...and Im sad.

....and I think now I see why. My 970 has been back now for a few weeks (after a 2 months gone)and its starting to do it again. I have to turn it on and off once before I get any sound at all each time. The other night I had a few friends over, and right in the middle of Neil Young it started cutting out, and then I got an extended period of no sound except a strange low level digital sizzle sound. The unit is making a bad name for Outlaw to this point as this is the second time I had company over for listening and it crapped out, and I bet those folks wont be buying any Outlaw products. Luckily I have a dependable Denon upstairs I could divert us toward and carry on the party. Its a damn shame really, and to this point Ive paid for a unit that has cost me 1 round of shipping and headaches with very little actual problem free listening. Isn't there a lemon rule like a car? I mean this will be the third time, wouldn't it be more cost effective for them to replace the damn thing this time? I am very pissed to this point that I can rely on it, not to mention all the BS involved in boxing it up and shipping it back each time, hell I work normal business hrs so receiving the return shipment is a hassle too since you have to be home to sign for it. I really dont want to deal with this again...procrastination is inevitable.

My buddy who was here offered me his old sony because it still works...how embarrassing.

As much as all the folks at Outlaw are terrific to deal with and I want to support a struggling American homegrown company, this is more burden than I think I want to deal with.

/pulls hair out

How long have you had it Jimna? Is it still under warranty? Outlaw should replace it since it has been in for repair twice for the same issue. Give them a call and maybe they can work it out.

My wife bought it for me as an anniversary gift last September. I know they will fix it in some fashion, Im just burnt out on the problems. Thank God they are so easy to deal with or I would be really pissed. I will call them this week. I think dealing with the hassle again is the biggest bummer....well that and the lack of sound.

thanks for letting me vent. I went camping after posting this and I felt oddly better, even my wife noticed.

I understand your frustration. I've had a couple of 970's and both went back to Outlaw for a 'fix'. While it is a problem their customer service is great. The latest one I have was returned after a fix but has been unopened in the closet since I got an Onkyo 886. I'm probably going to open it up and put in back in my system this week to see if it's ok, especially since I'm planning on selling my 886. Hopefully the 'fix' worked. It's still under warranty so I can send it back again if there's still an issue.

I still haven't called them. This is heavy concert season and I have been recording like mad, which means I need it for my post work. I simply cant be without the unit right now. I need a consistent volume to reference as I add gain to these tapes, plus I want my sound to be static as I EQ the tapes ect, I need the sucker right now sending it back for another 2.5 moth absence isn't in the cards. So far it has only stopped working completely 3 times, the rest of the problem moments I can turn it off, walk away for a while and come back and work again.

Its really a shame, I love the unit and its sound but the dependability factor is ridiculous.

One odd thing that has become constant, every time I turn it on after sitting I get no sound and the screen has a distorted wavy lines across it until I power cycle it. The wavy lines across the screen make me wonder. Anyone care to speculate what would cause this?

A few of the guys in the bands I record think I should be using pro gear, but I think the audiophile world sounds better over all. Pro gear is designed to take the abuse of moving from city to city each day, and sound ok second. My goal was sound quality first and most importantly which my 970 delivers when its working. I think if all this wouldn't have happened that Outlaw would have made a name for itself to a quite a few people now given the amount of discerning ears that come here to pick up tapes and listen to the final cuts.

Maybe I need to just move on, I don't know.

I guess I am reading the post wrong. The 970 works but not all the time? The title of the post makes me think it is completely FUBAR. Does it matter what the source is, when it fails? Does it fails when just the radio is playing. From your description it could be either an input or an output problem. Maybe swapping the inputs around some could make it more reliable until you can send it back.

No not dead completely. Sorry to be confusing, I made this thread a while back and just reused it as I think I now see why the 970 is a discontinued unit. Its doing this with all inputs digital and video too. I haven't bothered with the analog inputs this time, but I did the first 2 times which was consistent. And FTR I have tried different IC, sources, and even have substituted my friends old Sony which worked like a champ(but sounded like a chump). I am quite convinced its the 970. Jim said he did a bunch of re-soldering this time which I felt had an improved effect on the sound quality, but not the reliability unfortunately. It has been such a ridiculous yr with this unit that I really just don't want to deal with it again.(still havent called in this time)

I guess I need to soon.

Well I called Outlaws finally after a weekend of issues. All I can say is they are a joy to work with! They are not only fixing the problem but they are doing right! These are the kinds of experiences that make me a customer for life.

Thanks Outlaw, I will sing your praises for a long time to come!


.....now about that 2 channel gear....:^)

Glad to hear that they're taking care of you.