Hello from one of your newby members. Please forgive me if this post turns out to contain previously covered ground. (I didn't see similar topics on quick perusal of the threads).

These are some ideas for a "wish list", should such a thing exist or be viable for possible future updates on the 990, which I've had a chance to play with for the past 5-6 days:

1) Each input configuration should have an option to default the surround mode to "last", the last setting used, much like startup volume can be set to "last" or an arbitrary value.

2) I'd like to have the ability to make slight changes in configuration..."trim" output levels if you will, that are mode specific rather than just global. For example, it might be nice to be able to tweak up the side levels on PLII movie mode, but revert to their usual global settings with other modes.

3) I'd like to see the addition of a very subtle loudness contour that would augment low and mid bass at low listening levels. These can produce horrible results if not done properly, but I trust Outlaw would do it right.

4) I'd like to see a variable delay of the surround speakers, particularly the rear surrounds, that can be set on a mode specific basis in order to make the room sound larger on certain types of material.

5) I'd like to have the ability to roll of the high end of the surround channels at variable frequencies, again on mode specific basis. I think certain recordings and movies sound overly bright in the surround channels. All one can do about it at this time is to globally "trim" down the volume of those channels.

Have any of these ideas been batted around? Any plans to implement any of them in forthcoming upgrades?

BTW... I hope the above are taken as suggestions, not complaints. I think the C.S of Outlaw has been top notch and I think the 990 is a lot of bang for the dollar. I also think it can be further enhanced.

Thanks,
Michael

Hey MSills,
Just a couple of thoughts....
1st) welcome to the saloon.
2nd) There is a thread for product suggestion ... probably found it after you thru this out to the Outlaw crew.

I like several of your suggestions....

- On your third point: 'suble loudness' - i have found listen at lower levels - say more back gound music very good (990/7125 combo)... actually surpised at the level of low frequency. The sound has a fullness to it. so for me this does not apply.

On Point number five, there is the theater mode which rolls the highs overall. I don't remember the frequency or the level off hand. But i hear you on the non global ability.

again .... welcome to the crew.

Unless I misunderstand your question #1, if you do not set the system lock to be on, in which case you cannot change anything, I believe the 990 actually works the way you want. Back when I got the 990 I sent a question to customer support about this because I was hoping it would revert back to the default, as I was experimenting with different modes. Scott said it does not. Changes you make on the fly to the active input change the default setting, so LAST is the default. The exception is where the 990 automatically detects and switches to DD5.1 or DTS or back to the default 2-channel (like PLII-Movie).

Scott at custrom support suggested using an unused video input for alternate set-ups for the same source to allow easier A/B switching.

There has been some discussion of what folks would like to see in firmware updates to the 990, but I think they've been pretty scattered around so it's not hard to miss them. There's a thread in the "new product suggestions" forum, but it is focused on what a successor to the 990 should include - not really what we're looking at here.

Wolverine has an excellent point about item #1 - the 990 behaves much like the 950 did in regards to remembering the last mode used for a given audio format on an given input. The 1070 also shares this, although I think it took some software revisions (released around the time the 970 was launched) to fully implement it. That's why I do exactly what Scott suggested to Wolverine - my CD input is assigned to the digital input from my DVD player and is set up to use stereo with upsampling for listening to CD's, while the DVD input applies surround processing to the same digital input.