unofficial 950 arrival thread

Since there's a lot of talk around here on the arrival/hope for arrival of 950's, I'm going to start a thread here -- if you get a 950 on your doorstep, post here to let everybody know. Since I received my replacement unit this morning (which I understand to be a final unit, not one of the test units that RAF, merc, and turbo have been pounding away on for the last week or so), I'll start this off: I received a 950 at 10:30 or so this morning.

I've got the replacement unit in place and hooked up. There's still a lot of setup to do to get it squared away, and I'm going to start over with the remote setup (got most of it done, just need to teach it some extra commands and a macro or two, but I figure I can get it a little better after experience from the first time around). It works fine and sounds great. I will add to my review in a week or so (see my sig below) after I've gotten it settled in and listened to it some. Unfortunately, I don't have any more information than anybody else on shipping so I don't know what the schedule is, but I would expect things to start cranking in the next couple days if they haven't already.

EDIT:
Number of 950's reported delivered since 4/30/02 -- 55 (including reports from other threads. also including werner52!)
Where we are on the reservation list -- August/September. Almost done with reservations?

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

[This message has been edited by gonk (edited September 30, 2002).]

Great idea, gonk! I'll be watching this closely.

And for the record, I sure as heck hope that "Unit #3" that I and merc and the other beta testers received is the final version. Since our last task was to check it out to make sure that it was right to start sending out the door I'd hate to learn that there's a later "version."

I'm not thrilled about swapping out a 950 in my system for a fourth(!) time. (And I'm very confident that my unit is the final director's cut.


Eagerly awaiting the arrival of units in others' hands....

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RAF

My HT (latest update 04/17/02) Now includes Outlaw 950 and Outlaw 755

yay. message received at 1:18 central time.
edit: i ordered mine using the ground option. however, when i check the dhl site, it says that the outlaws used the next day service instead.



April 29, 2002 15:20 Long Beach, CA - USA Shipment picked up
April 29, 2002 18:23 Long Beach, CA - USA Departing origin
April 30, 2002 08:03 Minneapolis-Downtown, MN - USA Scheduled for delivery
April 30, 2002 10:42 Minneapolis-Downtown, MN - USA Shipment delivered




[This message has been edited by ltkhuc (edited April 30, 2002).]

ltkhuc,
What number were you on the order list?

Do you know where you were in line,ltkhuc? I haven't heard anything from them yet, and if I read their numbering scheme correctly, I was #35. Gonna be glued to the laptop for the rest of the day, I guess... ;-)

i believe i'm the 17th on the list.
reservation: 10:00 pm
confirmation message: 10:02 pm

Thanks for the info ltkhuc,
I'm number 55 and will be posting here as soon as I hear anything as well. Hopefully I'll have my 950 by Friday.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

They're shipping from LONG BEACH!!!!???!!!

Hell. I'll just drive over and pick mine up!!!

Boy - I hope they convert EVERYONE to next-day. I did ground because I thought they were coming from NH. Well, at least it's good to know they're rolling...

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!

But I'm at work!!!!!!!!!

And I'm not getting out of here until midnight!

This is just not fair!

:-(

Mark

BTW, as I stated in another thread, I believe I was No. 15.

I swear, you guys are killin' me... ;-)

Sure will be happy when they get through the first day or even hour of the List. Someone wake me if they get one and had a reservation date of 12/18/01!

How do you know what number you were?

I know my number but how does the numbering sceme work?

Jon,
I believe the numbering goes like so: If your user number was 1XXX when you received the go ahead to order then XXX is your number. I could be totally wrong though.

[This message has been edited by Sean D (edited April 30, 2002).]

I believe your number is your reservation number - 1000.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

I believe the thinking on the numbers is that your place in line is equal to the user ID number that Outlaw emailed to you, minus 1000. The information we don't have is how many people in front of you dropped off the list, meaning you'll get your unit sooner. It should be a good 'worst case' number though.

Of course, if we're only on #17, there's a long way to go. Still no charge on my credit card, and I'm in the low 100's.

We don't even know if Outlaw has more than 100 units stateside at the moment. There could be a long delay between the first 100 and next 100 shipped. Some were theorizing they had 200 units stateside.

I sincerely wish Outlaw would just let people know roughly when those of us very early on the list (say, the first hour) should expect their units. This probably represents a few hundred units at most. Knowing if we can expect them this week, next week, next month would be plenty.

Given their latest newsletter, it could take up to _three weeks_ from when they first said it would take _two weeks_ to let people know when to expect units. I find it frustrating that they're dragging their feet on this, knowing people are hanging on their every word. It's cruel, but perhaps not unusual.

Time for a positive attitude
(my day needs it)

I am SURE Outlaw is currently implementing a new email system to allow everyone to get an up to date status on their system being delivered. I am also sure the overseas deliveries are in the air as we speak.

*disclaimer*
I have no real idea. But makes me feel better readin it

I'm also in the low 100's, and very fustrated that I may have missed the first shipment by a matter of seconds. I'm hoping that either enough people ahead of me dropped out to bump me into the first batch of 100, or that they already have more than 100 units stateside.

Although I would VERY much appreciate some sort of indication from the Outlaws on this... it's inexcusable for them to leave us hanging like this. Two weeks is nonsense; I was within days of receiving my unit when shipments were halted.

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Matthew

For what it's worth, my new serial number is in the mid-280's (old unit was around 50). I'm guessing that they've got a pile of at least 250 950's, with some of those lost to the dropout/S-video problem and subsequent testing. Probably more, unless they shipped me that last one to hit the states. Pure, utterly unofficial estimation/assumtion on my part, but it still seems like a fairly reasonable guess and there are supposed to be more units following by air. As for the "100 units" figure that has appeared around here, I may have missed it but I don't know where it came from -- I wonder if it was pulled out of the air or had some basis in fact at some point.

We've also got at last count three delivered units now -- and that's just Saloon members.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Remember this...do you really think they would only put 100 units on a flight? You are proabbly looking at a crate full of 950's.

That is probably like 250 or 500 even

Well, I noticed my debit card just took about a $2600 hit, about what the 950/770 combo would be. Still no email, but hopefully this is a good sign. Was #46, if the numbering system theory holds true.

Yes, that is good news. If your card was charged just now, I can extrapolate and guess that my unit will be shipped either Thursday or Friday. I hope.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Not so fast, Matthew! ;-) I'm #35, and haven't been charged or emailed yet. However, I just called to see if they knew when I was goona be charged, and am waiting for a call back. Good news, since it means they aren't working 9 to 5 EST. If I find out that I was charged and/or shipped, I'll post again...

I WAS CHARGED AND I AM 33!!!!!!!! I FEEL LIKE I WON THE FREAKIN LOTTERY WOOOHOOOO!!!

OK, I'm bummed.

I'm 20th on the list, have placed my order, yet no e-mail confirms today.

Can it be that they're limited to shipping 15 units per day initially? I would be extremely surprised if this is the case...

OK,

I take it back. I just looked at my checking account at 4:45pm PDT; it looks like they've taken the money out but no e-mail on tracking # yet.

The money just went out ~ 1-2 hours ago.

Is it ok to get excited yet? Has the Fat Lady sung?

Bodega,

Check your credit card. It seems that it's de rigeur for the shipping confirmation emails to arrive well after they've been shipped. It's possible you've been billed and they shipped your unit, but you have not yet received the confirmation email.

I am number 58 and just checked my Amex card. Has not been charged yet. From the looks of things, I might see a delivery on Friday.

I see the Outlaws are using DHL. The Outlaws may not be aware that if they ship from Long Beach most California orders using UPS Ground, delivery should be the next day to most CA locations from Sacramento area and the North Bay area on south to the Mexican border. UPS does not promise next day delivery but if the weather is good (which it is) they have a very high percentage delivery the next day and virtually 100% the second day.

So if the Outlaws are upgrading the ground option to overnight delivery, it does not make much sense for them to eat the additional cost for most CA addresses if they can ship UPS ground.

I JUST GOT MINE DELIVERED BOYS !!!!! I AM SURE THE WAIT WILL BE FINALLY OVER FOR EVERYONE IN A SHORT WHILE. REVIEW TO COME LATER AFTER THE FUN. WOOOHOOO I LOVE WINNING THE LOTTERY BUT THIS IS TWICE AS NICE. THANKYOU OUTLAWS

Jeff,

Congratulations!

