Cut me some slack guys I've never done this before.

I use to hum the song by INXS/Brighton; Deliver Me, when I surfed the Outlaw site. After I received my original 950 there were days I felt sheer relief I had it, other days it was hard to be on site watching the other ‘wait listers’ bite their nails. Imagine my surprise (and chagrin) when I got a call from Outlaw asking if I would be willing to listen to the new 950, placing me in the enviable position of having two 950’s under the roof.

I must be a faster box opener than Gonk! I was dismayed the first hour when I thought I had blown amp channels, or had a malfunction rendering my system useless for Outlaws purposes when I was not able to bring up test tones on all speakers to calibrate the new unit. Very quickly you become aware while on the receiving end of phone calls from Outlaw how intense and driving their efforts to complete the process of moving the 950 out the door are fully consuming them. I got a call from Outlaw to notify me I should shortly received the unit and then a direction to use DPLII for calibration, sighed in relief and moved forward. Be aware of this small difference in setup, if it ships on the 950’s coming out directly.

Outlaw requested I not change any parameters on the system, just replace the old unit with the new.

I focused listening on the 2 sources in heaviest use in my system for the last two months.
I have 2-channel interconnects in service on the DVD player and Satellite decoder that are awaiting our system location change, to be replaced once new run length is calculated.
Panasonic DVD-RP91 Progressive: Analog Input Pair: Monster cable Digital Optical Input: Outlaw
HDTV RCA DTC-100 Satellite: Analog Input Pair: unknown/unmarked. Digital Optical Input: Outlaw
The 7.1 Main Audio Outputs: Outlaw PCA interconnects.

The ‘hiss’ heard on my Outlaw Unit One, was from seating distance (approx. 8’) with dB at +10 down to roughly –8 while in analog/no source, with no hiss and a audibly dead quiet noise floor, while using Digital Coaxial or Optical inputs.
Unit two had no hiss from seating or at speakers using Digital Optical inputs, and no hiss heard from seating at +10 using analog input/no source. My results parallel what Gonk has detailed in his post, the hiss could only be heard raising volume to max +10 dB from approx. 5 to 6 “ from speaker fabric, on the fronts and surrounds and 4” to 5” on the center.
It might be worthwhile to note that my husband never heard the ‘hiss’ on unit one. So I had a similar situation to Gonk's household, my husband considered me to be extreme (and possibly dangerous if a source were to be inadvertently selected) when I was testing for hiss at +10 dB.

The first day I received Unit two, I spent listening to CD’s, DVD’s, and Satellite with Analog and Digital inputs selected. The second day I removed a secondary 3-disc DVD player from the rack so I could go back and forth between Unit One/Two changing out only the interconnects I focused my first hours for 2 days selecting DVD’s which had been played extensively recently on the 1st 950 . On Optical input many hours were spent comparing DVD’s I am recently very familiar with between the 2 units. I was again impressed by the Outlaws seemingly consistent amplitude across the demanding frequency response of HT applications. I honestly could formulate no preference for one or the other unit. Sonically hearing no difference with the exception of one DVD, ‘Super Speedway’ which I felt I slightly preferred on the new 950.

I also made use of several warm bodies (non-audiophiles passing through) asking for their impressions when pressed into service for some quick A/B listening. From my prior posts some might be aware I just acquired a new Sony LCD 60” display which is quite popular at the moment, providing me with approx. 6 people whom had recently spent many hours at my location, watching HT with Outlaw One providing audio. I will relay the results of this unofficial poll for any additional insights it can provide:
One: preferred the old Outlaw. Two: could not hear any differences between units. One: thought he might slightly prefer Unit Two but waffled back and forth on that statement. One: decided he liked the tone of the new Outlaw better.

For all, I suggested that they listen for ‘background noise’ (if any) between the 2 units. Directing them away from tracks we all own, which have noise/hiss audible at an upper range of dB but recorded in the sound track on particular CD’s. Five stated Unit Two had absolutely no ‘noise’, but all remarked hearing noise at their various described levels of intensities on Unit One. The 6th stated he could not hear noise/hiss on either unit.

I am confident that the Outlaw has achieved a ‘hiss’ fix. The 950’s performance and build quality combined with close to as versatile and comprehensive a feature set as is currently available at market is a refreshing return on the dollar. I look forward with great excitement to their future offerings.


[This message has been edited by Smart Little Lena (edited August 30, 2002).]

Does anyone know if these refurbished units are preexisting models that were never shipped out and rebuilt, or are these pre owned, or used, models we will be receiving?

John Morris quote:
"Serge: One of the toughest things I've been trying to do is to describe what "nothing" sounds like. Revealing is accurate to the point that whatever you put into the 950, it passes on to your amp. This preamp adds no grain, no hiss, no sonic character that can be called 950-like. It doesn't add an edgy solid state or tube-like quality to the audio. It adds Nothing more, and nothing less. It is like trying to describe what perfectly still, perfectly clean air smells like... "

It looks like Merc has NO hiss in his unit , but I suspect they will give him a new one anyway as he's whined enough.

