I am considering to purchase the 970/7075 or mmc1/isp 1, but have the bugs been worked out on the 970? it seems like the 970 is a better deal, any advise? I had a 1050 and never had any problems with it. also where is the 970 made?? thanks for your help

The 970 is made by Eastech in Malaysia, same as the 1050 was.

I can't comment on the Emotiva but I can say that if you're able to "live" with the bugs, the 970 does sound great. And I believe all of us that have bugs will agree with that.

I wouldn't use the video switching capabilities though. It does a poor job with blacks.

Gonk or anybody else, has there been any news on new versions? Not software but actual units.

Last I've heard is what was in the October announcement - which suggested we should not expect new hardware prior to next spring.

I'm impressed with my MMC for both 2-channel and HT.

I have the MMC-1 and really enjoy it. Lot's of great features and very easy to setup and use on a daily basis. SQ is fantastic as well. HT and 2-channel.

No EXP. with any Outlaw pre-amps, but that does not mean that I don't want to try one out...

The 970 has the mult-channel DVD analog input which can be run in bypass and have analog Bass MGMT. This is the key to enjoying good sounding MUSIC. All the new pre's and Receivers sound like crap because of the digital BS.

I am waitng for the next gen 970 should it still have this gem like my 1070 does since I use it as a preamp.

The 990 does not has nalong bass MGMT, The old style preamps from 20 years aho sound much better that todays preamps when used for music: Sad but true :-(

Hi all, I'm doing a little research on the 970. Is there any place where there's a list of known bugs quirks w/ the 970? Mostly plan on running 5.1 channel in analog pass through mode and letting the DVD player do all the processing. Video will be hooked up directly to the monitor.

Thanks in advance

I wrote this little FAQ for a trade-in program that Mark Schifter of AV123 arranged with Outlaw, but it may be of interest to you for what it says about the 970. There was a long-standing "no audio" bug that seems to have been largely (albeit perhaps not entirely) squashed, but that bug never did affect the multichannel analog input. I suspect that Lizard King can offer some thoughts specific to that multichannel analog connection, as he's used it extensively with his 1070 (same platform as the 970) and a DVD player similar to what you are describing. As a purely analog multichannel pre-amp, it's probably one of the best bang-for-the-buck candidates out there.

Thanks gonk. May be I should have done a little more "searching" before doing any "asking" (doh!), I just got finished reading your FAQ before coming back to this thread. VERY helpful BTW. Thanks

No problem, drcruz. If you still have questions, toss 'em out and the crew around here can take a stab at answering them. Outlaw's support team is also very knowledgeable.

Mono:

1. Outlaw 970 is in the same class as the Emo LMC-1. The MMC-1 is in a higher class. There should be no comparison between the two...

2. Don't forget to factor in the fact that with the MMC-1, you can get 40% off Emotiva's next gen processor.

Analog Bypass is the way to go with the 970, I have had excellent results with the 5.1 inputs and using a squeezebox with analog bypass. However, you will need another bass management solution, as the analog bass management crossover is much to high to be useful with anything but small bookshelf speakers.

I don't know that I agree with that entirely. I would agree that big floorstanding towers can work well with a lower crossover point, but 80Hz is the crossover point recommended by THX for a reason, and it's likely to be a good match with most surrounds and centers as well as almost any bookshelf.

Wow my ears must be burning. I just dropped in to post an opinion on the very "analog bypass" and "run the speakers in large" subject.

A co-worker(Craig) and myself(Daniel) helped a 3rd co-worker(Paul) set up a Blu-Ray HT system.

Setup:
- Used VMPS RM-2's (for mains)
- Outlaw 970 in External 7.1 mode (for 5.1 Analog volume control and no processing)
- Emotiva LPA-1
- Sony BDP-300 Blu-Ray player (source for movies + CD's, in 5.1 analog out)
- Mix of Blue Jean and generic cables (IC's and Speaker)

My co-worker purchased the Outlaw 970 and Emotiva LPA-1 per my suggestion and the RM-2's were Craig's suggestion.

I personally like to run the pre-amp in full analog bypass, having the DVD player do all the processing (or in my friend's case, have the Blu-ray player do the processing) and run everything in Large. Since I've never heard the Outlaw 970 before, we experimented between "analog bypass and speakers in LARGE" and the more traditional "digital, bass managed signal, w/ crossover set to 80Hz". The digital, bass managed signal had more detail, but it sounded tinny and harsh. We both agreed that "analog bypass" sounded better and more natural.

This was all in 2-channel music, and I didn't have time to play any movies. I do have a hard time believing the idea that there are systems that sound better for music and systems that sound better for movies. What matters though is Paul is VERY happy w/ the setup.

Anyway just stopping by. Thanks for all the 970 help, it is a VERY nice pre-amp.

Cheers

Glad to hear that it has worked out well!

I haven't SPL'd it, but the bypass seems to be much higher than 80Hz. There was a review stating similar, but I can't find it anymore as all the review links are dead. But there is no doubt that the 80Hz bypass, doesn't sound good with my speakers anyway. Pickup/borrow a 970 and give it a try sometime.

Interesting - didn't remember hearing that. I vaguely recall my 950's crossover landing pretty well on target for 80Hz...