Very sorry to hear about your experience Pythagore, but one of three things is happening:

1. You said you liked the auto-setup feature, which tells me you used it to setup the 990. This feature has been shown to occasionally do wierd things to speaker configurations, and it is quite possible that the sound characteristics you are describing are caused by an incorrect speaker setup.

2. You received a defective unit. Not as likely, but as always with manufactured products it is possible.

3. If you went from a receiver to a good pre/pro amp combination and are primarily listening to MP3s (as was suggested in an earlier post you made to this forum), you may be hearing flaws in the encoded source material for the first time. I know in my experience MP3s sound pretty good on mass-market home stereo, car stereos and computer sound systems, but can sound pretty god-awful on a real audiophile system.

Hope this works out for you.

I would suspect either a setup issue or a defective preamp. There is no way it can sound as bad as you are saying unless there is an issue. This is a critically acclaimed pre-amp that is based on the same architecture as the Sherwood P-965 (another critically acclaimed pre-amp) not some cheapo $200 buck receiver. Even if you prefer the sound of the HK, it is not normal to hear such variances in sound out of ANY pre-amp or any decent solid state equipment period. The volume level complaint is even stranger. Is he comparing the HK with built in amplification versus the 990 with an amp? If so what amp is he using? Is the HK just being used as a pre-amp? The amp determines how loud things get not the pre-amp. Another strange thing is putting the HK (a $700 reciever) in the same league or superior to Lexicon and Anthem. HK is a good reciever no doubt but there is NO way it uses the same quality DAC, DSP, etc. in that price range. There is NO way it has amplification comparable to dedicated amps. At most it can sound as good as the pre-amps. You either are very sonically used to the sound from your HK, there is a problem with your setup, or you have a defective unit.

Hello Pythagore, I would definitely recommend that you revisit your set up procedure for the 990, and give it another chance. I would also recommend that you call Outlaw customer support for some assistance with the set up procedure, and processes. In my humble opinion, there must be something very wrong with your set up, and until you talk with customer support, and run through some checks etc... I would like to politely recommend, that you try, and calm down a little. I would find it very hard to believe that you would end up preferring the HK over the 990 with the proper set up etc... Please continue to share your thoughts with us.

I'm not too proud to miss an opportunity to beat a dead horse, so...

Give the 990 another shot. You might have an issue with the setup.

I've got a 950, 990, and AVM20 in my room with the interconnects wired through switches for quick A/B/C comparisons and to say that the 990 isn't in the same league as Anthem as far as audio quality goes just isn't correct. I can tell them apart in a blind test, but not 100% of the time. In my setup, the 990 sounds closer than you think to the Anthem. (But the Anthem's setup/bass management/software is definitely a step forward).

Cary

I think it's safe to say this was just flamebait.

Legitimate grips or "flamebait", I'd like to commend all of the Outlaws for the very helpful advice and extremely civil courtesy shown to Pythagore. The sense of genuine concern and constructive criticism shown by almost everybody in all of the Outlaw forums is what keeps me coming back here regularly. I have a tendency to get turned off by the flame wars that rage in many other forums. Everyone, give yourselves a pat on the back. And thanks.

Jeff

I agree with braidkid and Rene my BS meter is tipping in the red .

Pythagore, go ahead and send it back I could use a B-stock 990 anyway .

Now that was funny.

Hmm, so I can still send my 990 back if a B-stock shows up soon? :-)

I suspect, however, that the discount on the B-stock equipment would be less than the shipping and insurance I'd have to pay. (Not to mention, the reduced warranty). Even if it weren't the case, it would be a very dirty thing to do to Outlaw: swapping a new 990 for a B-stock one, to save a few pennies. And, I'd have no desire to do that. (Furthermore, if they don't explicitly forbid the practice, they should, if only by selecting a B-stock discount that does not make it economically sensible).

Nah, unlike Pythagore, I like my 990 very much.

Also, I did not say my BS meter was "in the red" when reading Pythagore's post, I just noted that the needle was starting to move a little.
I did comment that the HK 525 might be plagued with "disco equalization" common to many cheap receivers, and that Pythagore might actually like that sound, with the caveat that I handn't heard this particular unit. I do think the most likely problem, as others have suggested, is that it auto-setup badly, and Pythagore should try again.

I know Rene . I said my meter was in the red . I only agreed with you that something was a little awkard about this post like it was an attempt to start something .

Of course my BS meter sometimes gives me inaccurate readings . Like my SPL meter I picked it up at Radio Shack for less than 50 bucks .