Hi all,

I missed the hype on the 990 and did not get on the back order list until May 2nd. Given the absolute lack of information from Outlaw one month later . . .

I ask what else out there do you recommend?

I am leaning towards an Anthem D30 or the new Parasound 7100. I don't feel like waiting a half a year without any information from Outlaw for the eventual day I can buy the #$%^& thing! In this regard, thier customer servie is very poor (I am a multiple repeat customer - ICBM, Cables, 770, 950).

Opinions?

I wouldn't give up on the 990 just yet - the latest word on the reservation list suggests that folks from around April 26 received the go-ahead to place orders if they want to, which is only a week or so away from you. Depending on how many people convert reservations to orders, it sounds like the first shipment may be completely claimed, but the second shipment apparently shipped out from the factory just one month behind the first one - so even if the May reservations have to wait for that shipment to get their units, I would suspect that your turn in line would be coming around in the next couple weeks. Speaking as someone who sat on the 950 waiting list for four months and was lucky to have that short a wait, I think the 990 roll-out is going quite smoothly.

My processor chart might be of interest to you if you haven't seen it already. The Anthem entries need updating (only the AVM20 is listed), but otherwise it's fairly current. If I had no budget restrictions, I'd probably look at the Anthem Statement D1 or the Anthem AVM30 (although if there really was no budget issue, a Lexicon might be cool, too). The Anthems are very respectable choices, but the less expensive of the two (the AVM30) will set you back close to two and a half times as much money as the 990. For the price range of $1000-$1500, there's the 990, its sibling the P-965 (which you might be able to find for the same price, but with fewer features), the Rotel 1068 (which we were routinely comparing to the 950 just a couple months ago, and depending on personal preference and associated hardware the 950 was often considered preferable sonically even though the 1068 had an edge on it in newer features), and not much else.

adrian .. prepros in this $ range are few and far.. as gonk said dont give up on outlaw .. they are a great company .. on thing you wont have to sweat any probs if something happened to a outlaw product .. they do stand behind ..as for other pre pro choices .. you need to give a $ range.. if your willing to go over 1700 to 3000 you get a lot of choices .. but under 1700 not many ..

Firsty, I do repeat that I think Outlaw has a responsibility to inform those on the wiating list of approximate "wait time". No different that the irritating automatic message while the phone number you dialed keeps you on hold. I have worked more than 10 years in manufacturing planning, and It is not rocket science!

Secondly, the long wait has inspired research that I may not have otherwise done. I have test listened to the AVM 30 and liked alot of what I heard! I can pick this up at $2700. I held myself back from listening to the D1 for fear I'd buy it on the spot. I also am reading up on the Parasound C2 or 7100 (can get B stock for $2300). No where close buy to test listen . . .

Hell in my boredom, I've even entertained one of those super recievers from Denon 5805, Onkyo 1000 or Sony 9000EX.

So for ourposes of indulging my question, assume that $3500 is my upper limit. I'll conceed that under 2K the Outlaw is the best deal . . .

if you are going near that mark.. you need to be looking at better equpt... paralized sound no way.. try looking at ATI atp 8500 has the lcd on front panel for viewing what your sending etc.. and will be sonically superior...7 year warr t00...also audio control has introduced the maestro... i havent found a $ yet but will prob be close and this will be a amazing piece of eqiuptment.. these components will be way to go at $.3500 area... if you go up you have lex meridian ... theta cary and EAD too ..

sorry the maestro is $5995 but will be a fine product...

Get the AVM 30. Hands down, no question about it, for the money it's the best thing out there today.

"...for the money..."

Yes, perhaps, but remember that relative to the price of the 990 it is for a LOT of money!

Ardian: Where did you get "half a year" from? I'll bet you'll have your unit considerably sooner than that.

Hello Adrian, In all honesty, if I were you I would wait to audition the 990 before making a purchase decision. I was feeling the same way that you are concerning the lack of communication and information coming from the Outlaws. Not because I waited a long time to get the invite to order, because I didn't have to wait long, but because of the not knowing, and not being informed of my status etc... It is frustrating, and I find it perplexing as to why the Outlaws are handling things in the manner that they are with the ordering and reservation process. But, now that I have received, and put the 990 through it's paces in my system. I can honestly say that for me I find it to be a true bargain to be sure. I have auditioned the Avm 30, it is a very nice unit. I have also auditioned the Newcastle 965 and the Denon 3805. I didn't like the Sherwood or the Dennon in my system for reasons that I don't want to get too deeply into, or debate over them, but the Musicality of the Sherwood and the Dennon was not in my system very enjoyable. I did enjoy the the AVM 30 very much, and was leaning in that direction. The last unit on my short list to audition was the 990. Added to the list when I caught wind of it's upcoming release. I almost backed out, and skipped over the 990, and purchased the AVM 30 for the same reasons that you are contemplating. I can honestly state, that I am glad that I waited, and that the 990 is fabulous, especially considering its price point. It is in my opinion an exceptional value, also in my opinion the AVM30 is not that much better at all, and especially not $2000. worth. I think that you are well advised to wait, and audition the 990 in your system. You have nothing to lose except a little time, and like me you just might be very happy that you waited. On another note, the disagreement I have with the Outlaws over there handling of the wait list etc... does not negate the fact that the company is very well known for there exceptional service and there commitment to back there products up. Just my thoughts and opinion.

