My Marantz SR7000 receiver has served me well for almost 7 years, but I feel the heart of the system is due for an upgrade. I too am a music first-movie second individual. I have many CD/SACD, DVD Audio and DVD music concert titles that I enjoy listening to.
I auditioned a Rotel RSP-1068 pre and RMB-1075 amp recently and didn't like the harsher sound and poorer imaging on 2 ch compared to the smoother sound of the Marantz. I am compiling a list of gear I plan to audition at home such as the Anthem AVM 30 pre / PVA7 pwr amp, Sherbourn PT7000 pre / 5210A 5-Channel Amplifier(demo), and the Marantz top of the line receiver SR9600. These combos are all out of my prefered cost window of $2K-$3K, so I was considering increasing it if it meant getting the audio performance I was wanting. I've known about Outlaw gear for some time and recently rechecked the product line and noticed they introduced newer units that may fit my requirements of performance and especially cost. I don't mind buying direct from the Internet. I got my speakers this way and got awesome speakers for a great price. From the reading I've been doing, the Outlaw 990 is more popular than their 970 for sonic reasons and if the phono input was decent I could ditch the Technics pre-amp I'm using for the phono eq-amp. I also need a 7 Ch amp, but that's for another discussion for later unless you would like to suggest one.

I would like to ask you a few questions about the 990:
1. Can you easily read the display from 12 ft away?
2. The 990 has 5 optical and only 2 coax digital inputs. Is this too few for coax inputs? I would rather at least 3 coax.
3. What do you think of the front panel visually and functionally?
4. Do you use the balanced or unbalanced audio outputs with your setup?
5. How warm does the unit get?
6. Is the phono pre amp decent quality?

...and about Outlaw in general:
How is Outlaw to deal with for delivery, returns, warranty, problems, questions? I haven't read a bad word about service from Outlaw. They seem commited to keeping the customers satisfied. I live in Canada, so any Canucks with advise in this area would be especially helplful.


MY EQUIPMENT LIST:

Pre/Pro/Amp: Marantz SR7000 Receiver and
Technics SU9070 Pre-amp (use for phono amp/eq only)

Front Speakers: Newform Research R630’s connected w/ Tara Labs RSC Prime Bi-Wire
Center Speaker: Newform Research R58 connected w/ Tara Labs RSC Prime Bi-Wire
Subwoofer: Paradigm PW-2200 connected w/ Audioquest Turquoise X2 Hyperlitz cable
Surrounds(Side): Boston Acoustics CR65 connected w/ Belden 8720 cable
Surrounds(Back): Energy Reference 22 (currently not in use)

DVD/CD/SACD/DVD-A Player: Marantz DV-7600, audio connected w/ Belden 8422 cable
CD Player: Marantz CD-63SE, connected w/ Tara Labs RSC Reference II cable
Turntable: Pro-Ject Expression II, connected w/ Belden 8422 cable

TV: Toshiba 55HX70 – 55” RP HDTV, connected w/ Ultralink Videophile cables
HD Cable/PVR: Motorola DCT6412-III, powered by APC UPS
VCR: Mitsubishi U56

*Audio and Video Equipment each have separate power circuits thru separate Furman Power Station 8 Digital-Linear AC Power Conditioners.

*Belden Cables are home made

Tweeterman,

Quite the list, but here we go with my opinions where applicable.

1. I can read the display from 12'
2. I don't have enough equipment to use all the digital inputs so the ones on the back of the 990 have been sufficient. IMO you can't tell the difference between coax and opitical anyway and they are assignable.
3. Outlaw equipment is pretty utilitarian looking and suits me fine. I very rarely use the buttons on the front of the 990 relegating that duty to my Harmony 880.
4. I use the balanced outputs on the 990 with success.
5. The 990 runs very cool. I've had it on for the last hour and the case is room temp in a well ventilated cabinet.
6. I haven't tested the phono yet.

I have had very good experiences with Outlaw. They took care of an issue I had with one of their products to my satisfaction and the 990 is a real gem.

FYI, before I got the 990 and a new beefy amp my system was used about 80/20 for movies and TV. After the 990 I'm about 60/40 music. I've said before that the 990 rekindled my enjoyment of music. The 990 is a very flexible unit (even now more than originally because of firmware upgrades) at a very attractive price. You can pick up 990 and an Outlaw 200w 5 or 7 channel amp for the price of the AVM 30 alone. The amp won't wear out and you can make upgrades to the processor in the future if you want for less cost.

Enjoy your search. Its all good!

1. Can you easily read the display from 12 ft away?
The main display is very easy to read - from my couch (about 10 feet) or my desk (about 15 feet) it's completely legible. The little mode indicators along the top of the display are too small to read from more than a few feet, but I've learned to recognize where the most useful ones are located and can tell what's on. The speaker indicators are also good for that.

2. The 990 has 5 optical and only 2 coax digital inputs. Is this too few for coax inputs? I would rather at least 3 coax.
It hasn't been a problem for me. My Panasonic DVD-R and my Zenith HDTV only have optical outputs, and my other devices all offer both optical and coaxial.

3. What do you think of the front panel visually and functionally?
I've suggested to Outlaw that they cause the MUTE indicator to flash over the digital input portion of the screen so that the active input stays visible, and when troubleshooting other people's setups I've wished there was a way to have the display show the exact input format (such as "Dolby Digital 2/0.0" like the old Model 950 did and the 1070/970 still do). Those are the only two complains I have, and I consider both to be minor quibbles. The editable input names are wonderful.

4. Do you use the balanced or unbalanced audio outputs with your setup?
I've used both at different times. Currently I've got balanced to the mains, center, and rear surrounds and unbalanced to the side surrounds and sub.