Are you sure you're #33? As in 1033? If so, I'm perplexed why I've not received mine as I'm # 1020...

Bodega,

I imagine DHL will arrive at a different time of day depending on where you live. I wouldn't expect that people are going to actually receive them in sequential order once DHL has picked up the daily lot of them from Outlaw.

Has anyone seen any charges on their cards yet today?

So far I think the highest number we've seen go out was a bit less than 50...

125 can't come fast enough!

My Outlaw made it to my apartment this a.m.

Only good thing to happen this week. Almost thought I was going to have to spend the money on getting my car repainted after some bastard keyed it.

------------------
Stott

Stott,

What was your #?

IT'S HERE!! IT'S HERE!! IT'S HERE!!!

I think I was #68

Oh, Prefect (below) it was 1068

[This message has been edited by bobliinds (edited May 01, 2002).]

I think that sets the current high number record! Was your number 1068, or are you unsure of the "68" part?

I haven't been this anxious since waiting to be accepted for college, sheesh....

Woo hoo! Can mine (#110) be that far behind?

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

950 arrived on doorstep @ 11:05a PST
Reservation #: 1037

Bob,

are you sh*tin" me! I'm #62 and your #68! Great news since i have to pick up my unit in the States. For sure by tomorrow it should be there then. Finally the wait is over!

Damn, with this post i'm now a "gunslinger" too. Pretty fitting dont you think?

[This message has been edited by power (edited May 01, 2002).]

I just got my UPS tracking number.....I hate UPS! I guess they don't have any other shipper going to Canada even though I chose overnight shipping.
For the record I was number 55

Number 46 is home. Yeehaw!! Much obliged, Outlaws.

Ok...

I just received confirmation from Jamen@Outlaw.

Reservation #1020
Shipped: 4-30-02 due 5-2-02 in Reno
Method: UPS Ground (I chose this method)

Finally, the fat lady has sung...

Jamen is fat? I've never met her.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

i don't know about that but she has a really nice voice

She called me once on the telephone (to get me the 755) but I don't really remember what her voice sounded like. I think I was just so happy to get a 755 that I really wasn't paying attention to anything else.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

# 75 is on its way

#71 is already here in Phx, Az!

(I think I was #71?- it was several years ago so I'm not 100% sure -heh)

I'm sure UPS'll sit on it for at least a few days though! Wish I could go to their dist. center and pick it up myself today!

Wow, they really are moving through the list pretty quickly. Good thing, at that.

I only wish they'd send out tracking numbers (or at least a shipping confirmation notice) when the units are loaded onto the truck... I'm at work now and I have no way of knowing if my 950 has been sitting on my porch for 8 hours already or not.

I'm thinking today may be an early day for me.

I think that's an icon of a tree I selected for this post but I'm not really sure. I just thought it looked interesting.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Wish I had that problem, Matthew! #35 is on its way to me, but I picked ground assuming it would come from Outlaw headquarters - would've done overnight if I knew it was comin' from the West! Oh, well... at least it's finally coming!

Woohoo! A charge just showed up on my credit card! I should have my 950 tomorrow!

I was #121, for the record.


[This message has been edited by Prefect (edited May 01, 2002).]

what a strange company Outlaw is in a good way of course. Peter just called me on the phone to make sure that i got my order and the package was fine. he also said that they've been watching EVERY single post that i've written here. gulps i will post my thoughts on the 950 later tonight.

#66 is here!!! Already have my 755 so my wife may not see me much for the rest of the week(end) .

Hmm, I *just* checked my credit card, and there is no charge there, yet. I remember being about #110 or so, so I'm not sure what's going on here...

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Matt,

Maybe your credit card company has a delay in reporting new charges? I know mine is instantaneous, but I can't imagine they all are like that. My regular bank account has a huge (~24hr) delay in showing new transactions.

There's still hope...

Gentlemen:

Jamen may sing from time to time, but I assure you she is NOT the Opera Lady. Here is our Jamen:

gentelmen,
that's not funny. i was NOT talking about Jamen. she's always been helpful for my orders.

the fat reference was for "it ain't over till the fat lady sings" - which apparently it is over since customers are receiving their 950s - me included.

sorry if my post was confusing.

I guess I should have put more smiley faces in there. I did NOT mean to imply that Jamen was fat... It was (I thought) an obvious facetious remark.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

It is probably related to type of shipping and state. It may also be they simply do not like the name Matt. JUST JOKING!!!!

Honestly, it may be as simple as some emails take longer to route then others. I am just happy I am hopefully getting one soon. (115)

re: Jamen ...

And gent's, believe me - she looks even better and is even nicer in person! {sigh} If only I were 10 to 15 years younger and a hundred pounds lighter ...


re: 950 deliveries ...

Are we thru the first day yet?

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pat----

email: pat@sklenar.info ---===--- home page: Grumpy's Lair

I don't think we're even close to being through the first day yet..

I was #121 and my confirmation was at 22h15 Eastern time.

It's pretty hard to extrapolate out to the rest of the night. I suspect a lot of the activity was right within the first hour.

My 950 arrived today at 1:00PM PST!!! Yeah! Unfortunately, I'm over 1000 miles east of home in Colorado so I've got another week until I get to check it out. FYI - my reservation number was 1084.

Alright then. At #1122, I should see my unit within the next few days. yeeesh!

Prefect, hmmm, my confirmation was at 7:32pm PST so 16 minutes went by in the first hour w/o a reservation? Weird if true.

[This message has been edited by bng (edited May 01, 2002).]

I was at 10:17, and I'm pretty sure I'm #110... Starting to think maybe I remembered wrong, though...

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

My card got charged today. My number was 1134. Now I'm wishing I had opted for next
day delivery.

No. 87 on the list, no charge on my CC, no email, no 950.

Siiiiiiiigh.

BB

Something is definitely very odd here. I'm *sure* I am below 1134.

I sure hope it comes tomorrow...
(been saying that for months, I guess...)

Still no charge, though. I guess it could be that my cc is really slow... it never was in the past, though...

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

[This message has been edited by Matthew Hill (edited May 01, 2002).]

Matthew, I was about 10:30 west coast time, and I'm #150. No change on my credit card yet, and yes, I'd drive the 30 minutes to Long Beach to pick it up (I had chosen DHL). It's time to clear the cobwebs on the lonely empty stereo cabinet spot waiting for my 950!

I should have posted earlier. I was 1041

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Stott

Number 1067 (or thereabouts anyway) arrived at 8am Wednesday morning. The email notification that the unit was shipped arrived about 5 hours later. Thanks Outlaw!

its been so long and my computer crashed my hard drive long ago, i know i have a reservation, but can someone run thru the process. Did we get a number? does outlaw request your credit card number or did I already give it to them months ago. Please run thru the steps if you know.

#1038 is on the way from CERRITOS to Tucson,UPS.
Should be here later today.
Tom

#121 just arrived in Boston, MA.

I'll have more to report later - busy day at work, and I'm going to try to savor it and open it later this evening over a bottle of wine.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
I've never been happier to get a charge on my debit card! Looks like a $950 is on it's way to Culver City, California! (I'm #150)

Still #87. Still no charge on my CC. Still no email. Still no 950.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

Got my tracking number yesterday. Resvr #1051 on its way to Dallas as of Wednesday. It is via UPS form Cerritos, CA.

------------------

Brandon B,

If you're within the range of numbers that we know have shipped, I'd say you have a good reason to give them a call.

Alright, it's 2:30 PM, and still no 950 and no credit card charge. What on earth is going on? I *know* it should have shipped by now.

I *really* want to have this thing by the weekend so I can enjoy it, and show it off to my friends... Another 950less weekend may just throw me into a tailspin.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Matt - same advice to you as with Brandon. Give them a buzz. Note the last newsletter didn't say anything about not calling them.

I got charged!!!! This is the first time I wanted the credit card statement to go up!!!!!

oooohhh better not let the GF see that. She might get the idea I like it.

Question to MDAnderson in particular, if you ck back in this zone.

What was the shipping charge to Dallas? (950 or 950/770 combo?)

