950/7100 impending purchase

To stay in context, I am going to pull the triger. I have researched and waffled for several weeks on what to buy to replace my Onkyo receiver but I have decided to purchase the 950/7100 combo. I am still a little concerned about the age of the 950 but I still think it is worth while to go forward with the purchase. A big factor in making this choice has been this forum. It is so cool to be able to get the insight of everyday owners. Thank You!

Any last second thoughts or comments about the 950/7100 combo are welcome.

No major insights, other than the obvious - it's a great product! I am not a major audiophile by any means, but I do enjoy the sound from this (950/7100) combination. They drive 5 Orb "satellite" speakers and the sound is great. The age factor is an issue to some - PLIIx is missing, no DVI/HDMI...though personally this is not a big concern to me. Overall I have been very happy with the the build and sound quality product...you won't be disappointed.

-Mukund

I think you'll enjoy your choice - the combination of 950 and 7100 packs a lot of value and some very good performance period. Fire away...

I recently made an unbelieveable purchase of a used 950 and a 755. At my cost the 950 was almost a throw away, I only wanted the 755. I had been using a Yamaha V750 Receiver as a preamp with a mix of different power amps. I purchased two M200 B stock amps from Outlaws to completely replace the old power amps. I initially set up my configuration with the V750 as preamp with the Outlaw amps driving 2 NHT ST4s paired with 2 NHT SubOne Subs, and 5 NHT SB3s. I could imediatlely hear the difference the 755 made in the power hungry NHT speakers. After listening to some familiar CDs, HD Movie, and DVD material, I swapped out the V750 with the 950. After going through setup and calibration, I listened to the same material. My ears detected no diference in the sound quality. I do like the Auto set up feature in the V750 and it has PLIIx and I preferred these features over the 950. But since the 950 was the last setup I left it in my system. Is my test scientific, hell no. If I was in your shoes, I would buy the 7100, use the Onkyo as a preamp, if possible and wait for the new Outlaw 7.1 preamp. With that said, the 950 is an excellent preamp, at an excellent price, with excellent sound quality. You will not go wrong by purchasing the 950/7100 combo.

I've had the 950/7100 combo for over a year now. Even back then I was concerned about the age of the 950. However, it has been one heck of a performer over my old Denon receiver. The difference being in the louder volumes where there is a noticeable difference. The Denon was good but this combo is a lot better. Also, I haven't had a need for newer things like PLIIx since I don't have 7 speakers. I got it for DTS and PLII and they both work great.

I bought the 950/7100 combo in late fall of last year to replace a denon 3801 receiver and have not been disappointed. My speakers are all Polks and 4ohm . With the Denon, not rated for 4 ohms, the speakers and the sound always seemed muddy and unclear. The Outlaw combination has brought clarity and detail to every source-- and plenty of power! The sound is wonderful, which is the real reason for assembling a system!

Man, you guys are killing me. I got my 950/7100 combo 2 (count em ) 2 weeks ago and I still have not had the time to set them up. I can't wait to hear them. I want to have the time to do it right and not be rushed when I do set them up. I might sound a rookie with this question (but thats's why you guys are here), on my interconnect cables, doese the flow arrow go from the amp to the pre/pro or from the pre/pro to the amp? thanks for you help.

Arrow follows the signal, so for the pre/pro to amp the arrow points toward the amp.

I just pulled the trigger after waiting months and months and months putting it off afraid to buy. To go along with a new dvd player (panasonic S97) and my first hdtv this summer (probably a samsung 1080p 61" dlp).

Eventually I'll pull the trigger for new speakers but the ones I have now will have to do.

I purchased the 950/7100 combo 2 weeks ago to run my 5 maggies ,all 4 ohm.To say I'm satisfied would be an understatement.

excellent sound will never go obsolete - regardless of age. features are added every now and then. after everything else, it's still the sound you're after.

i upgraded early this year (jan'05)from onkyo receiver to 950/7100. and that was after months of fence sitting, reading posts at different audio boards/forum. now that i'm an owner, i can honestly say that the 950/7100 combo is a standout performer (compared to onkyo receiver and harman kardon 325 in my opinion). to fully appreciate its optimum performance, you need to set up and calibrate your system properly using an spl meter. you owe it to yourself.

have fun!

How quick does outlaw ship out stuff after its ordered?

Their FAQ says that "We typically ship all orders within five working days after receipt and clearance of your credit card data." but I think that most credit card orders are shipped within 24 hours.

They shipped my order very fast. Too fast in my case. I had it within a few days and my speakers are still 1-2 weeks out. I'll have killed at least 21 days of my 30-day trial and warranty before I can power up the gear for the first time. Bad planning on my part.

how fast is shipping? well, their 5 working days estimate is a safe one. actually, they do it VERY FAST! i'm from hawaii and when i placed my order by phone on a Wednesday, 2 days later (Friday), the 950B/7100 combo arrived. set up the system on a saturday and by sunday i was playing with the new toy. so, considering where i live, i'd say that's too good to be true - but they DID it.

Is there a good site that explains the difference between 4 ohm and 8 ohm? Is one preferred over the other? Or could someone explain this to me? All I know is that my receiver and my speakers have to match (ie both be 8 ohm).

I did a little web searching for a good summary, but haven't found much yet. Here's a novice's overview, though, which hopefully will help a bit.

I don't think anybody will relate the speaker impedance to the quality of the speaker, so from that standpoint there is no reason to limit your choices based on impedance alone. Also, it is worth noting that in every case, a speaker's impedance is a nominal rating. When you actually hook the speaker up and start feeding it a signal, the impedance will vary with the signal. A nominal 8 ohm speaker might at times dip down to or even below 4 ohms, for example.

The big issue, as you mention, is powering speakers. When designed properly, separate power amps generally can remain stable even with loads that dip as low as 2 ohms or less (which would be necessary when driving a nominal 4 ohm speaker). Receiver amp sections, however, usually are a bit more restricted. Receivers asked to drive a 4 ohm speaker will often experience problems with distortion, overheating, or even tripping overcurrent protection. If you do intend to use a receiver to drive your speakers, you will have better luck connecting it to 8 ohm speakers because of the easier load they represent.

Does that help at all?

That does help. I have seen some receivers or amps that give two different wattage outputs based on the impedance. I can't remember which one gives a higher output. Why is this?

Any time the impedance drops, the wattage an amp is capable of producing increases. We can thank Ohm's law, which can be stated as volts = watts * impedance. With the voltage fixed, lowing the impedance will increase the wattage. In theory, this means that using a lower impedance speaker can wring more power out of the same amp. The only catch there is that some amps' power supplies can't keep up with the current demands as the wattage demand increases under a low impedance load. Here is a link that my web search turned up that might be of interest to you.