I have never seen a piece of equipment or a car, or a piece of furniture that I was 100% in love with, look wise. That being said I definitely think the Outlaw could be a little classier looking. I don't care at all, since I own one, but it is weird that my parents 300 dollar Pioneer 711 looks ten times nicer than the Outlaw.

On the other hand I used to own a silver receiver and now that I have the 950 I would never go back to silver since it really stuck out way too much. Don't get me wrong I see the Silver Anthem (not a big fan of the polka dotted black and silver Rotel) and I drool, but if I put it in my rack it just sticks out like a sore thumb.

I guess official response from Outlaw to this issue, which has generated huge response, is out of the question. I am accustomed to AV123's of Rocket Loudspeakers incredible response to feedback and I was expecting the same from Outlaw. Outlaw, I might add, has been quick to respond to technical problems but I can't help thinking it's might have been b/c such issues are a definite product killer. Or is it really because the company is all about performance, nothing but performance? If they have been 100% customer oriented company they would have responded to whatever suggestion any of us might have. Still Outlaw has a great CS but it is not in the same league as AV123, Unfortunately.

Don't mean any disrespect to you, as your heart and soul is clearly in this issue. However, when you consider that some responses in this thread indicate they are satisfied with the looks and that you make up quite a few of the other responses, I would hardly call the response here to be overwhelming compared to the total population of 950 owners; and warranting of response from the Outlaws. I don't disagree with you that the looks can be improved upon. But, I keep coming back to the Outlaw business model: Bare bones, high performance and great value direct from the manufacturer. We all know the Sherbourne and AT clones are sonically the same prepros and they arguably look better than the 950. But, I for one do not want to pay what they want for that look and the right to buy from my friendly neighborhood HT store, who will not give me near the service over the long haul that the Outlaws have so far. Also, don't think for a minute that Peter Tribeman does not want there to be a clear differentiation between the AT and 950. He has the best of all worlds. He gets a decent profit on the 950s on a direct basis and then gets a little more profit on the ATs because people think the look means higher quality and that they can get better service from their local AT dealer. He's a genius. We should all be able to play both ends so well. Sorry, if it comes down to a black button and $500-700, I think I'll keep the money.

FYI grundrc, out of the 122 replies so far on this thread mine don't even make 15 of them. And this thread got the most response than any other topic on 950 feedback. Also you can't assume the majority of Outlaw owners wouldn't be posting their thought b/c the majority of them probably don't even browse the Outlaw forum for all we know.

Sorry eskendir, though you are right about the total # of posts, you were personally at 30 before your last post. I think that is just short of 25%, if my math is right. Also, if you take out everyone's duplicate posts, there were 28 who were happy with the way the 950 looked, 8 who seemed, like yourself, clearly unhappy and another 5, who were happy, but would pay some nominal amount for improvements.

I don't totally disagree with your comments about the total number of Outlaws posting to this thread, though I'd be hard pressed not to believe that most Outlaw purchasers don't utilize the Forum fairly regularly. It's the nature of the kind of people who would spend this kind of money over the internet. Regardless, I would think those who do frequent the forum and choose not to look at this thread do so because they really don't care about the issue. I think I'll just stand by the rationale in my previous post with respect to the business models Tribeman has for Outlaw and AT and the results in this thread which would indicate that 80% of the people are happy with the esthetics, with a small % of those saying they would pay slightly more for some improvements.

Personally, I hope they leave the business model just as it is. It gives us all the opportunity to get some great gear at unbelievable prices from people who know what customer service is all about. I like that. And, I like the minimalist-retro look.

And, I respect your right to not like it. I just don't agree that the numbers would dictate that Outlaw respond to this thread.

Ron

Duly noted, grundrc.

I wish Outlaw will do something like this. Involve us in the design process, that is.
Check this out! Really, really, really cool!!! Never expexted this from a AV company.

http://forum.av123.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=349&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

I think to remodel the Outlaw look ALA Pioneer would be a shame. I remember a famous name in Audio from yesteryear, called Dynaco, which made some truly homely looking amps that sonically were known as the poor man's McIntosh. The look is part of their legend. Hopefully, Outlaw will not be persuaded to adopt the slick looks being suggested, and keep it funky(not always a bad word). Keep up the good work Outlaw, and someday your look may be legendary too.

Outlaw and AV123 certainly operate differently when it comes to CS. Mark is very forthright with his companies intentions and considers all the input he receives. I think some of what Mark has said has created problems for himself in being constantly hounded by enthusiasts of his products.

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I read somewhere that Outlaw once polled owners about wanting to know what future products will be well in advance of release or at/near release time. They responded that they would rather find out closer to release time. I think the initial hiss problems with the 950 led to Outlaw being tight lipped about product releases too. I'm very happy with their response to the LFE problem that was discovered.

Personally, I REALLY appreciate Mark's business model and his willingness to discuss future products and business in general. I'm very happy with my Outlaw and Rocket gear.

Looking forward to the new SVS PB-2+ too.

I'm gonna throw in my 2 cents. Most buyers who would have bought the 950 but decided against it based on looks are not browsing this forum. On the other hand, most buyers who looked past or even like the 950's looks and purchased one are much more likely to frequent and post their thoughts here.

I for one would buy the 950 in a heartbeat if it looked better (silver perhaps?). It might seem strange to some, but the appearance of audio gear like this is very important to me. Of course it isn't as important as performance, but that's why I'm willing to pay more to get equal or better performance and great looks. I bet there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way but don't post here because they either
a)Never come to this forum.
b)Are happy with whatever other pre/pro they purchased instead.

I had no interest to post here even though I would buy a 950 if it looked better. The only reason I did so was because grundrc started keeping a tally of votes.