Good Luck,

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Hi Adrian. After about two years of looking at and auditioning various preamp/processors I decided to order the 990. I reserved my 990 on April 22, and it arrived yesterday. The setup was pretty uncomplicated and intuitive. Other than a nonfunctioning component video cable everything went smoothly. But that is only the begining of the good news. This unit is wonderful. Surround capabilities for movies was an important consideration but I also wanted an audiophile quality preamp to produce the best quality sound from stereo sources. I have spent years saving for, assembling and upgrading my equipment for the best sounding stereo that I could afford. I am more than pleased with the 990. The stereo bypass mode allows great, clean, accurate sound that beats my old dedicated preamp. My amplifier and speakers are very detailed and revealing.

The surround performance is also excellent and the steering of signals through the multitude of available processing modes is amazing. Movies come alive and sound significantly better than they do in the theater.

I think that the 990 is well worth the short wait. You could spend thousands of dollars more but you would not realize any better sound quality.

Adrian - I think the problem you're facing is due to the fact that this product is at the beginning of its sales cycle. As a buyer who got in early on this fantastic product, I realized 2 things:

1. The unit may be buggy. I'm sure that over the course of the next year there will be fixes, patches, etc. If I couldn't deal with that fact, I would have gone for something else. Luckily (at least for me), I haven't run into any show-stoppers, but I'm sure there are some gremlins out there.

2. After a 6 month build-out, my HT was finished & ready for a complete list of new components (except for a DVD player). I was ready to pull the trigger on something else, but luckily, it was not an April Fool's joke, the 990 was on the scene pretty quickly. Unfortunately, I was traveling & couldn't get on the wait list immediately. For a couple of weeks it was killing me that I couldn't use my HT because of no pre-amp. I feel your frustration, but I don't blame Outlaw's CS. They stated pretty clearly up front that they couldn't judge when the unit would start hitting buyer's shelves. Because the wait list isn't a contract, they have no idea when someone's name will actually come up. I agree that a policy of stating where they are in the queue would be a better way of doing things, but that's there policy & not a surprise.

You may be better off buying a more 'mature' product that has inventory. However I'm sure glad I didn't, I love the unit, especially at this price.

Good luck!

jhunt1, I totally agree. The only reason I was going to get the Anthem was because of the upcoming iEEE1394 addition. When I found out were probably deciding against adding it, I got the email from Outlaw concerning their new 990 and the rest is history!

We'll . . . .

one week later and still no info. Very poor Customer Service!

Bad fourm Outlaw!!!!

Have you had any experience with Outlaw's customer service? Are you just saying this because they are sticking to their guns,and not giving out order status, position on list,etc as they said right upfront with the 990 release. If you are so upset with Outlaw's position on this matter and you cannot wait your turn like everyone else, buy something else and get over it! Don't knock Outlaw Customer Service till you have actually used the service.

Adrian
The outlaws stated they would not release any position in the waitlist because they would waste all their time looking up positions for everyone that called instead of getting the product out. so until you have something that is broken or need setup help don't comment on their customer service.

Adrian, while I know you must be anxious and disappointed, I think it's important that you paint a realistic portrait of what's going on. As Paratrooper and enthusd have said, Outlaw specifically noted on the waiting list that they would not offer feedback, since the waiting list is, in fact, for those who want this unit in advance of its public availability, and at an introductory price.

There are a lot of people still on the waiting list with you, and it is irresponsible for you to put forth your disappointment as proof that you, or they, have recieved anything less than you were promised.

Although I don't agree with Adrian 100%, I have been involved with customer service related companies for most of my career. There are two golden rules with customer support:

1) The customer is always right.
2) When the customer is not right, see rule number 1.

Having said that Adrian, I think they are close. Hang in there...

Trikos:

You are quite correct, but in this case it's a two edged sword. As were you, Adrian is certainlly within bounds to ASK what his place in line is. However, as noted by Sluggo and others, the Outlaws appear to have given an answer to the question in advance by saying that they can't provide the info requested. Thus, there IS an answer of sorts, perhaps just not the one that is being looked for.

On the other hand, it should also be noted that unlike most other companies, Outlaw HAS provided us all with this forum in which to express our views, even if they are sometimes not what the sponsoring company might like to hear. Further, those of us here in this forum have found a way to figure the answer to "when might I get mine" out for ourselves, even while complaining about it.

By allowing that, I'd say that Outlaw is doing a really GOOD job of customer service. Even better, from all observations, they really DO meet the test of providing after-sale service when it is needed.

I'm also with you. I think they are close. Let's see what the next week or so brings.