Barnes & Noble carries it.

Whee! I'm close to a B&N now!

Report on, and excerpts from, the Curtis Digital TV and Sound review by Brent Butterworth in the Summer 2005 issue (pages 91-92).

Mr. Butterworth gives the 990 an "Excellent" rating with

"High points: Incredible array of useful features, a total piece of cake to use;"

and

"Low points: No upconversion to DVI..."

He considers that the 990 "costs a third of what its competitors charge..." and that "the Model 990 sounds about as good as any other processor priced up to $2,500... although it actually carries the lowest price... with the sole exception of Outlaw's $699 Model 950."

The review is short: only two pages long, with photos of the front and back panel and starts with a description of the features (as most such reviews do). With the exception of a factual description, the review is subjective: there are no measurements provided, though this appears par for the course for reviews in this magazine. While some have noted the large dimensions of the 990, no mention of this is made in the article (not even in the factual description which focuses on features, inputs, outputs, and controls).

On setup, "A quick check with my RadioShack sound pressure level meter showd that the Model 990 did as well... as I could have...."

He does write, "I did find one wierd bug, however. Although you can set a default surround-sound mode for each input on the Model 990, it doesn't work wuth sources that supply Dolby Digital and DTS signals.... once you play a DVD..., the setting default changes to Dolby Pro Logic IIx Movie mode."

On sonic quality, Butterworth notes, "... the Model 990 produces, in general, a balanced, neutral sound." In bypass mode, "... the treble sounds softer that in other modes. (The sound is also about 6 decibles quieter.)

He does not harp on this, except to note that he prefers the non-bypass mode because it is louder, despite the fact that "... the midrance sounds a little smoother in Bypass." I wonder if the 990 is indeed a bit bright and harsh, even on digital two channel sources, or if the reviewer just found the lower volume of the bypass softer (remember the "loudness" switch on old equipment to compensate for the ear's response at low volumes?).

It is a bit of a concern for me because I'm pairing the 990 with an Odessey Audio Stratus Plus amp for my front speakers. The Stratus has a reputation for being a bit harsh in the midrange until it is broken in (and is recommended to be left on all the time). Of course, since the Stratus is routinely compared to $4500 amps, we are in the realm of "golden ear" subjectiveness at this point. I'll have to report personally, once I pair these two "direct sale" pieces of equipment together. (I have a Stratus Plus that is currently waiting for my 990 to arrive).

This is just my opinion, but the 950 was neutral. I would say the 990 is slightly tilted to the warm side. When using upsample I would consider it to be bright but not during normal use. I also use bright speakers (Onix Ref's) so I appreciate the slight touch of warmth the 990 produces. My speakers may even prefer a warmer sound but right now I am satisfied with the 990.

Hey thanks Rene! Great stuff...

"Mr. Butterworth gives the 990 an "Excellent" rating"

How good is "Excellent" in thier ratings system.

By the way I really like his mon's syrup:)

On the ratings scale:

"Excellent: Excellent Chance of Product Satisfaction

Elevated: Elevated Chance of Product Satisfaction

Solid: Solid Chance of Product Satisfaction

Guarded: ...

Fat: ..."

You get the idea.

They have four solid, two guared, and six excellent reviews, if I counted correctly. So, they're a little generous with their "excellent" rating.

They rate on the basis of "product satisfaction" rather than objective performance measurements, so price is a big part of "satisfaction". The review of the 990 does compare it favorably to pre/pros costing around $2500 (the price of a basic Krell A/V preamp discounted most places), and I would not expect a $2500 pre/pro to sound shoddy.

I am a little concerned about the bright characteristics of the preamp, but this is, indeed, with upsampling. Personally, I'd likely leave well enough alone, though upsampling 16 bit 44.1 Ks/s sampled CDs to 16 bit, 176.4 Ks/s (4x) should have no effect other than to remove the need for a harsh brick-wall filter. If they upsample to 192 Ks/s, i.e. by a non-integral amount of 44.1 Ks/s but an integral amount of 48 Ks/s (typical of MPEG audio), this may well have a deliterious effect on 16 bit CD audio.

Of course, as part of my slow, upgrade path away from a vintage B&O audio only system to an audiophile audio and theatre system, I may well consider an Odyssey Audio outboard DAC1 and Tempest preamp with HT bypass for digital audio sources. Realize, though, that that's around $3,000, and at that price point, I'd expect something significantly better than the 990, regardless of how good it actually may be.

If the folks at Outlaw have done their homework, non-upsampled D to A of 44.1 Ks/s 16 bit digital audio should be fairly clean, and likely better than anything a DAC internal to a DVD/CD player is likely to provide.

I guess I'll have to see for myself.

I picked up a copy yesterday at Barnes and Noble . Brent had nothing but praise for the 990 . Albeit short praise . The article was not very long at all . Any way he sang praises about the auto calibration and the improved bass management system in the 990 . Pretty much everything Rene mentioned above .

Gonk, Brent seems to agree with you on how to listen to stereo sources through the 990 . He states that upsampling was crisper than bypass and therefore used it the most during testing .

It's worth picking up a copy .