I think in the nxt wk or two, I might look into, - cutting Outlaw a check now and prepaying. I have a trip the last week of May. My reserv. was not till about 12-23, but I'm beginning to worry it's possible I might have an "order window" conflict now which could occur during the 8 days I'll be gone.

Yowza! It's on it's way to my house as we speak. It hit San Jose at 3am this morning and should be delivered today. Man, I better get working on my DIY cables. I haven't even started yet. I figured early next week since as of this morning, my CC hadn't even been charged.

BTW, my order # was 1122 and I got email confirmation at 7:32pm PST. Good luck to the rest!

Bob

I would think you'd know in advance, as they've been sending out the e-mails 10 days before the window begins. You should be okay as long as you don't receive the e-mail before you leave for your trip.

edit: clarifying that this is a response to Smart Little Lena's post on the other page.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

[This message has been edited by Matthew Hill (edited May 02, 2002).]

Good News! unit number 1106 arived in Spring Lake MI this morning at 11:00 am ( it is not mine , but it is my friends and he is not a member of the saloon, so i am passing on the info for him) time to go listen to it! (finaly )

#77 is being held at the DHL office. I'm leaving now to pick it up.

I am now officially a gunslinger! Well, not really but any minute. I got my tracking number today and it says it will be delivered today. There is something gramatically wrong with that sentence but I am too giddy to care. Just in case you all are wondering who the heck I am, I usually post over at HTF but I do read here often. I will post my initial response later tonight or sometime tomorrow.
Edit : I was number 116


[This message has been edited by Jed M (edited May 02, 2002).]

I wasnt kidding about minutes. Its here! I will get back with you all later. And by the way, the 770 is freakin HEAVY!

I still feel left out Jed. I see you recieve it at HTF then have to watch here as well.

I am 115. You WERE 116. You have your 950 and I do not. I am going to go cry now.

Well not really, I will probably just drink a couple pints of guiness and once again enjoy Hall DSP (cheap mans version of DTS).

Don't feel bad, i'm #62 with nothing yet. I'll wait another day to see if my unit arrives...

LOL

Well it seems I made a boo boo. I was 154 NOT 115. (I am an engineer and can barely read my own writing half the time).

SOOOOOO at least now I am not deathly jealous of Jed. Just plain jealous.

Jon

You seem to be the highest number yet. When did you get on the waiting list?

No idea. You all will hate me for this, but I accidently found the reserve link upon my first visit to Outlaw when reading about the pre/pro from AVSForum.

I think about 2:30 Tuesday. Does that sound right?

I will be shipping out tonight according Jamen. I had a CC issue I had to resolve and she said all is good and I should be out the door this evening.

I feel like a 4 yr old.

Heh, heh, heh. You can now remove me from the "annoyed" column and put me into the column of "happy customer".

Well, it's a long story, though. But not too long, I guess. I actually went home at lunch today to see if the 950 was outside my door. No luck. I'd left a note to DHL to please leave the package w/o a signature if he missed me, just in case. Then I came home from work at around 6:00 and though for SURE I'd see the 950. Nope.

Well, I decided to check my e-mail, in a huff, when I noticed a letter from Jamen. My first thought was, "this letter has the reason why my 950 isn't here yet." Well, no, it actually was a form letter with a tracking number. Now, this is very much contrary to my previous Outlaw experience: the product ALWAYS arrives before the tracking number.

So, confused, I visited the DHL page and put in the tracking number, and noticed that it made its merry way here to Mount Laurel, and the last entry was "1st delivery attempt." First attempt? What? It came here, the guy knocked on my door, didn't find me, ignored my note, didn't leave a "sorry we missed you notice," and left? How?

So, I read a bit further and there was a note that said "Driver could not find address. Please call DHL." Hmm, they never were unable to find me before, and I order almost everything from them. I guess "Drunks Handling Letters" is about right; the driver must have been on the sauce today.

So I call up, and get a very helpful lady, who asks to verify my address, and then asks if I can give her directions that she can give to the driver for another attempt tomorrow morning. I griped a bit, and she apologized, saying it must have been a new driver. So, I asked which way he would be coming from, and she said "Moorestown," which is one town over from me.

So, of course, I asked if I'd be able to pick it up today, since that is so close to me. She said sure, and gave me directions; the office would be open to 8:00 PM tonight.

So, I hopped in my car, headed over there, and picked it up. When I arrived, it was actually already sitting on the counter already. I couldn't believe I had it in my hands! The drive home was horrible, with it there beside me on the seat. It took me about 45 minutes both ways (turns out Moorestown is larger than I remembered it) but it was well worth it.

So, I'm unpacking it, setting it up... and you probably won't hear from me on this forum for a few days. Sorry, but I have a feeling that I'm going to be busy.

Peace, all.

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Matthew - Several of us have waited a long time until you got your 950. Personally, I have followed this thread to find out when/if you received your unit. Tonight we celebrate. Congratulations!

Now we're waiting on your review.

Regards - Gene

Hear Hear congratulations Matt! Hope you enjoy it as much as everyone has said

Smart Little Lena,
I believe my shipping charge to Dallas via UPS ground is around $28-30.00

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My reservation number is 123 and my 950 was delivered in Michigan at about 2:00 PM EST on May 2nd.

My 950 arrived in Las Vegas Thursday at 4:20 p.m. and I should have it Friday morning. This is my first AV preamp and I will have a little bit of a learning curve getting it set up. I have been following 950 development for many months and recieved my registration reply seventeen minutes after the opening bell. # 111 is in town and almost in my hands.

Matthew -- Great news! I was hoping yours would reach you before the weekend.

I'm off = to add two more to the "received" count.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

OK, I'm mildly perturbed.

I'm #87, but I just called, and mine didn't even go out until last night, and the email is just now going out.

I guess they are not strictly following the numerical order.

Anyone know if DHL delivers on Saturday like FedEx ground? If I don't get it today, I'm going to be kind of cheesed off.

BB

If it went out by DHL last night, it will most likely arrive today. In fact, some people have reported getting their units delivered before the tracking number e-mail arrived.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

number 1187 has just received the 950. No e-mail.

If your'e not home, do they still leave the pony too? It's kind of hot where I live.

Gaaaaaaah.

BB

They only leave the pony if there's a bowl of water and a fenced field for it -- you did leave out a bowl of water in the back yard, didn't you?

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

OK, Ed posted while I was typing.

Now I am cheesed off, and will remain so until I have mine. He is 100 later than me in the queue, and still got his before me. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

But congrats to you Ed. Enjoy.

BB

Brandon: Don’t forget the ‘bowl’ of hay, you know, - that cute little one from the pet store with the horseshoe designs on the sides.

MDAnderson: Thanks so much , hope my query wasn’t intrusive!

Brandon,

I'm not peeved and i'm 20 something people ahead of you. I called and Outlaw confirmed the 950 was shipped out yesterday. I don't know why it shipped out only yesterday since some people in the 100's were receiving their units but i won't complain. It would be nice to have mine by the weekend though but i guess since i have been waiting a LOOONG time for this piece, a couple of days later won't make much of a difference Let's just say that i have acquired alot of patience through this whole ordeal.

In the meantime, i hope you guys enjoy your units!

[This message has been edited by power (edited May 03, 2002).]

I ran out of patience a while ago as I am also waiting on some parts to repair my sub, and have been without one for a month. Also, have not had time ot build my DIY speakers that I have had the parts for since September

My kid goes to sleep shortly after I get home from work, so if I don't get mine today, I have to wait until the following Saturday to play.

And I don't want to wait. I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna.


BB

OK, I can quit whining. It's on a UPS truck due here today sometime.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!


BB

My 950 arrived this morning in So Cal via UPS Ground. It was delivered an hour before I got the tracking e-mail from Jamen!

I got my order confirmation on Dec 14 at 10:05 am Pacific and my reservation number was 1201. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Kinda surprised - but mine is on the truck - may be at my house now. I'm in San Diego, so it gets here quick from the origination location of Cerritos CA (left at 6pm last night).

Customer ID=1212 - I guess that means I'm order #212?

Bad timing for me - can't even take it out of the box tonight - I'm leaving town for 4 days. And I JUST boxed up my HT system this morning for a minor house remodel. I will be unable to even demo the unit before the 30 days is up. I sure hope I like it, because it may be too late to send back if I first hook it up in June.

