Knowing what you know now, would you buy the 970 again? I am referring mostly to the "no audio" problem. I have recently(today!) sold my 950(loved it!!) and am on the prowl for another pre/pro. Up until today I was all set to pull the trigger on a 970, but after reading about this "no audio" problem I am starting to have second thoughts. The 990 is pretty much out of the question, cost and the benefits over the 970 don't make it worth it to me. I think I will be able to deal with software/firmware issues knowing that Outlaw will find a fix. So, boys, knowing what you know now, would you buy the 970 again??
thanx in advance,

It depends how much you plan on using it. Mine is strictly for home theater use. I only use it about 3 or 4 times a week for a couple of hours. I have my old Onkyo that I use daily (many hours) for regular music listening.

So... I wouldn't buy it again if that's all I had. Too glitchy for me.

I would've bought the 990 if I could access the menu through its front display. What I really want it a preamp with no video switching, but that's a whole other story.

Having tried a 970 the same time against a 990 and sending the 970 back, I would argue that the 990 is definately worth the extra dough. It is built like a tank, has many features the 970 does not and sounds absolutely wonderful with 2-channel. This comming from a guy that used to be 95% movies 5% music. I have not watched a movie in 5 or 6 weeks, but I have listened to music ala 990 almost every night. Be forewarned, you may end up like me...a 990 2-channel junkie!

Personally I would have purchased the 990 in the first place except that it would have cost me another $1,300 above the cost of the 990 for a new TV Stand. The darn 990 is HUGE and I could not physically fit it in my setup. I think that everyone (including Outlaw themselves) would agree that if you can assemble the funds the 990 is a fantastic bargain.

That being said I really like my 970. This "no audio" problem is certainly annoying when it happens, although it happens infrequently for me. Other than the caveat above I would buy the 970 again. It sounds great. I really like the Quad Crossover. I don't know of too many other products on the market that even come close to it. I believe that Outlaw will get the problem fixed, although as I stated in another post I am not 100% convinced that outlaw isn't takling a bad rap for something that may not be entirely their fault.

Regards,

Charlie

Bought a B-Stock 970 and it arrived last Thursday. I compared it to the 990 and recognized that for my use, solely HT, the 990 wasn't necessary.

Out of the box, it sounded much worse than my Denon 3803 that I was using for a pre/pro to my Adcom amp. Well, a couple of hours of tweeking and running through the set-up changes with the very good Outlaw manual and, HOLY MOLY, that's what they meant by surround sound, huh?

My wife went from worst $650 ever spent to best $650 ever spent and she's still raving over the difference in sound quality. In addition, SACDs and DVD-As now sound much better with better mids, better soundstage and separation.

So, I say take the plunge, the water's fine. Good luck, Dave.

I had a Denon 3300 since new that I ran with Adcom, Rotel and a couple different Parasounds before I found a good deal on a used 950. What a diff that made for me. I tweaked first thing so I was amazed at the first DVD I played through it. It seems I have some soul searching to do. The 970 I can order at will, the 990 will take a little work to get to. When I was single and had a place set up, I was a serious 2 channel person. Now, with wife, kids and Disney I have been transformed into an HT type....not a bad thing though. I don't need balanced outputs, the superior 2 channel,the auto set-up(I have Avia,ratshack SPL, Velo SMS-1) etc...etc... Not that I couldn't/wouldn't use the 990 and appreciate it for what it is/does though. After almost 6 years with the 3300 I know I don't need lots of bells and whistles. With all of its surround modes, after 6 months I only used 3...DD, DTS and something called Matrix. Also if I stretched to the 990 I would have to live with my Parasound amp for a while...BUMMER!!LOL I am sure this has been asked before, but for those of you that have a 970 now, and had a 950 before, did you notice a significant improvement or is it just an updated model?? I'm, like 98% sold on the 970, its just that little twitch that keeps irking at the back of my neck!!! I'll have to sleep on it for a night or two. I can say my next pre/pro will be an Outlaw, I just don't know which one!!lol
Thanx boys!!

Gooch,

I still have my 950 and I just bought a 970. I remember the Wow factor going from my Yamaha receiver to the 950. I had that same reaction going from my Harman Kardon to the 970. The 950 and 970 are set up in separate rooms with totally different speakers and amps. My 970 is setup with what I would consider the lesser of the 2 systems (my bedroom) with a Parasound amp. I have to be honest, I think the 970 sounds "clearer" to me. I had the Wow factor, and this was after spending time with the 950 since it was first introduced. This is just my opinion, taking into account the differences in the 2 setups. Here is my setup.

Living Room:

Outlaw 950
Outlaw 7100 amp
Paradigm Monitor 7, 350 center,mini-Monitors surround speakers

Bedroom:

Outlaw 970
Parasound 855
Klipsch RC3II, Quintets, Def Tech surrounds

Just my input on the sound, not the "no audio" issue.

Simply, no chance in hell.

So why didn't you send it back? Or did you?