I just received the email from Outlaw announcing the final stock of the 990 and the discounted sale price. I've been lusting over a 990 for years now, and still remember when it was $1100. Even then I thought it was a deal - my current processor is a Parasound P/SP 1500... bought new in 1996 for... gee, how much was that thing? Not sure, but I know it was expensive. So, I've been listening to 5.1 surround from a 12 year old processor. I'm wondering, how much better will the Outlaw sound? The big question is, should I take the plunge and get the 990 at the reduced price? Part of me wants to wait for "new technology", part of me says that what I have is "good enough". With two kids in college, will I ever cough up $1400 for the latest greatest? Probably not... so if I don't get the 990, I'll probaly end up just living with what I have.

I would love to hear opinions!!!

A 12 year old processor will lack Dolby Digital, DTS, Pro Logic II/IIx, sophisticated bass management, and any sort of useful video switching (edited to fix redundancy). Coming from that, the 990 will be a great upgrade for you.

I bought the Parasound DD 1500 (digital decoder), just so I could move up to digital audio... unfortunately, it never really worked right. In addition to an annoying high-pitched sound when no signal was present, every time the dvd is paused, and sometimes between chapters, the processor loses signal and needs to be reset. What a pain.

I would love to experience digital connections, DTS and newer generations of Pro Logic.

Then it sounds like the price drop may be just the thing for you. A good DD decoder (with fast signal acquisition), a DTS decoder, and the significant improvements made to Pro Logic with PLII/IIx will be a great deal of fun for you, and the overall audio performance of the 990 is very respectable.

I agree with Gonk that the 990 would be a step up at a great price, but to play devil's advocate -- if you have an interest in the next generation of gear, why note wait a bit and see what the Outlaws come up with for the 990 successor? If you decide you don't like what's coming down the pike, you could still pick up a 990, either from the Outlaws or from one of us who will be upgrading.

I just had to step in here.

Even at its original price of $1100, the 990 has been regarded as one of the best performing processors anywhwere. At it's newly reduced price of $699, it is an absolutely astounding product.

In our nine-year history we have never offered a value like this. Similar in reputation to our original model 1050 receiver, the 990 will become an audiophile's collector's item.

Just my two cents.

Peter Tribeman

My two cents:

The digital arean and surround is not old and there are new formats coming out. The older units do not support these formats so for surround the old ones may not be for you. The trend is for surround and not music.

My 1070 when i used the multi-channel DVD input and the bass MGMT set for analong was great.

Tubes Rule!

Over 90% of the time my 990 is turned on it's playing music. Even if I had 5 (never mind 7) channels that's what they would be doing most of the time. It nourishes me in a way HT simply cannot.
This is not to deny that "trends" are important for manufacturers, but can someone explain what possible authority they should have over us as consumers, except as they support our pre-existing personal tastes and lifestyles?
Just a little venting . . .

Unless you get the 990, you may end up DYING with what you have.

Another consideration (see the other threads), to my ears the 990's recent firmware upgrade has improved the sound dramatically for stereo music listening.

It's an excellent point, but if he's gone 12 years without an upgrade the 990 is an opportunity to make a huge leap forward for little first cost. And within a year or so, there will almost certainly be players available that will provide the new audio formats without needing onboard decoding.

I think that in this case, there's not really a "wrong" choice - waiting for the next gen will cost more but should offer some great hardware, while jumping on the 990 deal now is a great value with immediate benefits.

Remember though - all a person will be buying is the functionaltiy of newer sound / video modes and delivery media. The basic sound quality of gear has not improved one bit in decades. Many people assume (wrongly) that basic audio technology's sound quality has progressed at the rate of computers - not so.

What about upgrading from a H/K Dpr 1001? It can do dolby digital, DTS, etc. Would the 990 do anything for me?


I am, without doubt, getting the 990s successor. Just wondering if I can expect a leap at all. This new price is tempting, but I need a nudge.

Altec,

while I agree, in general, I wouldn't say that the sound quality hasn't changed one bit. The difference between my old setup and new is like the difference between my old V8 Vega and a more sophisticated and current BMW M3. The old setup was raw hp, while the new, more refined (and certainly cleaner). There is a difference, although I think there's still something to be said for analogue, over digital. This hobby seems to be all about compromise.