Because of the timing of the 950 delivery, I thought about delaying the shipment and letting someone who could listen immediately get mine. But I would have to go to the end of the list (which is fine with me), AND miss out on the free interconnect (which is NOT fine!). Oh well. maybe my Pal Tom in SB wants to check mine out. Tom - are you out there?

Cheers,
Chris

Woohoo! turned to ArgghhArgghh! when I stayed home today to await the arrival of #150, only to have DHL try to deliver to the wrong address, then leave when there was no one there (I found a DHL note on my neighbor's door when I went to get something in my car). Doesn't DHL know that these are lone awaited 950's being delivered to people now on the edge?
Well, I complained to DHL, and they're going to try to come back before 6:00pm. I even offered to get in my car and drive around Los Angeles until I hunt down, I mean find the right DHL van (DHL suggested I not help them this way for what they said were security reasons). Well, another day lost, but hopefully not the night!

I just got the confirmation e-mail from Outlaw today with the UPS tracking number, the unit was shipped out Thursday. I opted for ground so it will be late next week before it gets to me on the East coast. I can wait, although the pony may arrive first. Better head to the feed & seed store!

Reservation # 208, originally reserved on 12-14-01

The Package left Cerritos, CA last night en route to NJ via UPS. My # was 1118. I am trying to be nonchalant. Does anybody believe me?
(almost completely over mono)
Mono Man

Same boat, Mono (#35). I'm looking at Tuesday, I think. Trying to maintain composure, but I think I'm losing the battle...

#150 arrived safely! DHL came back (this time bothering to read the unit # after my address). Woohoo again!

#71 still not here! Stupid UPS got it two days ago, but sat on it for a day. The next day they came I was home and obviously expecting it, but somehow missed them!?!?!

I checked the front door ~5pm when they usually come, and find a note saying they tried to deliver it at 5pm!? WHA-!?!?! Where was I? I was HERE?! I heard nothing!!

My doorbell works perfectly and my door even makes a nice loud sound when you hit it with your hand! What the $%#$^'s wrong with those idiots!? MAN!!!

Called the useless 800# that tells you in a computer voice that they were there at 5pm. VERY helpful! If I could've talked to a human I could've probably gotten them to come right back here!

It's 4:50 now and I better get this thing any minute!!! The helpful UPS 'tried to deliver' sticker has diff. time frames listed to help me know when they'll show up today.... they checked ALL the times off!!! Nice!!! lazy punks!

I better not miss having this thing over the weekend or some brown jumpsuited jerk's getting a power amp to the skull!

Last time UPS came to deliver something (panamax 5100) they walked up to the door attached a note saying they missed me (no knock at all) then proceeded to walk back to his truck.....all this as I WATCHED from the upstairs window.

Talk about pissed!!

I received the magic email and placed my order today #254

Are we through the first day yet?

How 'bout posting when you ordered along with when you recieve. Let us get an idea cornologically where we are.

I *never* use UPS anymore, unless I can't ship any other way. DHL will obey your wishes, whether they be to hold the package for you, or to just leave it on the doorstep. UPS ignores my notes completely. ("UPS: if I miss you, please leave package on step", etc.) They won't even leave it for you if you call ahead of time. Every time a package comes for me I have to go pick it up from them or arrange for an alternate delivery location. So, I've stopped using them entirely.

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Jacket Fan,

Yes they are through the first day. In fact, they are almost through the first week of the List. I received my email to order on 5/4/02. My reservation date was 12/18/01, and I have seen later ones also. Hope this helps. Later, Don

Got mine yesterday about 4pm PST.

More UPS gripes. In a sealed, fairly sound proof house, I heard the UPS guy DROP the box on my concrete step before he rang the bell (and dashed madly back to his truck before being forced to endure contact with a human). Opened the door, it's there on its side.

No damage though.

Outlaw MIGHT want to consider adding FRAGILE - ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT to the sides of their box!? Would love to hear the reason they haven't.

It's all hooked up and working nicely though, so no harm, no foul, I guess.

BB

I had a few friends that worked for UPS, the fragile marking is nothing more than an invitation to a bunch of bored people.

i received my email late friday night...#1363

There are four icons on the side of the box which I would interpret as "Keep this side facing upwards," "Handle this box carefully," "Don't get this wet," and "We put this number nine here with two underlines to confuse and annoy you."

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Just curious, how do people know their place in the reservation line? Did earlier reservations come with a number in the confirmation?

I received my confirmation for the waitlist on 1/10/2002 with no further details, so I know I am further back on the list.

Ron

Ron

You should eventually receive an e-mail with directions on how to place your actual order (give them a credit card number, address, etc.) -- that address will include a username for the order page that will be a number. That's the number people have been referring to.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Question:

There was talk about the Outlaws
supplying some free interconnects
as a goodwill gesture to people who
have hung on the 950 waiting list. Was
that talk or fact?

Eddyboy

[This message has been edited by eddyboy (edited May 05, 2002).]

The interconnects are included for anyone who got on the waiting list before Christmas.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thank you Mr Gonk, sir.

Eddyboy

with no charge right Gonk? I think they've made a mistake with my order .. already sent them an email.

Someone please help!
How long does it take from the time an order is placed til the 950 is delivered (Denver, Colorado)?
I recieved my e-mail to convert reservation to an order Fri 5/3 #390 (reservation 12/24). I will be out of town 5/11 thru 5/18, so will not be able to recieve shipment til 5/19, unless they can deliver before 5/10. I am anxious yo recieve 950 and free cables so I do not want to lose my place in line. Should I confirm today or wait til Thurs 5/16, which will be the end of my 7 day window. Thenks to anyone who can answer my question!
Frank C

FrankC -- Best bet is to let the Outlaws know your situation and ask them to coordinate the shipment of the 950. Nobody really knows for sure what the shipping schedule will be for the orders that are beyond the first few hours of reservations, but the Outlaws should be able to work something out with you.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Gonk,
Thanks for the quick reply. Can I do the coordination when I make my reservation on the web or should I call them direct before or after I confirm my order on the web? Thanks again! FrankC

Hey guys,

Is Dec 24th the latest anyone has seen the order mail go out so far? My reservation was placed on Jan 9th and I can't wait to get this thing in the house for a showdown with the 1066. Sounds like I'm pretty close.

brianca.

FrankC -- I'd give them a call tomorrow on the 866-OUTLAW2 number, ask Scott or Mike how best to handle it. There is a place on the order form to include a note, but it's possible that they have information that would make it all unnecessary (or they can tell you what they'd need in that note).

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thanks Gonk, I'll call in AM.

Brianca, I'm #390, my order was placed 12/24 and I recieved my E-mail Fri 5/3 @ 9PM.

Thanks, Frank.

Was you e-mail the same as the ones before allowing you to order in 10 days? If so, it sounds like you'll be away during your order window.

brianca

Outlaw 950 arrived today at 2:43pm-left on porch. Resvr # was 1051. I will post my review as soon as I get a chance. Can't wait!

------------------

Called Outlaw today and explained my situation. They said they are shipping 1-2 days after order placed and arrival depends on type of shipping and where 950 shipped to. Said I could give instructions for desired arrival time in directions box.
FrankC

Whoops, accidentally posted this to the review thread.. Anyway...

It's hard to believe. After 6 months of battling it out on the online forums with both the "bashers" and the "cheerleaders", feeling my blood pressure rise while watching movie after movie in their lame pro-logic glory - I filled out a form yesterday, and the 950 was waiting for me at my office this morning. Just like that?
I feel cheated because there wasn't any kind of Halo around the box, voices from the sky as I opened it, or anything even vaguely similar to the opening scene of "The 5th Element" happening.

Just another black audio box to add to the collection? We'll see.

The (not so) funny thing is, for the first time in the 10 years I've owned them, my main speakers are in the shop waiting for parts (I can't wait to find out what two new B&W 804 Matrix tweeters will cost). DOH!

But no obstacle is too great with a new 950 in the rack. My surrounds will become my surrogate mains as I rip through my CD collection tonight.

You were expecting a review? After the long 950 saga, I felt just the existential experience of actually receiving it justified its own review. More to follow after I get my mains back.

Number 35 is sitting on my doorstep... FINALLY!

