I've been reading much about the 950 as I am considering purchasing my first digital processer...currently using an analogue surround I built years ago, but after recently purchasing DVD...need to go digi, what the heck. I was just reading some of the posts on the 950 and ran into this 'red dot' fix, which I suppose is for the 'hiss' problems some early models had. Does this 'red dot' come with the new units when ordered or is it an option I have to mention?
My System (more or less): ARC valve phono/pre (awesome mosheen), Music Hall TT, Toshiba DVD/DVD-A,Sony ES Cassette, JVC S-VHS, old GE 36" monitor, Audio Alchemy Overture Dual Mono blocks, BGW mono amp, Adcom 535 stereo amp, front surrounds are Maggie 1.6QRs, center: Jamo centers, rear: Maggie 10.1QRs.,sub: Mirage BBSS-250. I'm relagating my home built processer to the MBRM...Parasound Pre, Scott valve 30/30, Crown 75, Rogers LS 3/5a's, Little David 3000's. Hoping that the 950 will raise the ante to an already awesome sounding system.

No red dot. All newly shipped models will have a brand new final hiss fix. The replacement models are blue dot, but I am not sure if brand new units will actually have a blue dot on them. All units bought after Dec 17, 2002 have the latest fix in them, according to the Outlaws brand new newsletter. Soundhound has received his, and you can read his assessment of it in the "to hiss or not to hiss" thread.

thanks, willscary. been reading bout thhis unit for some time but i've not been able yet to purchase it...been in afghanistan and now in palistine. gotta drive to Jordan in a week or so and then on to Kuwait. Hopefully I can order it there and have it sitting at home when I finally land back in the USA.
Been salvating over this and 'they' keep giving me more places to go. It'll just make it that much sweeter when I get home. Got a list of movies and vinyl and DVD-A's to pick up and then I'm locking the door for at least a week or until my ears bleed. I've been looking for a unit like this for a few years at Adcom, Parasound, etc....you name it, but always thought the cost was just a little high. Gonna e-mail this site to a few friends in the same boat. cheers

I didn't know that.

Do the SH hiss fixed 950's serial numbers start with an "02", independent of whether they are new or rebuilt?

I got an e-mail earlier today (that I suspect went out or is going out to all 950 owners) that explains what to do to get a "SoundHound fix / blue dot" replacement if you have had hiss problems. Here's one relevant quote:



As far as the serial number thing goes, all three 950's that I've seen have had SN's beginning with "02" -- they may have changed serial numbers from the factory after the red dot fix (although I'm not aware of a change like that), but otherwise they will most likely all have "02" numbers I suspect.

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

my original 950 does not have a red dot, and the s/n is 01. Maybe I have a pre red dot? I bought mine after the red dot fix.

Then they may have changed the serial numbers after the red dot fix went into effect at the factory, because all of the ones I have seen were manufactured before the fix was put into production.

The "blue dot" units are all retrofitted with the "SoundHound" fix; I suspect that they will likely be a mix of 01 and 02 series serial numbers.

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

Mine's a newer red dot and it's serial number is 01-02xxxxxxx. Maybe the earliest ones didn't have the 01- or 02- prefix. Maybe the latest ones have the 02- prefix. Gonk, does your serial number have a dash after the 02?

For the record, my complete serial number is 02-0212..... I suspect they were being especially nice to me, as I think my unit is a new one. No dots, blue or otherwise.

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited December 29, 2002).]

None of my S/N's have had a "02-" at the start if the serial number. Current serial number is 020300437 (others were 020300051 and 020300284). My "red dot" was one of the red dot test units, and doesn't even have the dot.

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

Exposing two more digits, my red dot's S/N is 01-0208xxxxx. Maybe Gonk had three 950's from the 0203 batch, maybe mine is from the 0208 batch, and maybe Soundhound's is from the 0212 batch. It's fun to guess what the serial numbers might mean.

There are at least three versions of the 950 that come to mind: (1) the original 950 first appeared in spring 2002, (2) the red dot 950 first appeared around summer, and (3) the new SH hiss fixed version that recently appeared. There may be other incremental versions. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the Outlaws mentioned they incorporated the then-latest Cirrus Logic software rev in addition to the hardware change to correct the hiss problem, when the red dots first came out.

Makes you wonder know how often Outlaw and Cirrus update their logic. Ditto for DD and DTS glitch fixes and updates.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited January 01, 2003).]

The 950 I have is 01-0208000xxx. Mine was an early red dot (without an actual dot on the case anywhere)?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by soundhound:
[B]For the record, my complete serial number is 02-0212..... I suspect they were being especially nice to me, as I think my unit is a new one. No dots, blue or otherwise.

Hi Soundhound. My 950 has the same serial number start as yours, also with no dots, and it buzzes major in all channels. I stripped all connections down to a single preamp to a single 755 channel and it still buzzed loudly in that channel. Hooked my old preamp to the 755 and no buzz !
She is going back, but what do I ask for in the way of the latest-greatest. I assumed I was getting the latest issue the first time!

Kiwi -- when did you order yours? As I mentioned here , the 950's shipped before 12/17 do not include the final ("blue dot") revisions to address hiss on some systems (mainly systems with high-efficiency horns). The red dot was the first revision, back in August. If yours is from after then, you may have a defective unit. Either way, of course, the best bet is a call to Outlaw. They'll get you squared away.

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

Kiwi-- Is what you hear a "hiss" or a "buzz"? Most "buzzing" sounds are caused by ground problems- with the cable box being the major culprit. If you do have one, you might try disconnecting the coax cable from the box-- and hopefully your buzz (or humm) will disappear! It's a place to start.

It's always possible that your 950 has a defective power supply component wnich is causing the buzz. At any rate, if it buzzes just sitting there with nothing connected except for the power amps, you could very well have a defective one. Call Outlaw and they will go out of the way to help you.

Guys,
Outlaw determined my 950 to be faulty. It was ordered mid Jan, so should have all the fixes. It is definitely a buzz as opposed to a hiss, and while diagnosing I eventually had nothing but the 950 and 755 hooked up by a single channels interconnect! I considered groundlooping, but tried differing power circuits also. Old preamp hooked to 755 displays no problem whatsoever !
Is there a quality control problem in Malaysia or what ?

This is actually the first "buzzy" unit I've heard reported, and any factory will have some defects slip out the front door. The red dot and blue dot revisions have been design changes, apparently unrelated to manufacturing processes. I don't know that there's anything more than normal production problems. Unfortunately, you got hit with a bum unit. Good to hear that they're getting you fixed up, though.

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