Merc, the e-mail does say that "be advised that the unit you will receive is rebuilt to the latest factory specifications and carefully inspected to assure that it is in `like new' condition, but it will probably not be a brand new unit." `Like new' would mean cosmetically perfect.

Whether they will be units that never shipped or not, my guess is that Outlaw was deliberately vague about this because they could be either. As long as they are `like new' and have a full warranty, it's okay by me.

The steps to follow were ommitted and I was wondering how it works. Does the old unit get sent to Outlaw and then they send the new unit? (I imagine this means we won't compare them side by side, in our own system.)

"The steps to follow were ommitted and I was wondering how it works. Does the old unit get
sent to Outlaw and then they send the new unit? (I imagine this means we won't compare
them side by side, in our own system."

Will - nope, you can. Remember our earlier posts/discussion on this. Again, Scott & co. our coming thru as they will ship a "fixed" unit to you, you inspect/listen/evaluate with you first unit (or do you still have 2:> ) in hand, and make your decision. They established a reasonable (two week I think) window to return your first unit (on their dime). And if you decide you like the first better, you keep it and return the second (unless your Bob and keeping the first will cause you stress regarding your precious re-sale value on a $899 unit to begin with -- laughing loudly now!).

Anybody think Rotel, B&K, Anthem, or any other co. would "better" this "customer comes first" approach? I dont. Sure, the 950 got stuck in 2nd gear out of the blocks, but so have most everbody elses Pre/Pro's. Crap, did Rotel ever fix the DTS issue on the 976? My understanding is that an earlier Acrus(Spellin help) Pre/Pro hissed like crazy and was never fixed. Think they accepted/ran such a accomodating returns process. Did B&K ever upgrade the Ref 30??

Send me my "fixed" 950, I gots some new vinyl to listen to!

I apologize for the confusion I seemed to have created by trying to leave out the procedural details. You will have a week to audition the two. Here is the missing part of the email I posted.

1. Please send an e-mail to 950exchange@outlawaudio.com with the following information. We apologize for the inconvenience of yet another e-mail, but in order to insure accuracy and to get the unit to the proper address we need to confirm certain aspects of the logistics process.
a. We need your name and the billing/shipping address.
b. We need the serial # of your unit.
c. If you would like the replacement shipped to an address other than your original billing or shipping address, such as your office, please indicate that.
d. If you would like to have your specific unit upgraded, please let us know.
e. Unless you note otherwise, we will assume that there is no problem in shipping the unit at any time during the first two weeks of September. If you wish to have the shipment postponed due to vacation or for another reason, please let us know when you would like the unit shipped.
2. Upon receipt of your e-mail, we will send you a confirmation message acknowledging your choices and with further information and instructions.
3. Unless you advise us otherwise, your replacement unit will ship within ten days.
a. If you have requested an update to your specific unit, we will forward the information needed for the return shipment via e-mail. You will need to use the original carton and packing material to avoid shipping damage. Our estimate is that it will take two to three weeks, depending on our workload, to re-build the unit and have it shipped back to you.
4. When the replacement unit arrives, please unpack it carefully, as you will need to use the box and packing materials to return your original unit to us. Note that the replacement unit will NOT contain any accessories. Please keep the remote, power cord and antennae shipped with the original unit.
5. Each replacement unit will contain a shipping label/FedEx call tag that you need to use to return the original unit to us. We will allow you one week to swap the units and return the original unit to us. Please use the packing materials from the replacement and be extra careful to make certain that the unit is packed properly. Follow the instructions packed with the unit for the return shipping.
6. The original unit is due back to us within a reasonable time period that allows for shipping and your one-week installation time. If the original unit is not returned to us as requested we reserve the right to charge your account for the additional unit.


[This message has been edited by Jed M (edited August 30, 2002).]

This is really excellent. Being able to compare the two units at home, in our own home theater environment, is absolutely fantastic, in my opinion. I'm quite pleased.

~Happy Will

The outlaws have said several times that if you don't have the problem now, you won't develop it. I've also noticed that in all of the mail and posts where I've seen them talk about the causes of the problem they have mentioned the interaction with various end user configs as a factor. That would make it seem that if you don't have it now you could develop it if you change equipment. Does outlaw have a stance on if they will swap out a unit in six months or a year from now if you didn't request a new one now but then develop hiss when you upgrade your speakers or amp? I haven't seen an official stance on this.

I guess the question is how long with outlaw honor swap out requests?

brianca

" Does outlaw have a stance on if they will swap out a unit in six months or
a year from now if you didn't request a new one now but then develop hiss when you upgrade your speakers or amp? I haven't seen an official stance on this."

Your kiddin - Right?

By the way, I heard they decided to actually PAY "YOU" $899.00 for a 950. What an awsome deal, you get a new preamp + $899.00.