That is why they need to be tested side by side. You can't judge how something will sound only based on a chip, but it can tell you a lot about features, which we all know the 990 has more of. The simple truth remains that out of all the people that compare the 990 to the UL some will prefer the 990 and some will prefer the UL. There is no perfect sound for everybody.

Gosh I love unbiased fair opinions, thanks Jed M.

Thanks Mendes, but I think everybody has been pretty fair and unbiased so far. Have you decided to get on the 990 list or are you still waiting for more feedback?

I just received my LFM-1 last week.. and now since I lost the use of my Projector.. (although,I can borrow it on the weekends)

I'm a toss up between a new projector or the 990.. until I save up for both.. ( having 3 tree's cut down in the back yard costing me 2K, blew my audio budget at the moment)

I read Jeff's review over at AV123... 990 vs Nad It really looks like the 990 is what we expected, a true clone of the sherwood, by Jeff's comments, and that is a good thing. I'm heavily leaving towards the 990 at this point.. rather than a used B&K 50..

Household expenses can be a real zinger, sorry to hear about the trees. Do you have a direct view or rear projection alternative to the projector to tide you over? If not, the projector would seem like the ideal first step. Speaking as someone with a 32" display as my "big screen," I can only guess at projector withdrawal. On the other hand, if you do go with the 990 first I suspect that you'll at least have fun listening to it while the projector waits.

Not formally confirmed, but it appears that the UL has one potential issue that was a problem here with the 950 for some: Based on the initial postings, someone either here or on AV123 said that the UL does NOT have individual delays for the rear surrounds. Don't know if that is just for SR/SL vs. SBL/SBR, or for all four potential surround speakers. The 990 apparently has fixed the issue from the 990 in that there are individual delay settings for ALL channels. Can anyone who has seen the UL confirm this one way or the other?

Also, over on AV123 there has been a great deal of discussion by some as to whether or not the UL has any sort of lip sync delay. They have also not commented formally one way or the other on that, but since the UL seems to be based on the 49326, it is unlikely. Rather than speculate, perhaps someone from the group that saw the UL in Dallas can clear the air for us over here?

If these two things are "no", it would seem to reduce the value of the UL for those who need those adjustements, even though both are now common on contemporary AV receivers, and of course on the 990.

Anyone?

Gonk with that nice setup you have...all you need is a projector Once you go projector it is hard to go back.

Based on the bit of feedback I've seen posted by from last weekend's Dallas get-together, it appears confirmed that there is no lip sync delay. It wasn't clear to me how the delays are being handled, though, so I'm also looking forward to some more information in that regard. It could be that all four of the rear channels share a single delay (which would exactly match the 950's arrangement). Also, I think the bass management is limited to a single fixed 80Hz crossover. Our own JeffreyMercado is due to take part in the public beta test, so I suspect he'll be able to answer

I was hot on the UL, but now it's becoming clear that it will have a very difficult time competing with the 990. Over at AV123 as some of you may have read, someone even started a thread that said "talk me out of buying a 990", so really I think that unless the UL has exceptional sound quality, I think allot of UL sales will be heading toward Outlaw. Since, like Outlaw AV123 is an OEM product, I have doughts of it being far ahead of the 990 in terms of sound quality. I don't see a price advantage since, both companies are using the same internet direct business model. Just my 2 cents.. but time will tell..

Hi guys. I'm a regular poster over at av123 (AND Axiom, AND AVS, etc.) Being a happily satisfied owner of an ICBM, I hope that qualifies me as an Outlaw.

I'm having a lot of trouble understanding why people feel the UL and 990 are comparable products. To me, they are completely different animals.

Just for the sake of argument, let's assume that both preamps are well made, quality units that sound very good. Obviously if one unit sounds measurably better than the other, all this is moot.

I see the 990 as as a feature rich, entry level preamp. I use the term "entry level" based on price alone, and not quality. So many of the preamps we hear so much about seem to cost considerably more. Based on it's features, the 990 appears to be a real bargain.

I see the UL as a (relatively) bare bones budget preamp which can open up the world of separates to many who could never afford to go with an Outlaw preamp/amp combo, or, for that matter, any other preamp/amp combo currently available. Does anyone know of a $700 preamp that is worth discussing? (I mean that as a genuine question, NOT a challenge).

The UL costs $700 and the 990 costs $1100. That's over 50% more than the UL (or, if you prefer, the UL costs 37% less than the 990).

So, I see the two preamps appealing to two, very different demographics. Those who can't afford the 990 will be very glad to see the UL. For those who CAN afford it, based on it's features, the 990, to me, is the obvious choice.

Doesn't it always seem to come down to money?