As some may know i got a 7700 to trade in on my 7125 the other day and finally was able to hook it up yesterday. I did the hook-up with unbalanced connections using the Outlaw PCA cables, in large part because of info posted earlier on the Outlaw sight some time ago indicating loss of some signal with balanced connections, also because I had just purchased new PCA connecting cables from Outlaw when I first bought the 7125.

At first I was getting the dreaded ground loop hum or so it seemed. Traced the problem to the connection between the 990 and 7700 and after rearranging the cables thought I had it fixed. Upon turnng it on this morning though the noise was back but as the amp warmed up the noise diminished and after 20 minutes or so the noise was completely gone. In my limited knowledge I don't know what would cause this and I spoke with Steve this morning and he gave me several helpful suggestions but also seemed perplexed as to why the noise would diminish and disappear after the amp warms up.

Most importantly how does it sound, how does it compare to the 7125? Now I must say I only have had 1-2 hours at most to do any critical listening and though the 7700 seems to be a very good amp I am not overly impressed with the 7700's performance over the 7125. It seems that there is a bit more detail with the 7700 and at low levels it is excellent but it seems that the 7700 does not have the "warmth/depth" that I experienced with the 7125. The 7700 seems "brighter" than the 7125. Again my limited knowledge does not allow me to speculate as to why the 7700(7x200W) would have this difference with the 7125(7x125W) but hopefully some of you more knowledgable Outlaws could share your thoughts.

Most importantly I have not had the time to really run the 7700 through it's paces. I am having several friends, who have listened extensively to the 990/7125, stop over this weekend to listen and give me their thoughts on the 7700 vs. the 7125. So I will keep you all updated.

My experience has been a little different then yours. I've gone back and forth a couple of times now between the two amps and to me the 7700 is quite an upgrade. If anything I find it a bit more laid back than the 7125, but not so much that it lacks detail. Are you using XLR from your preamp? I picked up a set of their XLR cables and am running those from the 990. Norah Jones has been smooth like butter

S.Griffin

My experience is the same as yours, Stewie. I upgraded to a 7500 (from a 7125)and to me, there is more detail, warmth, and better soundstage. I also am using balanced cables between it and my 990. Also, they drive my fronts, Apogee Centaur Minors (hybrid ribbon), a lot better. Those findings are with 2 channel Analog (CD) bypass mode. HT is definitely nicer also.

I agree with Stewie in that I've been surprised by the 7700 and just how good it is. I have not heard the 7125.

My 7700 even holds it own against a stack of high end British 8000P Audiolab mono blocks.

I'm genuinely surprised at just how good it is.

As you'll see from my profile, I also have a serious active Naim setup. The Outlaw cannot match this, but the 2 channels of Naim Naim amplification run at $7500 per channel on the back of a $10k pre amp. This compares with $275 per channel from Outlaw. The intewresting thing thouigh is that the Outlaw is not as good as the Naim but the difference is not that great, i'm sad to say!

Good luck
Rob

Rob

As you will see my initial thoughts have changed:

Screw My Initial Thoughts