Well... I have a decision to make.... which amp... 7700 or MPS-1? I am by no means an audiophile... I just want to buy my FIRST amp right the first time and not have buyers remorse! The two amps appear to be very similiar in their specifications and from a $ stanpoint I can pick up the Outlaw for about $300 more than the MPS-1... not that big of a deal... just want an amp that is future proof for a while. I have found both companies tech support to be fantastic as I have called w/alot of pre-sale questions. I am torn! Any help/suggestions for a NEWBIE??

Thank you!

64met,

I would go with the 7700 in a heartbeat.

I struggled with the same decision for a long time and I finally went with the 7500 for my application and have no regrets.

Outlaw has been around for a long time and they have proven themselves over this time period.
Emotiva is an up and coming company and they appear to make some fine equipment but think Outlaw is the way to go.

butchgo.... Thanks for the reply! Quick question... I hear the Emotiva amps run very cool; not getting hot. How does your Outlaw run? In looking at your gear.... mine is very similiar...

RTi10's; CSi5; and Fxi3 (just 5.1 now) How does your Outlaw work with your RTi10's?

Thank you!

And, I just upgraded to the same sub as well.... man that thing kicks A**!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd actually try both. The Outlaw 7700 has a tendency to have noisy transformers. When I tried mine they could be heard a-humming from listening position 8 feet away.

On the other hand, the MPS1/2 won't have that problem since the transformers are much smaller, but it does have one fan for each channel, so you may run into fan noise.

BTW as far as I can tell the MPS1 and MPS2 are the same exact unit just with different face plate, so you may want to look at the MPS2 instead since it is a bit cheaper.

But yeah, I would get both and try them against each other. The Outlaw is a good amp, but I couldn't keep it over the B&K 200.7 I also tried because of the noise the transformers were making (not ground loop hum btw, but actual "mechanical" noise from the transformers).

Sure, if you try both you will be out a bit of shipping money for sending one back, but you will have much higher peace of mind. How much is that worth to you?

Is the MPS-1 still available? Or are you looking at the MPS-2? I haven't made it by Emotiva's forum since problably November some time, but I recall that they discontinued the MPS-1 last fall due to the cost of manufacturing the complex faceplate. At the time, I thought that the MPS-2 replaced it at the same price point and they started selling off the remaining MPS-1 stock at a somewhat higher price point. Either way, it's the same underlying hardware. I recall that the MPS-1 experienced a fair number of DOA amp channels - I remember reading posts from one person who went through eleven amp modules until he got seven that work. Both Ultimate AV and Audioholics reviewed it and found that the output was not up to the levels specified. Here's an excerpt from the Ultimate AV review (specifically the measurements section ):
Audioholics turned in similar comments:
Emotiva presented some arguments why the reviewers' measurements were wrong, but both publications stood by their measurements.

I don't know, gonk...they are still selling the MPS-1 just at a higher price point than before.

I think both the MPS-1 and MPS-2 use the exact same amp modules, so if they do have quality issues with them still, he'll have the same problems with either amp chassis.

As for the measurements, both reviewers also said very good things about the performance of the amp, so who knows.

If he's seriously looking at both though, it's in his interest to try both, in my opinion.

That way he'll know for sure which one was the best.

64met,

Actually I am driving my RTi10's with 2 Outlaw 2200 mono blocks so I can't really answer that question.
One of these days when, I have nothing better to do, I am going to do some switching around and then I can see if there is any difference in sound between driving them with the 2200's as compaired to driving them with the 7500.

We have watched long movies, like LOTR, at fairly high volume and even then it does not get more than barely warm so problem there.
I have it installed in a TV stand with about 1-1/2" above it and lots of room around it and no fans.
By the way my unit is dead quiet even with your ear just a couple of inches away.
I love the look of the 7700/7500 amps. All you see is that big black face with one little blue light on the power switch. Plus it looks really good sitting next to the 990!

The LFM1-EX is an incredible piece of equipment isn't it? I upgrade to the EX from a Polk PSW505 and could not believe the difference. The Polk was a good sub but no in the same league as the Outlaw.

What pre/pro or receiver are you running?

butchgo,

I am using the Onkyo 805 right now; and the one thing that is making me lean toward outlaw now is Scott in support; man this guy is INCREDIBLE! I have sent him three-four messages today as I have been anquishing over my decision and each message has been responded to in just a few hours! That is service!! For no other reason, this might be what gets me to pull the trigger on the outlaw! Of course, the 30 day trial is nice to! I will keep you posted; thanks again for your help!

Yes, Outlaw's service is hard to beat. Don't know how it compares to Emotiva's though as I've never tried one of their products and have never dealt with them.

hey guys; another newbie question about all this.... I am married and if the boss (wife) has to turn on one more electronic gadget she will flip out! Right now; its very simple so I don't receive the dredded call... this thing isn't working!!!! We just hit M1; it turns e/thing on and M2 turns e/thing off!! So, since the 7700 and most other amps are not IR compatible... what is the workaround here? Meaning; am I missing something? How do you guys incorporate your amps (whether they are 7700 or not) into your set up? Right now the family uses the MX-500 from Universal Remote Control. Maybe, since the amp is connected via the trigger... it should just power up in theory when the receiver comes on? (so the remote issue; may not be an issue after all) Hopefully this makes sense.