'K, guys. Took about 15 minutes to get this baby into my system (helps if you're coming from basically zero). Learning curve's gonna be steep - I'm upgrading from a Pioneer DPL receiver. Set the trim levels, set the speaker distances, popped in Diana Krall Live In Paris... OH MY GOD!!!!!!

Obviously, my reference point is WAY ancient, but this sucker is everything I hoped for and more. Checked for the noise floor problem - like most others, if I press my ear against the speaker cloth, I can hear a hiss. Move about an inch away, total silence. I don't think I have to worry about taking advantage of the free trial period. This thing's staying.

If I notice anything worth commenting on as I add sources and experiment, I'll post. But first impressions mean a lot, and this thing's all I could have asked for...

Any new e-mails this week? Have we made it to January yet?


brianca..

My 950 arrived today!!!!

Reserved 12/18/01

Remember what the April newsletter said:

"We're doing everything we work through the reservations list as quickly as possible, but please keep in mind that the list is quite long and it may still be another 30 to 60 days before everyone gets their unit. For those who are asking where we are in terms of the actual list, one indicator for you is that the confirmation letter with ordering instructions has gone out to about 15% of the number of names on the total list, and that at this point we are still working on reservations taken in December. However, as more units arrive from the factory and we automate and adapt additional aspects of the order process, the number of daily shipments should increase dramatically."

Which means everyone on the list should have their unit by the first week of June.

------------------
No matter where you go, there you are.

mj

Okay I really hope I have something waiting for me at home today or at least a note saying they missed me. Quite a few people have received theirs already that are 2-4 days behind me on the list GRRRRRRR

I was 1236, and recieved notice today that my unit shipped on 5/7. Hopefully I will have it this weekend!
Now I just need new speakers. My NHT VT2's were just too big and boomy for the small apt I am now living in, and the Axiom M22ti's have seriously under-whelmed me. They just cannot handle the volume and bass I like, lots of buzzing on acoustic bass.

It arrived today. Finally! Reserved on 12/16/01. Back to work (on installing the 950 that is)!
PS-- I like the looks of the unit-- clean, business-like. No "Tokyo after dark" look here!

[This message has been edited by steves (edited May 08, 2002).]

Anyone know if the Outlaws are still planning on sending out e-mail to everyone on the list to let them know when to expect theirs?

brianca

Well it arrived yesterday. I was able to order it on Friday of last week. I beleive i'm like 256. It was about 40 hours after the start of the reserve time.

I will be posting a review ASAP. I want to get a little more time on it before I do it though. It will be in direct comparison to the REF30 which I had in my system for about a week. (its my brothers, so I might be able to do a side by side as well)

Jeff

I am number 1322 and have recieved an e-mail that the 950 is in route. Reservation date was 12/19 at 11:59AM mountain time.

TPS

Finally:
Ta dah!!!
Yesterday my 770 landed in a carton that looked like it was tossed around by Zeus (By the Gods it is heavy) and early this evening 950 Reservation #1118 arrived at my doorstep with cables and ICBM (You can chalk this one up Gonk). I was pleased that UPS obeyed the instructons in my note to leave it by the door.

Next adventure: to unpack and connect...comments to follow..

Mono (fading into oblivion) Man

BigJeff -- looking forward to your comparison to the Ref 30. I've been going back and forth trying to figure out if the Ref 30/7270 are worth spending the extra $$ over the 950/770. Upgradability via firewire seems like a big plus on the Ref 30, but the 950/770 is so much less expensive. I could probably get the 950 now and the forthcoming higher end Outlaw pre/pro later, and still save money over the cost of the Ref 30/7270. Thanks!

[This message has been edited by mhoward (edited May 10, 2002).]

#1231 is in the rack! Ordered late 12/14/02.

My work has just begun. The old Sony ES components are going to the bedroom. The cabling from there to the 950/770 in the home theater is complete. Wiring to the dining room and deck speakers is done. I'm in the process of installing the rear surrounds.

What I can tell you is that owning this 950/770 combo is like having a 1000 concert tickets. The only serious listening I did last night was to my four month old SACD player in 5.1 surround for the first time. I closed my eyes for one song. I thought I was going to have to drive home.

WOW!
Patrick

Right side of rack, bottom shelf.




------------------
pat----

email: pat@sklenar.info ---===--- home page: Grumpy's Lair

-- You were number 31 in my count, Pat. And the first with a picture, I might add. (The picture of Jamen doesn't count, even though she is prettier than a 950.)

Nice site update, by the way.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

My 950 arrived yesterday in the afternoon
I took off work 3 hours early to go play with the new toy and what a joy it has been so far.

My order # was 1254.

It's here!
Only problem so far, I am having problems getting my Sony DSS to lock on optical input. Tried 2 different optical cables, still no luck. My DVD locks on perfectly on coax tho.

I reserved 12/27 and recieved my invitation to order a few hours ago 5/17 at 5:07 pm CDT. My order is in and hopefully on the way soon. Thanks to all who posted here. It helped to see how things were unfolding and gave me a sense for how long it would be.

Troy

I reserved 1/14 and received my invitation to order today 5/17 3pm PST to order. #1538



[This message has been edited by bbarden (edited May 17, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by bbarden (edited May 18, 2002).]

Howdy Folks,

This is my first post and I am excited. I received my order notification today. I am # 1525, and I got on the wait list 1/12/02. I responded and placed my order just minutes ago. I just went back to check, and I have already received the order confirmation email. It doesn't provide an expected ship date, but I will post again when it is on the way, so people still on the list can get an idea of timeframe from order to ship date.

- Skyfish

Reservation confirmation: 1/10/2002
E-mail invitation: 5/17/2002 5:12p
Order number: 1510

Ron

To the guys that have already received their 950 and/or 770's.

How does DHL work?
I ordered from Jamen on Friday Morning, She stated 'You will probably not get the tracking # email on the 770 till Monday'.

I got my tracking # for the 770 that afternoon even though Jamen said I would not, - but no tracking # for the 950. I have been watching for the 770 today. (I need to go somewhere and tracking e-mail was marked signature required) So I called DHL just now, & they stated they have not picked up that pkg. yet?!?. I thought the tracking # came after the pkg. was started off, DHL said no, - the sender came assign a # if they want months before DHL gets the Pkg.

I Charged Friday Morning, but have not received an email receipt from Outlaw as I did with my prior interconnect order?

How has this overnight deal worked for those of you that have already received?
When you guys charged overnight, how quick did you receive Outlaw’s email receipt?
And how did you know what day your shipment ‘started’ tolook for it to arrive next day?

I actually received my 950 before the notification email arrived. I understand this has not been unusual. Hope this helps.

Thanks Steve, -Well, I did remember some stating something like that on the 950's.

I guess I just assumed since I ordered on Fri AM, both would come on Sat. (I guess I'll go check and see if anythings even posted the my CC)
Since Jaman mentioned I would not see the track # for the 770 till Monday, after I hung up I guess I thought that meant the 770 might get here before its tracking #. But now I know according to DHL they have not even 'started or picked up' the 770.

I guess that might indicate that what Jaman really meant, (I did not think to ask) was the 770 might not start out till Mon.?

So even though I ordered overnight on Fri. I prob wont see the 770 till Tues, - the 4th day? But....the 950 might just appear?

Has anyone received a DHL shipment on Sunday? Or am I safe to take off tomorrow?

No DHL in Sunday. DHL will deliver in Saturday, but only if it is requested (and presumably paid extra for).

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

No Sun noted. I'll have to quit worrying about it. Too much to tend too right now, if I miss em, I'll just have to sort it out later.
Should have thought to ask for 'start out' dates.
Thanks Gonk

Once my credit card had taken the hit from Outlaw for the 950, I knew that I could start looking for it the next day. Sure enough at 11a.m. the DHL truck was in my driveway. The email with the tracking information came six hours later.

I reserved a 950 on 1/14/02 and I received my email with ordering information on 5/17/02 at 3:12PM. I ordered about noon today.

A long wait but nothing in comparison to waiting 10 and 13 months for our adoption assignments for my two daughters from China...

Eric

Eric, putting 'real life' nicely into perspective with that sentence. I have a good friend who went through the long sometimes-agonizing process awaiting a new daughter. After many months of overseas paperwork due to an odd twist of fate, her Korean daughter was born here at a local hospital, where she received her at 4 days of age. The fruition of those hopes is worth any wait. Congratulations to your family upon having successfully negotiated these waters

argh, they must have run out just before getting to me. I reserved on 1/16 and haven't heard anything yet.

