Short version: This unit rocks!

OK I'm not gonna write a book here but I'd like to highlight some points. I definately didn't buy this unit with the first hope of it making my system sound better. This unit replaced a Denon AVR-2805 receiver I was using as a preamp processor. I searched high and low for a relatively inexpensive preamp processor. Another serious contender was the Adcom GTP-880.

1) Sound. Even my mother who watched Bad Boys 2 last night on my system (she usually doesn't like R rated movies) and knows NOTHING about sound and usually says turn it down made the comment she thinks it sounds better. She listened to it at -10 dB which was loud for her usual listening tastes. I definately feel there is an increase in transparency and detail in this unit. Sometimes a little too revealing

2) Flexbility. Its got enough inputs and outputs even for my system and I still have 2 video inputs unused. My equipment rack is almost as tall as I am. Ability to rename the inputs is awesome. Now, all I need is a Harmony..

3) Video. The denon AVR 2805 for some reason caused my component video to have these wavy lines in the picture. I had to resort to running lines directly to my projector to avoid this. Well, no more. The Outlaw does not have this phenomena.

4) User upgradeable firmware. This part is awesome!

5) Construction. Its built very nicely. Although it is HUGE. It barely fits in my Salamander Designs rack (open style design). However, since the vents are on the rear, I can now stack more components ontop of it that I was not able to do with the Denon.

6) Geared toward the enthusiast/serious listener. I like how it does NOT have the frills and flashing lights, or DSP modes, room EQ or any of that other stuff. I can't describe how many systems I've seen ruined by using Jazz club with room EQ etc...

7) XLR outputs! This is the best as I have amps with XLR inputs.

Points to be improved upon:
1) 24 dB/octave high pass filters for channels set to small. See this thread I started: http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/34/t/000764.html

2) Display dimmer!

3) Automatic mic setup- greater resolution for distance and volume rather then 1 foot and 1 dB increments.

4) Second knob on front panel exclusively for source switching. At first I could not figure out how to switch sources from the front panel.

5) Menu times out way too quickly. Sometimes I'm fiddling with my RTA and then it already has reset back out.

Change your OSD time out, you can increase the time or just tell it to stay on until you turn it off.

Eric, I'm glad you are pleased with your component video (#3 in your list), because that's where my current problem with my 990 is. It doesn't upconvert from composite video input (from my VCR) to component video output - the picture rolled or had wobbly areas at the top or bottom of the screen that no amount of tracking adjustment could get rid of. At first I thought it was a defect in my replacement Sony VCR, but when the second one was no better I got suspicious and connected it directly to my Panasonic plasma video and lo and behold - clear picture. The Panny has switchable inputs, but I thought the 990's video switching was supposed to make that unnecessary. So right now I'm kinda disappointed.

I've always found video switching to be hit or miss on various components. I guess I got lucky with the Outlaw. My system I feed an Infocus projector and that thing is very finniky. On the Denon unit, when I switched sources, it would display a very garbled image. It would not "refresh" on its own as I had to refresh it manually. Now, when I switch sources, I no longer have to manually refresh the projector.

My upconversion looks fine, although the menu on the OSD looks fairly blurry if I use it over a composite source, its enough to get the job done to do my tinkering. I've used my cheap ol' VCR, HDTV Dishnetwork receiver, and Progressive Scan DVD player, and can switch between them, no problem like the Denon.

I hope you find the solution to your video problem cause that will certainly bum me out too.

Okay, Gonk or Steve - the ball is in your court.

Oop, there went a ball...

My 990 does fine transcoding the composite from my SMS-1 to component. My Dreamcast (s-video) also worked fine back when I had it hooked up. One possibility is either a bad cable (not likely since going straight to the display behaved fine) or a power or speaker cable getting too close to the composite cable when it's connected to the 990.

Not the speaker cables; they run at floor level from the monoblocks and the Maggies. I don't think any power cable runs close to the composite cable but will not be able to check it until the 990 upgrade is completed. It has failed so many times that if I were subject to the "intermittent explosive disorder" on today's CNN page the 990 would now be history, and probably my window too.

Dang, you seem to have alot of problems with your unit. That's unfortunate. I heard of the IED and think I have that too haha. For the upgrade I unpacked my unit from the box, got a USB cable from an old cable modem, followed the directions and it took the F/W upgrade just fine.

PS what kinda Maggies do you have? Big maggie fan here, I have a pair of MG-IIIA's but they are not in my HT system. The room is too small and screen to big haha...

Eric,

I have a pair of 1.6QR's, the speakers in the middle of the Maggie chain. I think Ritz, one of the deputy gunslingers hereabouts, has them too, and maybe a few others. When and IF I get the 990 operational again, and get a few other things done, I plan to get an MMG-C for a center channel and a pair of MMG-W's for surrounds, the latter to be driven by the Adcom GFA535 that I replaced with the nOrh Le Amp II monoblocks that would be driving the Maggies right now IF MY 990 COULD DRIVE THEM!! GRR!! (oh oh - there's that IED popping out.) For the center channel, I don't know - maybe the just-introduced nOrh L3.

But all that will be some time off.

Hey psy, thought of getting a s-vhs? That's what I'm trying, since you can get 'em for under 100 bux. Let you know how it goes. When I ran my dvd via s-video it was fine thru the 990. But like you, I find the 990 to be quite awful via composite. I suspect it has to do with priorities. Perhaps no real effort was put into that portion of the switching circuit. My 2 pennies...

Sylvr, I can't find s-vhs units here in Santa Barbara at anywhere near that price. And via a composite output the 990 put a perfectly steady menu on the screen; at least the first 990 did. It also worked OK with tapes on my Panasonic VCR before it died - though come to think of it the tracking was pretty fiddly. But that first 990 had no s-video or component video output at all. Now this replacement unit does fine with DVDs via component - or at least it did before I started this upgrade ordeal - but it won't convert composite to component. S-video I haven't tried, and can't right now.

As for priorities, I still have the quaint idea that stuff I've paid considerable money for ought to work as promised. Naive, I guess. . .

syvlvr wrote

When I ran my dvd via s-video it was fine thru the 990. But like you, I find the 990 to be quite awful via composite.

I ran composite, S-video and component thru the 990 from my DVD to test whether or not it would do as specified. It did. My S-VHS also works well via S-vid and composite (doesn't have component, of course). Also an old Mitsubishi LaserDisc, which only has composite out (precursor to DVD-ancient technology) and ran fine.

Could it be the cables??
BTW I'm using cheap old RCA cables that comes with equipment for my composite and old analog audio.

If something doesn't work correctly or you can work it out...have you called Steve or Scott.