Overall, though, I would agree with what you say (although I find it a far more extravagant hobby, now and perhaps a little overly complex, for what it is).

John

but to enjoy the functionality and video switching Matt would have to step up. That's the point.

digital chips/software/integration have gotten better. So yes - in the digital world - processors have gotten better and have been progressing like computers.
The steering in movies would be better presented.

Fundamentals like amps have not made the same changes as Altec mentioned. Speakers have been refined..... no breakthrough...

Matt... Yes you will get better processing and more functionality w/in your system. Do you have an XBOX360 or Playstation3 - HDTV of some sort?
all this plays into functionality.

Sound.... this is up to you. Are there happy customers w/ Outlaw 990? Yes.
Have there been owners of other equipment a little miffed when a 990 is compared very positively to it? Especial given the price of the 990? Yes.

Does it sound better than your current gear... i can not give an opinion because i have not heard the Parasound unit.

I do know that there are a wide range of systems that use the 990. There is a thread around here somewhere w/ users/owners and there systems.

I know i'm happy. Would i buy equipment made in the 90's? For 2 channel - you bet!
for surround - no.

just my 2 cents.....

I tend to be of a similar mind on audio electronics as Altec. I am not a frequent buyer. But to take this one step further, it would seem that the market would be ripe for an HDMI switcher/decoder box, akin to the old AC-3 adapters. This is the main piece of the pre/pro that is really being improved for many HT enthusiasts. Those that are interested in sophisticated video processing are probably getting stand-alone video processors anyway. Include multiple (4?) HDMI inputs, one HDCP pass-through HDMI output, decoders for all the new sound modes including multichannel PCM for SACD and DVD-A, and a 7.1 analog output. Your current pre/pro handles everything else already. It would basically be 25% or less of the guts of the new Outlaw processor. You could then use your existing 990, or your pricey Lexicon, Anthem, Krell, or whatever, for many years to come. If they can manufacture and sell something equivalent to the new Integra/Onkyo processor for $1400, they should be able to take a quarter of the components of a pre/pro and sell it for say $500-600.

My $0.02 is that Blu-ray (and universal) players, as well as TVs themselves, already do video upscaling -- admittedly some better than others. This is changing too fast to want to buy a new pre/pro every year. Even if you buy today's top video processing pre/pro, a $300 Blu-ray player will probably do better video processing by 2010. If "the decoder/switcher box" is kept to sound only and video pass through, it would keep the cost down but the potential market could be huge.

Outlaw did something similar already in repackaging their multichannel receiver as the 970 by taking out the amps.

you're hereby encouraged. When I saw the 990 price drop I wanted to trade in my 1070. the only thing, and I really mean this, is cabinet space. I can't squeeze in a separate amp in my cabinet. $699 is just too good to pass up. do eet.

I really would like to thank everyone for their input.

To answer the questions posed by tmdlp above, the majority of my listening will be satelliteTV and DVD movies. I do have a HD projection tv, although it's about 5 years old, 1080i, DVI input. Source equipment includes HD Satellite receiver with HDMI out, and someday I hope to get a PS3. My DVD player does not upconvert, but my next one will (or will be replaced by the PS3).

When it comes to sound quality, I'm hoping that the improvement from a direct digital audio connection versus the analog RCA connections that I'm living with now alone will make the purchase worthwhile. Add the dvi switching, bass managemment, that microphone set-up thingy, and the advanced surround sound processing, and I should be one happy couch potato!

I really appreciate all of the encouragement. Although I haven't firmly decided yet, I'm very excited about the possibilities. It helps me to hear the pros and cons from those who have been there before making a decision!

It's a tough decision to make with just words on a computer screen to go by, but I remember enough of my own transition to Dolby Digital decoding to anticipate it to be a safe bet that there would be pleasing benefits from the upgrade. Let us know what you decide!

Another option is to be the priveledged owner of my used 990 when I buy the new processor when it comes out.

I will sell it for $350 shipped, and as of now it still has well over 3 years of the warranty on it. And it has the new firmware on it!

cp1966 - I sent you a private message. I'm not sure how it works, does it go through registation email?

Anyway, that sounds like a very generous offer, and I'm very interested. This might just be perfect for me!

I sent one back. I may not have been very clear, but i will not be selling my 990 until I have the new model at home, so it will be several months.