JKohn, I'm glad you posted because I'm in the same position. Outlaw said that they would get through January pre-orders by the end of May and that is coming up quickly.

#504 just arrived at the house.

Jan 9th reservation, May 15th order e-mail and order placed, delivered today.

I don't get to play with it until I get home tonight, but then I get the long weekend!


brianca.

#509 is Here
Reservation date 1/10/02

Lee

I should have posted this earlier, but work has been Hell this week (OK, let's hear it, "Awwwww..."). I picked up my OK to order email last Saturday AM (5/18). It was sent Friday at 5:00 PM. I ordered right away and got my order confirmation back almost immediately. I of course then started watching my email like a hawk, and also calling my credit card looking for a hit. Nothing at all on either end. Tuesday AM (5/21) at 9:00 it showed up at my office. They said in the order email that shipping to a different address than billing address would cause a delay. I don't think so in my case, maybe because Outlaw had shipped to my office before. I got the ship confirmation email later that day at 2:15 PM with tracking #, and an email with the receipt at 3:40 PM same day. So I too got the 950 several hours before I got the email to tell me it was on the way. No complaints on my end, though. To order on Saturday and receive Tuesday morning is about as good as it gets. By the way, I checked my credit card Tuesday night, and it still hadn't been billed. You don't suppose that I'm such a nice guy that I got it for "free"... Got it set up and adjusted, but haven't had much time to play with and listen, so that is my project for the holiday weekend.

Skyfish, do you remember what your reservation date was?

Thanks,

Jeff

Does anybody know if Outlaw is waiting on a shipment or if they're trying to work on another problem (perhaps the hiss issue)? Based on messages in this thread, it's been a couple of weeks since the last e-mail notifications were sent.

JKohn - Yes, I reserved on January 12. I didn't include that in the info 'cuz I posted it when I got my order Oky-Doky. Sorry, my omission, I didn't want to be redundant.

Methinks the deliveries are kaput till Mr. Hiss is dismissed.

(Or until the Outlaws return from NY)

I hope not! I watched in anticipation for several months, finally taking the plunge and getting on the waiting list during the last days of March. According to the Outlaws last update, I should get my chance to order in about 2 weeks. I sure as hell hope that they are still on target to hit that date (mid june)!

Well, since I got a reservation on the 15th of January, and they only have one more day to meet "the schedule", maybe they "are" taking a much needed rest (Just a data point for those of you keeping track). Or mayby they got hung up in customs

[This message has been edited by Joe C5 (edited May 30, 2002).]

Ha! You should know by now that "the schedule" isn't worth the paper it's not written on. I *do* hope you all get your units soon, but just know that when Outlaw says "end of may" they really mean "sometime before 2005."

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

I think it's safe to say at this point that Outlaw has either stopped production to investigate some of the possible issues that have come up, or at the very least they have stopped using Air Freight to bring the new units over to the US. According to the schedule they sent out a while back, all January reservations were hopefully going to be fulfilled by the end of this week. I reserved on 1/15 and still haven't been given the opportunity to order, so I doubt they're going to hit their target. What's strange is that people reserving as late as 1/14 received their 950 over 2 weeks ago.

I guess at this point it's really no longer my concern; I have until Thursday to to return my RSP-1066, but I've already decided it's a keeper.

JKohn...How do you like the 1066? What did you have before?

This is very surprising... I would have thought we'd have received word from Outlaws on the reason for the delay by now.

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Matthew, you're being sarcastic, right?

I also reserved in mid January and was waiting to hear from Outlaw. I was fortunate enough however to pick up one of the demo 950s at the Home Entertainment Expo. I have not hooked it up yet but can't wait!

I ordered the end of Jan. I called the outlaws and was told they are out of 950's and will be for two weeks (this was a week ago). Seems strange they would run out knowing how many customers they had on the reservation lists. Why bother to project shipment dates if you don't even have the product? This is getting a little ridiculous! I haven't totally given up, as I ordered a 755 and some cables. I guess we'll wait and see.

I am bailing....I'll buy the 955 when it comes out. I hear they're starting a reservation list for delivery in Q3 of'06.

Sunfire#3


eddyboy

So far I'm very impressed, although I've only evaluated 2-channel music so far. I'm in the process of a complete upgrade of my audio system (thanks to unexpected company bonus ). Unfortunately I've had a heck of a time finding brackets to mount my new surround speakers, so I haven't really had a chance to evaluate DVD's and surround sound yet. But for 2-channel using the digital inputs the 1066 sounds great, and it's also excellent on the useability and features side (especially after programming my Pronto).

I don't have much to compare it to since my previous (first) audio system was pretty basic:

-Denon AVR-2800 receiver
-Def Tech ProCinema 80 speaker system (5 satellites and 8" sub)

My new 6.1 system is a pretty large step up:

-Rotel RSP-1066
-Outlaw 770 amp
-Axiom M60ti mains
-Axiom VP150 center
-Axiom M3ti and QS8 for surround/back speakers.

I finally found some brackets capable of holding an M3ti, so I should finally finish mounting the surrounds tonight or tomorrow. Needless to say I plan to watch many DVD's this weekend.


[This message has been edited by JKohn (edited June 05, 2002).]

Any additions to this thread.

What do all of you that have a 950 do since you are not in perpetual wait mode?

I thought Outlaw was shipping again this week. Anyone gotten an email?

I spoke with Scott yesterday and he told me:

1) A newsletter is due tomorrow or there abouts.

2) The hiss problem has been "resolved" and a new shipment is in-transit.

As another perpetual wait-lister (like jacket_fan), I have reached the conclusion that the Outlaws are scrambling to solve unanticipated problems. I understand and appreciate the work that they are doing. I think that they will have learned some very valuable lessons from this product release and I would be willing to bet that their next release will be much smoother.

I'm sure you all agree that our patience is being tested. We have remained loyal Outlaw community members despite all the gyrations. I think that patience and loyalty should be rewarded.

I would like to suggest that the Outlaws offer the January/February wait-list members compensation similar to that offered to the December wait-listers.

What do you think?

Santa Clara Jim

I do not think Outlaw owes a monetary debt of any kind. Our reward is that if we wait we get a 950 for $899.

Jacket_Fan,

How does our wait differ from that of the December waitlist members? We have waited just as long as they did. I think the two cases are equivalent.

If they received consideration for their time, I believe we should, as well. We have both had to wait an extraordinarily long time.

Santa Clara Jim



[This message has been edited by santaclarajim (edited June 18, 2002).]

I spoke with Scott last week and was told that a newsletter was going out this past weekend. Like the 950, it didn't "ship". I stopped by my local Rotel dealer today and checked out an RSP-1066. Pretty nice...

SCJ,

Hey, we are desperate enough to wait, so why compensate?

There was a thread a while back about this same subject.

I have got to quit posting here. I keep getting more and more (expleted deleted) angry every time delivery dates are not met.

I haven't been too concerned about the late delivery of the the 950 because we have been remodeling our living room and I couldn't use it anyway. But....this weekend we'll finish. So now I'm more interested in when I can expect delivery. This I know, I can have the Rotel 1066 within the hour if I so choose. All I know about the 950 is that I'm own a waiting list somewhere.

Are you listening to this, Outlaws?

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

I've been waiting since 2/1. I figured it would be a short wait at that time. I'm not asking them to ship buggy product and I want them to take all the time they need to get this thing right and consistantly right.

I know EXACTLY what the Outlaws must be going through right now, I feel their pain.

But, if you're going to go ahead and pre-announce things, and announce availability dates, etc... then you HAVE to keep the customers informed as dates go flying by.

I don't want monetary rewards, or free stuff. I want a good quality preamp/processor for a reasonable price.

I'm ASKING Outlaw to send a note to the waitlist customers. Don't promise dates, times, don't make promises you CAN'T keep. Just tell us what is going on and as much WHY as you can...

That's all

I agree with santaclarajim that those of use still waiting should be compensated but I'm not holding my breath. If Outlaw doesn't care enough about us to spend 5 minutes to type us a brief update on the shipping delays why would they care about compensating us?

