I got my 990 a couple of days ago and I am still playing around with it. I have a few questions that might be easy to answer, so excuse my ignorance.

1) I set up the pre-amp to play 2nd zone in my basement. When trying to operate the 990 in my first zone with the supplied remote it wouldn't respond. Turning the 990 off and on again solved the problem at least for one remote command. Turning the second zone off (next day) resulted in normal operation of the pre-amp.

2) I set up the pre-amp to play regular CD music. To take advantage of the multi-channel capability I played the sound through the front, surround speakers and the sub (center turned off, sounds better with the large front speakers). I noticed that some mid-high to mid frequencies were coming predominantly through the left channel(s). This could not completely corrected for using the balance settings (it sounded to me like my right ear was tone deaf for a certain frequency range). I then switched to ProLogic sound which corrected the problem, however, when cranking the system it doesn't get as loud as before. Any advise what would be the best setting(s)? Below a list of my system:

amplification:
- Outlaw 990
- 5x Outlaw 2200M
speakers:
- Onix Rocket RS1000 (front)
- Onix Rocket RSC200 (center)
- Onix Rocket RS550MkII (surround)
- SVS PB12-Plus/2

3) Where do you get short mono 35mm trigger cables for the pre-amp to monoblock connection?

4) Is it worth the money to buy XLR cables?

5) My house has a little shaky power supply (when I turn on the TV in the bedroom the flood light gets dimmer). I was thinking of purchasing a power line conditioner (Monster Cable HT5100, Panamax 5300 or Belkin PureAV). a) Is this investment worth the money and b) if so, any recommendations about the above units or alternative products?

I would appreciate any (qualified ) input!

All good questions. Let me comment only on question 4 only. Volumes have been written on this and at the risk of starting a polemical debate let me give you one view of it. If you already own all the interconnects you need and aren't experiencing noise or interference that can be traced to the pre-amp out wiring, I wouldn't waste the money on new cables. XLR are lower noise connectors useful for long runs but you will otherwise get no sonic benefit from them. On the other hand, if you don't own the cables and your amps have XLR in sockets, you will like the XLR connectors much better than the RCA and that might make them a better choice--if slightly more costly. Outlaw cables are excellent quality and a great value. XLRs snap into place and will not come out by accident. That's the only meaningful difference between the two cables--balanced versus unbalanced cables will not effect your audio performance. Let's face it, HT and audio buffs are always seeking that one more tweak that will bring them to audio Valhalla. Like the Emperor's New Clothes, most add little or nothing to the experience but people continue to believe they do. Balanced XLR has become of those... I will now run for cover...

As for question 3, you can pick one up at Radio Shack for about $3 or $4.

To answer question 5, it sounds like you may need an electrician to go through and trouble shoot your voltage drop issues! Jim

balanced cables basically send two copies of the signal one is inverted and there is also a ground.

The noise, mostly 60 hertz from the electrical line is the same on both so one will cancel the other when the two signals are put back together.

Here is a good explanation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balanced_audio_connector