I'm soon to be a new member of the Outlaw family!

Yesterday I ordered a 990 Pre/Pro and, count 'em, five new 2200 amps. I didn't stop there either I ordered five XLR connectors. Whew!

My current system electronics include: a Pioneer Elite 45A universal DVD/CD/SACD/DVDA player, an HDTV DVR from my cable company, an old Toshiba VCR, a Sony AV-3000 remote and a Hitachi 42" HD Plasma. Speakers are all M&K: left and right are 851s, center is a S125C, surrounds are model 55 tripoles and the subwoofer is a MX-70B. The Outlaw gear will replace a Pioneer Elite mid-level receiver (100 x 6 watts/channel).

This board has provided me a lot of information as I tried to make up my mind about how to upgrade my receiver. I listened to many brands (Arcam, Anthem, Rotel) and I scoured Audiogon and E-bay for just the right deal (Sherbourn monoblock amps). I spent many hours reading on the internet about pre/pros and amps.

Why did I choose Outlaw?. Probably the same reason all those that post here did: features, price, and the 30-day return policy. The retailers I spoke with wouldn't loan gear (even with a deposit equal to the price) to test at my home and I was uncomfortable taking a big chance buying expensive used gear on Audiogon or E-bay. I did buy three of my M&K speakers on E-bay after consulting with an engineer at M&K. Outlaw's 30-day return policy is reassuring in case all that new gear does not make a noticeable improvement in what I hear in my home when watching movies or listening to music.

After digesting the manuals for the 990 and the 2200 I have a couple of questions; I'm sure I'll have more as I have a bunch of fun trying out the new gear. This board is a great resource for new owners.

I live on the west coast. How fast has Outlaw shipped new orders?

Has anyone tried to daisy chain five M200s to a 990 via the single 12v trigger on the 990?

According to the manual, this isn't recommended:
Best of luck with your new rig.

One of the reasons I purchased the 990 and five 2200Ms is the ability to try them out, plus compare them to my current HT set up, in my family room. The good news is that I received my 990 last Saturday the 2200s and XLR cables are scheduled to arrive this Saturday. I understand from one of the Outlaws that the 2200s I will receive are the first, or close to the first, 2200s shipped.

I plan on doing some comparisons between the following setups and I would appreciate it if those with more HT experience could provide some guidance on how to conduct the comparisons and what to listen for. I doubt I can make this a blind test for me since I'll have to make all the connections, but my family will be enlisted.

My thought was to listen to stereo cds, SACD, DVD-A, DTS music and DVDs with the following setups (see previous post for speakers etc):

1. My current Pioneer Elite VSX-43TX receiver. (100 w/channel at 8 ohms)
2. The 43TX with 2200Ms for left, right and center and the 43TX for the two surrounds.
3. The 43TX with 2200Ms for all five channels.
4. The 990 and five 2200Ms.

What would you listen for during the comparisons?
Would you disconnect the subwoofer to just hear the left, right, center and surrounds?
Are there things to check without any input (e.g. hiss)?
Anything else?

Any help would be appreciated.

I'd suggest using discs that you are familiar with (from all the categories you list), and the simplest suggestion is just sit back and listen. I'd leave the sub in the mix, since it is important to hear how the overall system operates as a whole - the bass management settings may need tweaking to get the best integration of sub and speakers. The 990 in my system has been dead quiet, but keep an ear out for ground loop problems. In my old house, I had some issues with wire management that left me with some power cords too close to interconnects and generated an annoying hum, and when swapping out that much gear at once the wiring can get hard to keep up with. Most of all, try to have some fun with it!

I'm running 4 M200 for my surround and rear channels in a 7.1. I'm impressed with the M200s.
I agree with Gonk, have fun.

Thanks, Gonk and Rene. I'm really looking forward to trying out all the combinations of equipment. Now to decide which CDs and DVDs to use.

FYI, the Outlaw folks (as most folks in the Hideout have assumed) have said that the 2200 is basically a rebadged m200 with minor tweaks and the addition of a balanced input. I didn't get the impression that the addition of the balanced input was a big deal, almost like everything was set up in the m200 for balanced input. I don't know what that means for current m200 owners, however this is a 990 post so...

I have read the 990 manual and everything looks pretty straight forward regarding the setup. My current receiver does not have an auto setup (or OSD for that matter) so I'll give the 990's auto setup a shot to see how close it is to using a SPL meter and a tape measure.

Do any of the current 990 owners have some setup suggestions that are unique or special?