Here is a copy of an email I sent to Scott recently. He has put up with a lot from me. We had exchanged a couple before this one, but I think this conveys my feelings. I included his response in the body of my response to him which do not show up well due to the lack of fonts change.


Thanks Scott,

You cannot possibly understand my frustration!

I imagine you have had quite a few calls and emails the past month or so of disgruntled "reservaitonists". This is no way to run a business like you have. The other internet companies I have dealt with do not give you the run around. SVS and Diva are a joy to deal with. Even the mighty Stewart Filmscreen was easier to deal with. And they are not an internet only company. Denon even does a better job than you guys. Please, take a lesson from them.

I knew exactly when the shipment arrived in the US, when and what to expect. The Outlaw way is to see how far we can go before we have to tell the customer anything. I am sure this has been a very difficult development process and Murphy's law has come into play every step of the way, but you should do a better job with your potential customers. Customer support after the sale seems outstanding. But you're falling short in your handling of those waiting on product.

Personally, I am glad there is an alternative to the Japanese and Canadian companies, but you guys need to get your act together.

You once emailed me back about a comment I made about how Outlaw really had no intent of delivering production product by Christmas. And you said that was:

"Quite frankly we had every intention of honoring the Christmas
deadline that we had announced. It was not met due to unforeseen software
related problems."

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Fool me a dozen times with fraudulent delivery dates...

For your edification and to help you when others ask you the same questions:

In no way am I attempting to be evasive.
(You are, have been and have to be evasive because you are not allowed to give a ship date)
I have provided you with the most accurate estimate I am capable of making at this time. (Because you are told not to give anyone a guaranteed ship date)
If I receive further information that permits me to be more specific I would be happy to
email you as I understand your frustration. (I bet you a nickel you never get any further information to allow you to be more specific, and I raise the BS flag on this statement. You are just trying to conjole a disgruntled customer)

Unfortunately, I just can not make any guarantees at this time. (Because you have been instructed not to guarantee anything)

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this causes you. (I believe this one.)

Enough of my foolish lecturing. Just the engineer in me trying to fix things that are broken. But please read what I have written, pass it on up the line if you can and do a better job with waiting customers.


Any one else who has not gotten a 950 feel the same way?

I feel the same way as you jacket_fan. I like Outlaw as a company and respect their products. I understand the setbacks they are going through to try to deliver a superior product at an affordable price. I also understand and appreciate the fact that they are working their tails off to do it. As I’ve said before, I don’t think anyone is complaining about Outlaw itself or their drive to create great products.

My frustration with Outlaw is their apparent attitude of indifference about keeping us informed (specifically my frustration is with whomever is in charge of deciding when to release updates). I think Scott is doing a great job with the forums but apparently someone above him thinks that we, a core group of Outlaw 950 supporters, are not worthy of information updates as things change in the shipping schedule. I am having trouble understanding this aloof attitude Outlaw has taken.

I think most of us don’t care about the BS, we just want to know what’s going on. We understand with a new release that there will be technical issues, bugs and fixes. Whatever the case, we are still here. Why not just let us know what’s going on? We aren’t looking for a long-winded, 3 page report everytime there is a problem, just a short paragraph saying that they hit a snag with such and such, they are working on it and that they would update us every week or whatever until it’s fixed. Is that to much to ask?? I know they are busy but you can’t tell me someone doesn’t have time to take care of this once a week. Who’s runnin’ this rodeo dammit?

jacket-fan,
you asked.....
First, I'm somewhat surprised to read a post like that from you. I've read with great interest many of your posts, and usually find them informative, well thought out, and helpful.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same about your most recent (above) e-mail to Scott.
Personally, I wouldn't put up with that from anybody...customer, potential customer, or past customer. Scott should probably be considered for Sainthood after all the garbage he's put up with from alot of people. I don't know the guy...never met him, talked to him, or e-mailed him. Remember the adage about "don't shoot the messenger" ??
In direct answer to your question, No...I don't feel that way.
Get a grip...it's a pre-amp, not a cure for cancer as you lie on your deathbed.
Scott, and the rest of the Outlaws, have been putting up with alot of crap for sometime over this issue. Certainly some of it is deserved, as they have been slow with information and updates, but again, it's just a pre-amp.
Whether you buy one or not must be of little consequence to them, but the fact that they have made you feel like your purchase does matter to them speaks volumes about how much they care about their customers.
I've been without my home theater for a couple of months. Why? I sold my old gear (which wasn't bad) in anticipation of the 950. I didn't expect it to be this long, and I would have liked to get it sooner, but it's just a pre-amp.
Don't wanna wait ?? Buy something else from someone else. Plenty of other people have, but Outlaw will survive. I don't particularly like McDonalds. I don't eat there and wouldn't. Guess what....they still sell billions of hamburgers without me.
I could go on, but I’ll spare all those other uninterested persons my ramblings.

I guess I don't feel that way.

I'm disappointed that I don't have a new 950 in my HT rack, I really am. I'm not an Outlaw loyalist, I ran across them in January and it seemed to me they were working on a very feature-rich preamp/processor for an outstanding price. They appeared to have a loyal customer base.

I *know* firsthand how hard engineering is. And I *know* firsthand, how much it sucks to ship your first units only to find new problems that you didn't find/couldn't anticipate. And I *know* firsthand how hard it is to make the tradeoff between quality and revenue stream.

Tell me, how ticked off would you be to have gotten one of the first "buggy" 950s?

What I don't have much tolerance for is the lack of communication coming out of Outlaw. Like I said in my previous post, they CHOSE to pre-announce and create a reservation list. They CHOSE to make promises and give dates out. Those were Choices they made. Because of those choices, they now face a long list of ticked off reservationists... Oh well...

As a result of that choice, they *should* communicate with those people. No new dates, no new promises except that when we get our 950 it will be the highest quality they are capable of delivering at this price point. Period.

robertd

And this has to be a classic -ROTFLMAO, outstanding!! I couldn't agree with you more!!

OUTLAW- I have $899 US dollars plus for shipping, please sell me your product....

These guys deserve some credit. I have been very impressed with the customer service. My first unit worked very well, EXCEPT I couldnt get the Toslink inputs to work. On either my DSS reciever, or my DVD player. After explaining situation, they (Mike in particular) were concerned, and shipped me a new unit immediately. That was more than I asked for. The second unit had the same Toslink problem, but now the Coax digital input did not work well, continual dropouts. I thought, OK, this one has the dropout problem of the original beta units, (I was not a beta tester, just what I have read here), and figured ok. I e-mailed Mike on a Sunday. He called me back within 5 minutes literally. A third unit came out. The coax worked flawlessly.The Toslink did not work at all, more drop out than in. I returned to basics, disconnected everything except the amps. Then my DSS reciever via optical. Bingo, it worked. It finally turned out that my coax SPDIF output from my computer sound card was screwing it up. Strange, since the sound card output worked very well, no dropouts, etc. Even more strange since this setup has worked for a year on a Parasound processor. So somewhere there is an incompatibility, but damn, they were so helpful, shipping a total of 3 units to me (sorry guys on the wait list, except for the person who would have gotten the second unit), with no hassle whatsoever.
I agree, they need to spend 10 minutes and send an e-mail to those waiting, or just a general "hey guys, we havent forgotten you, we are making our product better, and you will appreciate it" would work wonders.
Just MHO.

Are you kidding Jacket_Fan? See my tirade in the Outlaw frustration thread. This is getting rediculous. Unfortunately Rotel dealers here in OKC are acting like pre amp nazis. They treat you like crap claiming they can't get any 1066s. But for this I would have already bought one. It just feels like we are all being held hostage. I do not want any freebies I just want a processor that works and better customer service. Please Outlaw tell us something.

Well, I for one have had enough of the delays and the silence from Outlaw. I found a silver RSP-1066 and am picking it up on Saturday. Good luck to the rest of you.

Yes, but Scott unfortunately represents Outlaw and it is his job to put up with customers like me. It is Outlaw who has not lived up to their part of the promises about ship dates.

I apologise for sounding so bitter and should not have posted the email between Scott and myself.

