Yeah, I can detect it also, in a very obvious way. I have a CDP hooked up to the 990 via analog cables. I turned the power off on my sub to ensure it had no effect on what I was hearing. I played a CD, have it set to bypass, change the mains from large to small and back again. It is very obvious when they're set to small, the music has much less bass.

Thanks, guys. Yeah, I initially noticed a difference while just listening to music -- didn't need an SPL meter.

Daryl -- the behavior of the 990 in bypass mode when using a digital input still applies a crossover to the mains when they are set to small. I also did a test with a digital input initially, but repeated my tests with analog only, and got the results that you did.

The Outlaws are still looking into this. I think I'll be hearing from them before too long...

I am a little confused. I am interested in buying the 990. I want a perfectly clear pass through of analog from both my CDP (tube output) and my phono (SS). Will the 990 apply bass management to the "direct" or "pass through" signal? Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I believe that happens in the digital domain, therefore it cannot be a true bypass, i.e. remaining solely in the analog path. I am going to pause before I buy and wait to get this cleared up. Thanks!

What the 990 claims to do is give you a full-range pass through, no A/D/A. What you are getting is some type of high pass filter on the mains, and not a full range signal.

As far as I can tell, it's a bug in the system somewhere. I assume that it's happening digitally, which it should not be.

The Outlaws have taken my problem ticket and said they are working on it. Several people have claimed to hear the same thing, so I don't think it's an issue of reproducing the problem, but rather just a matter of finding the right solution.

There is another thread around here that seems to indicate that the LPF, as defined by the crossover point, is being applied to the LFE channel. I think this is also wrong, and that the LFE channel should be sent to the sub in its entirety, regardless of crossover points.

If I were shopping, like you, I would wait till this stuff gets ironed out. I'm confident that they will fix it sometime soon.

Has this question been answered yet?

I haven't heard an answer back yet.

anything been done to resolve this issue?

I talked with Scott about two or three weeks ago, and he told me that they are working on it, but that he couldn't tell me anything else.

I'm not sure what's taking so long, but I do assume that they will fix it. Between this problem, the other one in which they are low pass filtering the LFE channel, and my complaint about them using a fourth-order filter on the mains when they advertise a second-order filter, they probably need to go through the entire system. They need to meticulously measure and test each and every input and output in all modes and all crossover frequencies, and it may take some time.

I hope that when it's all done, it will be worth the wait.

I just posted a new topic related to this bass problem This stuff happens switching between PL2 and Dolby Digital sources, not just between "Bypass" and any other mode. It's impossible to calibrate the system correctly- something is always wrong. I'm giving Outlaw until summer's end and then my 990 will be for sale.

BTW, Steve no longer works at Outlaw

I think you might be seeing something else... The digital bass management is different than that of the analog when using "bypass" mode. I measured the outputs in digital mode, and I think everything was OK, but you might have caught something that I missed -- I did not measure each and every combination of modes and inputs.

There is another issue where the sub output filters the LFE signal, and many think it should not.

Indeed, I have given up. I received a Cary Cinema 11 yesterday, and my 990 is now for sale.