Hi guys ny current set up is a mix bag of HK Adcom and so on . I am taking the plunge into the 990 with two mono blocks a pair of maggie mc1's and possibly an outlaw sub . My room size dictates the mc1's 16x20 with 14 foot vaulted ceilings . My music preference is more on the hard side and running a 2 channel set up , my question is the sub or subs . I do alot of car stereos and use sealed units on trucks = small spaces and they are perfect and what i hear about the maggies i may need to go that route . Any input at all on the whole set up would be appreciated

thanks
Jim

The MC1s are rated down to 80hz. Most music doesn't get much lower than that, but it can. You will definitely want a sub for the LFE if you use the 990 for home theater. You just missed a great sale on the Outlaw subs but I am sure it will be repeated sometime in the near future. Possibly when they release the 997 or maybe sooner. I have the LFM1 EX and it is a very capable device. You can review it on the website and get its specs. Depending on your preferences it is configurable somewhat by plugging ports to go lower in response or unplugging for max SPL.

Thanx ,Xenonman that is the answer i was looking for , i may run 2 subs at slightly different frequencies to compensate for the loss of mid and lows in the maggies

Hi Jim,

I'm a newcomer to the forum and Outlaw as well. I've been an audiophile for years though and have some experience with Magnepans. I've owned Tympani 1d's, a pair of 3.6's, 1c's and curently have a pair of 1.6qr's in my number 2 system in the living room.

They do need real power to drive them but from what I have read about the Outlaw power amps, they should work just fine.

I'm in the market for a new pre amp / proc for my main system at the moment, which is why I started looking at Outlaw products. Music is a very important part of my use just as with you, but I will be using it in a multi use system that is also set up as a home theater. What made you choose the 990?

Scott

I chose the 990 primarily because of the feature set and the awesome low price. Bang for the $$$ can't be beat. I have mine paired with a 7125 amp and it is an excellent amp for my needs. Outlaw is on the verge of bringing out the 990 replacement, the 997. It will have state of the art features and will cost somewhere near $1399 which is also BIG BANG for $$$. The 990 is older and less future proof than the 997 but it still one hell of a machine and can be had at $699 right now. In addition the owner of a 990 will receive a $200 discount on the 997 when it comes out. The 990 includes a phono preamp internally whereas the 997 does not, so if you are a vinyl user the 990 has more appeal. However, if your preference leans more towards digital and home theater the 990 has all the support needed for that. In this era of HDMI many users appear to be put off by the 990 DVI video output switching instead of HDMI but with an adapter it works great. The 997 has HDMI switching plus a host of new features for the future. Both machines are firmware upgradable and have USB input capability. Check them out on the website. You won't be disappointed in either one.

The standard approach for setting up one or more subs in a home theater system is to let the surround processor do the bass management - in the case of the Model 990, that means setting the fronts to "small" and selecting an appropriate crossover point. For speakers rated down to 80Hz, that probably means a 100Hz crossover point or possibly even 120Hz. The subwoofer's built-in crossover could then be disabled, since the processor is taking care of controlling what frequencies go where. If you have two subs, they would typically share the same signal and thus handle the same frequencies, unless you went with something like HSU Research's mid-bass module in conjunction with a traditional subwoofer. (In that case, you would have two different subs each handling a different piece - the true sub for the really deep stuff and the mid-bass module for frequencies closer to the speakers' bottom end.)

Thanks Xenon,

I am seriously considering ordering a 990 while they are still available at that attractive price. This is the setup in my main system where it will be going:



That TV may look familar..it's the same Samsung 61" DLP LED that you have. The speakers are Thiel 3.6's and I have a pair of Velodyne F1500R subs. The electronics are mainly Threshold. An SA4/e pure class A 100 wpc amp driving the thiels and a pair of Threshold s200's driving the B&W HTM center and Polk surrounds.

I also have a Threshold T2 fully balanced two channel pre amp for pure two channel listening. The 990 would be replacing a Harman Kardon Signature 2.0 pre amp processor which is a bit dated.

Everything I have read about the 990 indicates that it will be light years better than the HK it will be replacing. I do not plan on using the video switching in the 990, rather I would plug any HDMI or other video sources directly into the TV and use the digital outs to send the audio to the 990. Considering that I wouldn't need the enhanced video switching on the new 997, maybe the 990 is a better choice for me.

Scott

Thanks for all of the replys , i just want to make sure i am making the right choice for the music i listen to and the room size and shape , As i said i am a true 2 channel guy but im open to four maybe someday funds permitting , This is a great forum and im glad i found it . I will be hanging around a while

jim

Scott,

One more thing you may want to consider when choosing between the 990 and the 997 is that since the 990 does not have HDMI inputs, it cannot receive the Lossless Audio formats such as Dolby TruHD and DTS Master Audio through a digital connection. Those sound formats can only be transported in digital format through an HDMI cable. If you have a Blu-Ray player that decodes these formats, you could transport the signal via multi-channel analog outputs on the BR player to the analog inputs on the 990, but then you'll have at least 6 cables going from your BR player to your 990 and one HDMI cable running to your TV.

The point is that the HDMI inputs are used for more than just video switching.

True...I've given that some thought as well and haven't decided if that will be important to me or not. I don't have a blu ray player and I'm not sure I ever will. The future of audio and video sources is not in physical disks any longer.

My audio only listening has already gone to a music server system and my CD's are all packed away now. I think the same will happen to video...as demonstrated in the vudu XL system that Outlaw is selling.

Having the full HDMI would be better for future proofing of course, since we don't know what other uses will be made using those inputs .

Scott

If you aren't interested in Blu-ray and don't have DVD-Audio or SACD, the audio capabilities of HDMI become more a matter of convenience than performance (and even the convenience gets reduced, as a coaxial or optical cable isn't that much of a hassle)...

I was just going through the 997 forum here, and from what was posted there it appears the 997 is several months off yet...maybe june or july. With that being the case, I think I'll pull the trigger on a 990 . It sounds like it will do all I need it to and more anyway.

Al I have to do is some modifications on my shelving. The shelf that I want to put it on that has my HK signature and an Adcom line enhancer on it now is 7.5 inches high. I'll need at least another inch or two.

I have a question ,, I have two block windows that flank the flat screen and would fit the mc1's , they are 12 wide 4' tall and 5 inches deep , i was thinking of making sliding brackets that mount to the frame non moveable and making my own speaker brackets top to bottom so they would lay on the side of the window frame slide straight out and then swivel , the windows are block , any thoughts on imaging this way

jim

I have a question ,, I have two block windows that flank the flat screen and would fit the mc1's , they are 12 wide 4' tall and 5 inches deep , i was thinking of making sliding brackets that mount to the frame non moveable and making my own speaker brackets top to bottom so they would lay on the side of the window frame slide straight out and then swivel , the windows are block , any thoughts on imaging this way


Ok..I'm trying to picture that. Would that allow the maggies to be vertical when they are in use? How about some space behind the speakers..how much would that give you?

they would be vertical always , picture a cabinet door , if they stayed open they would always have 5-6 inches behind them , the window is a rectangle , the speakers will fit sung on the sides and top , i will try and snap a pic later
thanks
jim