That doesn't sound right. If you have a SPL meter you may want to manually calibrate your system and see if that helps.

Whether you have a setup issue or faulty gear, I want to assure you that if you have a 755 you should be able to pump out enough noise to break windows. I have average to low efficient speakers and they can be pushed louder than anybody would want to ever hear them with my 770/990.

I agree with Jed M that this sounds a bit strange. Certainly, DTS soundtracks are always about 4dB "hotter" than Dolby Digital (that's one reason that is often sited for the perceived benefits of DTS), but they shouldn't be 13+dB louder. I tried Gladiator briefly this morning. I couldn't crank it up real high since the wife and daughter were still sleeping, but I estimated that I needed to drop the volume probably around 6dB or so when using the DTS track. I used an SPL meter to try to get the two soundtracks adjusted comparably because of the need to keep it turned down a bit and because the way that disc is mastered makes it difficult to flip back and forth quickly - the "audio" button on my DVD player's remote was disabled, and I had to go into the disc menu to switch between tracks (making it very difficult to rely on my ear alone to match the two tracks up). What I was seeing was fairly typical for a DTS track (possibly even a little moreso, which might suggest that the Gladiator DTS track is a bit hotter than usual) - and that does not match your experience at all.

I'd suggest taking a stab at calibrating with an SPL meter. If you are still having trouble getting the expected output, give Outlaw a call and see if they can help you find anything that might be messing with you.

Sounds to me like he somehow accidentally turned dynamic compression or "midnigt mode" on. As for the original poster, clearly mistakes were made during the initial setup and calibration.

This is not meant to be an insult of any kind, but this pre pro has many advanced features and I can see many people who aren't that experienced making mistakes that may dramatically alter the sound quality.

If the Outlaw 990 has complicated features to you, you definitely never owned or even touch any high end piece of audio equipment. As a matter of fact there is low end receiver out there with more features than this pre/pro.

I will reiterate what I said in my first post, that the HK 525 outplayed the 990 that was sent to me in every sens of the word. I just bought an Aragon Stage One, neither the 990 or the HK come close to this beast.

Both the HK525 and the Stage one at -30dB I can feel my sofa shaking [Big Grin] , but the 990 needed to be set to +4dB for the same output.

DB settings are meaningless in this context. HK's are not calibrated to hit reference at 0db but at some arbitrary db. Thus comparing the db settings of the HK against for example THX gear (which calibrates reference at 0db) or the Outlaw (which does the same) is meaningless. Do you know what setting you need to set your HK to hit reference?

Hmmm, and yet I am not the one who cannot make an excellent pre pro sound good. You either had a defective unit, are used to bloated highs and lows, or made a calibration error. It wouldn't make sense for the 95% of the people who own it and love it to be wildly off base, it makes more sense for the 5%.

Pythagore, no offense, but your earlier posts clearly show you do not understand how to calibrate a processor correctly. We tried to offer you advice but you did not seem at all interested in accepting it. Not trying to insult you, but when even the Outlaw bashers at the AVS forum (who would love nothing more than a review trashing the 990) discredited your opinion because they see your obvious setup mistakes, you should back down and start seeking advice instead of trying to offer it.

aragon and klipsch are sister companies..??? correct .. and i have had HK' top recievers and yes they are nice .. and will play (loud) as you say ,, but the 990 has more separation and sound quality .. i can put the hk 7300 and the hk 310 and my onkyo all next to my 990 and compare .. and have .. the hk's 2 channel is nice but the 990 is better.. the onkyo;s HT beats the hk's but isnt quite the outlaw .. oh and one big thing i think some of these folks saying the sub out is weak just have never had good bass management.. or have lower class subs .. most cheaps subs sound good at 60 to 100 hz .. well if you 990 is set to cut at 60 and your subs db at 60 hz and lower dives its not going to be loud .. you may want to make sure you didnt get a defective unit . i dont know what aragon you have but if you are comparing the stage one to a 990 the stage one is 3 times the price.. not quite a good comparison..

Mistakes in the calibration? Guys, Guys!
I was able to calibrate all other high end piece of audio equipments to the exception of the 990 which compared to my current Stage One is a small plastic gizmo?

There is nothing in the calibration procedure of the 990. Actually, the calibration process of this unit went smooth and fine, except it failed to deliver to my expectation.

Surprisingly, that all the 3 units 990, HK525 and now the Stage One came up with pretty much the same calibration values. However, the 990 sounded like a low end receiver compared to the others.

I've been reading the AVS Forum for 3 years now and never found any Outlaw basher there. As a matter of fact, I found so many Outlaw supporters there sometimes, I asked myself whether they have some kind of connection to the company. But, I realized they probably love Outlaw products, the same way I love my Klipsch products. Actually, I decided to try Outlaw product after reading so many positive feedbacks from the AVS forum.