5. How warm does the unit get?
I've got mine in a closed up cabinet, and with a couple inches above it and an SMS-1 on top of it (just in front of the vents), the air right above the vents could get over 100F. I've re-arranged a bit and removed the SMS-1 from directly on top, and it's back to staying in the mid-90's or lower. I consider it to be pretty cool running.

6. Is the phono pre amp decent quality?
I've not used it, but if I remember comments from others it's apparently pretty decent.

As for Outlaw in general, they are very serious about their customer service. Customer satisfaction is really important to them, all the way from the top of the company on down. The agents who handle the phones are very knowledgeable about their products and about setting up systems in general. There are some other Canadians around here who can offer some thoughts on shipping fees and other border-related hassles.

I know what your saying...this is the a strong point for me to me consider to try the Outlaw equipment.
I wonder how the AVM 30 compares to the 990?

Thanks for the reply

And don't forget Outlaw has a 30-day return policy that will let you audition their products in your home. The only cost is shipping the items both ways if you don't want to keep them (which I doubt you will do).

I too looked at the Anthem AVM30 for its features and found the 990 had most of them. I didn't do a side-by-side comparison except for price: $1100 vs. $3000 along with some comparisons on various forums was enough to convince me. As I said, I have been very happy with the 990 and all its appropriate features.

Tweeterman,
When you asked about the 990 vs AVM 30 .... There where some very interesting post, some even slightly warm....
Does the AVM 30 sound better? I did not think so, but others did find a slight edge. I made this conclusion before I had Outlaw equipment. The sound was lean and cold. Not neutral – cold.

So you have to ponder the edge(very slight) worth the extra $$$? Can the extra $$$ go into speakers.... or an amp?

There was a little ego creeping into the forum .... The idea being high $$$ equipment trumps lower costing equipment every time. I have fallen into the trap myself and I would venture the majority of electronic consumers wrestle w/ this concept at some point.

If you can play w/ a AVM 30 and have a 990 around the same time … very nice. My overall point is don’t let the price guide your thinking. In and around this forum – you will find some good comments about the 990.

I have been pleasantly surprised w/ the 990 and Outlaw.
Enjoy the journey …. And keep us posted ….

A lot of consumers like myself are conditioned to accept that "you get what you pay for". This is generally true but with audio/video electronics there are 2 exceptions.
One is you're paying for a name brand from a specialty retailer and getting overcharged for a small if barely perceptible improvement, retailer overhead, and bragging rights.
The second exception could be the Outlaw products which are a great value, but not compromised so much to be mediocre performance but performance beyond its price point to compete with other equipment twice it's cost.
Is this second exception a fair assessment of Outlaw ??
The downside for myself to purchase Outlaw is the shipping aspect across the international border for delivery and warranty, if needed. It's obviously more convenient to drive to a store in town to audition stuff, take it home and test drive it. I have to get over this hurdle, or at least accept it.

Thanks to you and all that have replied so far. It's encouraging to hear so much positive feedback about the Outlaw products and the technical support so far.

In the meantime, I will lurk about in the Outlaw saloon and learn more about these products.

Cheers,

I'm a firm believer in "TANSTAAFL" - there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. If you compare a good quality product like the 990 to a good quality product costing three or four times as much (like the AVM30), you are going to sacrifice something. The AVM30 offers more user adjustments and tweaks and uses a more expensive DSP section (Motorola instead of Cirrus), for example. The two factors that make an option like Outlaw remain appealing are total cost (save two grand on the processor and you may be able to spend more on speakers, or you may be able to afford separates when you otherwise couldn't) and value (by focusing on getting the basic needs right - which in the case of Outlaw might be clean and uncolored sound, essential processing modes done right, sufficiently robust bass management to allow the most from the variety of speakers found in most home theaters, and an appearance and user interface that isn't overly cluttered or complicated). It helps that as you move beyond offerings like Outlaw, you start getting deeply into the realm of diminishing returns: each extra few hundred dollars spent starts yielding smaller and more subtle changes. At that point, a poor setup can obliterate all of those improvements.

... and spending time learning about your listening environment and making a few adjustments can yield results as great or greater than some 'fine point' and potentially expensive equipment 'upgrades.' I'm not knocking all upgrades, some make a huge difference. I went from a top-of-the-mid-range Onkyo all-in-one to Outlaw separates and that made a distinctly noticeable difference. While on the other hand, replacing a 5-year old CD player was a toss up - either any differences were hidden by other factors, such as listening environment, or even though small differences were noted, changes on the 'plus' side and on the 'minus' side were roughly equivalent.

While slightly off the primary topic, I’ll just toss in that, if your room and SAF will allow, I think that, without exception, everyone who posted in this forum regarding genuine acoustic room treatments reported substantially improved sound within a very reasonable budget. IMHO, room treatment needs to be elevated in priority from near-bottom status on many people’s list to well above the minutia of some types of equipment upgrade.

First of all i love my outlaw 990 and i received great service from steve at outlaw, however i did have a few problems with my order being shipped to canada

The 990 and 7125 were shipped seperatly both by ups , the 7125 arrived without incident although the box did look like it was sent to the canadian army in afganistan by mistake, fortunatly it was double boxed so all was well inside.
However the 990 was a different story it arrived on time and in good order but a mistake was made on the packing slip and i was charged double tax and delivery fee's , Steve was apologetic but all the legwork was mine in order to get my money back ( the wife signed the bill when i was at work and didnt notice the mistake).
Ups would only give me a credit so eventually i found a use for the credit and one month later i was sent a bill by ups , this bill was followed by a phone call from me saying it should have been a credit and ups apologized and said everything was taken care of. Well today i just recieved a letter from a collection agency stating that i owed ups money and i now had a black mark on my credit rating.
Now even after all that i still love my 990 but if you order from outlaw beg them to use anyone else but ups , pay extra if you have to.