Thanks again!

Amps are not IR compatible. Instead, they typically rely on a 12V trigger of some sort. Your Onkyo 805 does not offer a IR output that could trigger the 7700 (well, it has a 12V trigger, but it's for zone 2 only, which does you no good). On the other hand, it does have a switched AC outlet on the back, and you can get an AC adapter at Radio Shack that produces a DC signal high enough to trip the 7700's trigger. That way, any time the 805 is on, the amp is also on.

My wife deemed our old MX-500 remote to be the best upgrade we ever made - the M1 "turn it all on" and M2 "turn it all off" macros and the "FIXTV" button that I created for each video device (which would "fix" the TV's video input if it got messed up by accident) were instrumental in that statement. She is even more fond of the MX-700 that we're using now.

Hi,

Thxs for the reply; I realized the limitations on the Onkyo 805; however... when I spoke with Onkyo about the zone 2 question they indicated it really doesn't matter that it is labeled zone 2... it would work as a trigger for zone one. I will follow up with them again.

According to the 805's manual, the trigger "goes low" (to use their term) and ceases to output a signal whenever the second zone is off. That means that you would not be able to use it effectively as a zone one trigger. That's what pages 102 and 105 indicate.

gonk,

ok lets say that is correct; how does the AC adapter work? This entire process is becoming alot of work!!! How would I be able to incorporate this into my system... Thxs again!!

The AC converter plugs into the back of your Onkyo. It has a 12v 3.5mm cable that plugs into your amp.

When the Onkyo is on, the converter sends signal to the 12v cable turning on the amp, when the Onkyo is off it stops the signal and your amp turns off.

Alternatively, you can just leave the amp on all the time.

Home theater systems today can be a bit messy to set up (was just talking about that today with a co-worker who was in Best Buy over the weekend looking at TV's), but this is actually not a difficult trick. BloggingITGuy's description is right on target - $15 or so from Radio Shack can get you what you need. After the two-year-old goes to sleep, I'll see if I can find a link to one.

Page 8 of the 7700's manual touches on this process (just so you know we're not doing anything crazy here). The old Model 750 manual (Outlaw's original multichannel amp) says something similar and even mentions a specific Radio Shack part number, but that number no longer works. Instead, I did a couple searches at RadioShack.com. I don't know if there's an easier "all-in-one" solution than what I found at Radio Shack, but this will work. Here's what I found.

First, get an AC adapter like this one , and then get a 3.5mm "type F" Adaptaplug like this to go with it. First, turn the amp on manually. Then attach the plug to the end of the AC adapter's cord, plug the AC adapter into the accessory outlet on the 805, and plug the other end into the 7700's trigger connection. Once that is all done, the amp will turn on any time the 805 is on and turn off any time the 805 turns off.

OK; Thanks alot guys for ALL your help yesterday! And Gonk; thanks for the links!! This will definitely help me make my decision! And should keep the boss happy!

I will keep you all posted as to the outcome/purchase, etc.

Thxs again!!!!!!!!

Guys, what is the difference between the 7200 and 7700? THe specs look to be the same? For $300 more; why is the 7700 more expensive?

Thxs!

The 7700 has balanced inputs, while the 7200 does not.

The major difference between the two amps is that the 7200 has only unbalanced (RCA) inputs. The 7700 has both unbalanced and balanced (XLR) input connections. The input type on the 7700 (and 7500) may be selected per channel, running a mix of RCA and XLR cables as required. Balanced cable design offers superior immunity to noise/hum pickup in the cabling and/or due to ground loop interactions.

Actually, the differences go well beyond the types of cables that can be used.

The Model 7700 utilizes a fully differential design topology whereas the Model 7200 is a single-ended design.

A differential amplifier is sort of like having two amps per channel working with each other to control driver movement. The result of this is an amp design that is capable of a rise time that is twice as fast as a single ended amplifier.

Best,

Scott

Thanks, Scott.

I looked through the 7200 documentation before replying but couldn't find that info.

Other benefits of differential include a lower power supply rail voltage for a given output power and the ability to pull from both plus and minus power supply reserves for transient peaks.

I have my onkyo 805 12v trigger hooked up to zone 2(which i do not use)for triggering my 7500 on.i have my harmony 880 turn zone 2 on and off as if it were the amp itself.I dont know if this helps you or not,its just another idea.I like outlaw customer service good quality product,the 7500 is anyways i dont know about any other products and ITS MADE IN THE USA!!!right down the street in easton ma.

The 7500 is put together in southern California by ATI and the domestic part count in all likelyhood does not qualify it as being Made In the USA (have to be 98% domestically manufactured parts to get that stamp, which is just about impossible these days for electronics).

Outlaw's offices are in Massachusetts, hence the "Easton MA" on the back panel. All of their multichannel amps are built by ATI (the 7500, 7700, 7200, 7125, and 7075) in California and I believe are all shipped from California.