After reading tons of positive reviews/info about outlaw 990, I finally pulled the trigger and bought one to replace my NAD T753 (Used as a pre/pro). Immediately, after setting the 990 up, my wife and I noticed the sonic differences between the NAD and 990. For music, this 990 has more resolution, more air and openness, but the sound is dry, cool, analytical, and fatiguing, be it for SACD playbacks or analog/digital CD playbacks. The warm, richer, and full sound I used to from NAD is gone. For movies, though, it is a level above the NAD. Is there something wrong with my setups/parameter adjustments? I have been already thinking of getting rid of this outlaw and replug my NAD back...

I find my 990 anything but "fatiguing". I have found that very little on a disk can hide from my 990/7125 combined with the Klipsch speakers. The sound is open and airy. It could be a little "bright" but I think CDs are made that way to avoid fatigue. You could post the rest of your equipment and maybe the resident "guru" (Gonk) will have some suggestions.

XenonMan,

My gears are: Denon 2910, Outlaw 990, Bryston 9BST, Paradigm studio 40, 20, and center, all v2. Hsu VTF-3 MK 2. I use Norah Jones SACD (Come away with me) as reference.
Interconnect is from outlaw.

Norah Jones (feels like home) has been previosly critiqued for sounding different than expected. All things being equal, I can't see the pre/pro causing that much delta in the sound. At least you have 30 days to try it out before you go back to the NAD. Break it in good and see what happens.

Get tube gear. Get tube gear...........

With the stuff he already has, why go back 30 years? I assumed you used the auto calibrate for setup. If not the 990 menu can allow you to adjust all of your speaker settings to accomodate any sound you want.

Because tube gear sounds better. There is a very good reason that tube gear is highly sought after by recording engineers.

I think that the sound difference may be a direct reflection of the listener having to justify the cost. I used to own an McIntosh tube amp but gave it up when solid state came out. Solid state had more power and less distortion. I can understand why some folks would want that warm distortion, but I can't see the huge prices for it. I also used to own a Revox B77 tape deck R2R. Gave it up when CDs came out. Time and technology march on. Good to see vinyl making a comeback so I can get rid of the 650 albums I have, that sound no better than the CDs and MP3s that replaced them.

benqsun,

I had a Byrston pre-amp and 4b amp, dating back to the mid 80's. I recently had my old DQ10's rebuilt, but couldn't justify, afford another Bryston arrangement, especially not for surround. Instead, I purchased a used Anthem A5 amp and married it to a 990.

I just finished listening to an FM, in bypass, presentation of a Tchaikovsky piano concerto and experienced it just as you're describing your listening experience above: cool and analytical. The presentation is, without doubt, cleaner, but also brighter, somewhat flat and lifeless; mind you, it was recorded in 58; nevertheless, I'm beginning to wonder if the 990 is not also at fault. Unfortunately, I have no other pre/pro to compare it with, save for my memories of the old system.

Yesterday I read a review of the 990, compared also to an expensive Mark Levinson pre/pro, I believe and the reviewer said there was very little sonic difference. Another review I read this morning compared the 990 to the AVM20/30 and again said the 990 was 90% of the Anthem (not worth the additional expense).

Like myself, I think your only alternative is try something else, perhaps other than your NAD. The other problem is also that if you listen to one particular setup long enough, it becomes your paradigm, the sound signature becomes the measuring stick of everything else you listen to; at least, this has been my experience. Before I had the Bryston, I had an amp of half the power and so the sound was much brighter; it took a while to get used to the warm sounding Bryston and now to this new arrangement.

Not sure if this helps, but this is where I’m at and so I know where you’re coming from.

John

Dr_JB,
Your experience re-enforced my perception of the 990. I am going to get rid of it this week. I am thinking of trying out sunfire pre/pro and NAD pre/pro. Does this sounds right to you?