Mark

I have been waiting since Jan. 27. Daily I have checked this site and my E-mail for some sort of confirmation on when the 950 will start shipping again. Like the rest of you, I still don't know the answer. I purchased a 755 and some cables a couple weeks ago, so I still have faith in the company and its products. As everyone agrees upon, it's the COMMUNICATION that sucks! As a reward to its many waiting customers, free shipping on the 950 sounds pretty good.

jacket-fan,
I, too, apologize for "fanning the flames". I have read, especially recently, more and more threads similar to yours and less supportive ones. I'm afraid to admit that you ended up bearing the brunt of my own frustrations.
I make every effort to remain optimistic and positive in most situations. Negative posts in masses makes that harder and harder for me. That's my problem...not anyone elses. I have a more difficult time justifying to myself why I should continue to wait. My (sicko) buddies at work know of my angst, and leave advertisements for other products on my desk.
It is Scott's job, I just feel kind of bad for the guy.
I'm a lower man on my work totem pole, and I know that (since we're on an Outlaw forum) horse manuer flows downhill, so I guess I'm sensitive to Scott's plight.
I just want to believe that this most temporary, unofficial, unannounced, "time out" from the Outlaws will result in a better unit (remember early on when they delayed and then announced the Cirrus chip ?).
The possibility of something like that keeps me going. I'm the one who tries to remain focused that "it's just a pre-amp".
Gene

For the record:

It is illegal to 'guarantee' a ship date and not live up to it. That is correct: ILLEGAL. I don't think Outlaws has 'guaranteed,' anything I bet everything says 'estimated.'

Dell Computers got fined millions by the government for promising shipping dates to customers that they didn't live up to.

So Scott or anyone else CAN NOT PROMISE a date. So don't get on him for that.

However they should:

Give updates for delays. Promptly. Once anyone at Outlaws knows there will be a delay and why, it should be passed on.

Period. End of Story.

The worst part about this, is I could handle their CR in my sleep. So seeing that it is handled so poorly, it makes me question other parts of the company. That shouldn't happen.

Actually I looked into the Law.

If Outlaws gives you an estimated shipping date, if they KNOW it won't be reached they MUST inform you.

However I think Outlaws can get away with it, because its a 'waiting list,' and you havent officially ordered it.

Which makes me raise an eyebrow. The fact that they use a loophole makes me think they expect to lead people on.

I seriously doubt that Outlaw is going under. Just because they have not given us updates or answered an email? Seems to me they have quite a good line of business and the business model seems to be working.

Just because some of us are tired of waiting does not constitute business failure. Although I think that the way they have conducted the prior to sales business is a huge mistake. Outlaw lost me a while ago with all of the unkept promises.

I imagine that they are trying to fix what is broken. As it has been pointed out, the S & V review showed poor performace, this forum is becoming a Rotel Q & A, folks are hissy about the hiss and jerks like me are complaining about not getting the cure for cancer.

My prediction:

Deliveries will start according to the Outlaw 3 week rule (always add 3 weeks to the Outlaw prediction), which means next week. They will announce great sonic improvements, no hiss and all of our complaining will be forgotten.

Some potential customers will be lost, but they will have deilvered the best product they can.

The 950 may not have lived up to expectations or been the cure all for home audio, but Outlaw makes credible amps, a successful reciever, outstanding bass management and cables.

We are tired of waiting, that's all...

"I cannot teach him, he has no patience" -Yoda

------------------
No matter where you go, there you are.

mj

As someone who's jumped ship and gone for the Rotel, I'll chime in with why I left. It wasn't the wait so much as the COMPLETE LACK OF COMMUNICATION FROM OUTLAW. I simply got tired of being ignored and given NO INFORMATION about the latest delay. As someone pointed out above, just about anyone could do the customer relations for this company with 30 free minutes a day and a keyboard. It's a mystery why they've allowed the 950 situation to degrade so badly, and its made ME feel like Outlaw doesn't give a flying you-know-what about me as a customer. As a result I chose to give my money to someone else. Simple.

Welcome to the forum, lotus_j. That's a pretty bold statement on your part, though. Granted, I don't know anything about you, so I can't speak for your customer relations skills. I'll be the first to acknowledge that the 950 release has been a very bumpy road for Outlaw and for everybody eager to get their hands on a 950. Outlaw has in the past established a reputation for good customer support, and if you read posts from some of the people struggling with 950's (either due to defective units, or the people who first uncovered the original drop-out bug and the hiss issue, or even people with setups that were problematic wholly independent of the 950 itself) you'll see that they continue to maintain that level of service. Something to keep in mind: Outlaw has seen a huge increase in business in the last 9 months or so, which is why they hired a second person to help Scott Jackson. There's a learning curve, though -- a new hire is going to have to learn the company and the company's products. I've actually spoken with these guys in several occasions, and I know how much they have on their plate and how hard they're working at it.

If I can get one deadline behind me next week, I may give Scott a call and see what's up, but I've avoided doing that up to now (both because I've been busy, and because I know they're busy). If I find anything out, I'll pass it along.

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

I think that's also part of the problem, gonk. If you read the HTF at all you'll see that a member posted a question about how the 950 works and the outlaws called RAF (a HTF admin) and explained it to him so he could post it on the boards.

Now maybe you can call them and get some info and then post it here for all to see, but I don't understand why they can't just do that themselves. Is it quicker to call you or RAF to explain the issue than to type it up and post it here? Why tell one person when you can tell hundreds at the same time?

if they don't have the time to post something here about the lack of shipping, why do they have time to call individuals directly to give them the info?


brianca.

If the Outlaws officially post a date to get the heat off them, but it never happens, people will say later the Outlaws misrepresented the truth. But when an HTF administrator posts for the Outlaws, the Outlaws never said it officially. It's second hand.

If you disagree about Outlaw stuff with one of the HTF administrators who happens to be a big Outlaw fan, you must mind your p's and q's, more than you have to if you disagree with John Q. Public on HTF about Outlaw stuff.

Anybody want to guess how many HTF administrators own Outlaw products? It's a high number I bet.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited July 11, 2002).]

gonk- ""If I can get one deadline behind me next week, I may give Scott a call and see what's up, but I've avoided doing that up to now (both because I've been busy, and because I know they're busy). If I find anything out, I'll pass it along.""

If thats the way information has to be passed, then Outlaw is in serious trouble.

I see CR problems not just from the people waiting but those with questions. Some never get replied. In fact I have seen many posts that claim 'certain people,' get better treatment.

I would have to say that the proof of their horrible and shameful CR is right here. These boards are filled with posts by disgruntled people.

I'm sorry, lotus_j, I didn't realize offering to do people a favor could be so upsetting.

I offered to call because I have spoken to them in the past about the 950 (I was one of the people who had a "drop-out" unit). If you would like to call instead, feel free. Ask Scott or Mike your questions, and I feel certain they will work just as hard to answer them as they would to answer mine. Once you have your answers, feel free to share them here or keep them to yourself.

Yes, I would like to hear more word from Outlaw in the form of newsletters or other formal announcements. And I think (or maybe just hope) we'll hear something soon.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Gonk you are seriously missing the point here. First of all, like you said you have not posted much lately. Why, because you already have your 950. I can remember a time when a question could not be posted here without you responding within minutes of the post. Now that you have your 950 you have taken this laid back attitude with the Outlaws. Likewise, the point that Lotus and others are trying to make is this has become a customer relations nightmare-period. It is that simple. Why is it that customers have to wait for you or RAF for information. How is it you and RAF can contact Scott and other Outlaws and all any of us get is voicemail. We are all customers-all of our money is green, therefore we should all be treated the same. And for those of you who have written that all "publicity is good publicity", you are simply kidding yourselves. This may be true if you are Dennis Rodman or some other type of entertainer, but it is definitely not true when you are an internet company and your whole business is built on customer relations. Belive me Rotel 1066 sales the last two weeks have skyrocketed. In fact, today I'm driving 180 miles to Dallas to try and find a 1066 and if sucessful will cancel my 950 reservation.

Sorry guys..something got messed up with my post...


I realize that I'm probibaaly doiing the BB equivalant of wanding into the middle of Omah Beach with a huge bullseye on my chest and waving a flag that says " FRAG ME" during the middle of D-Day, but I'm rather surprised at the general tone of some people. It's like the money is demanding that you spend it. I realize that you've been waiting for a while. But I thought that home theater/audio people spent time, made decisions, and then chose the right gear for them. Granted, there are some bugs to work out, but I find the 950 to be what I'm looking for. I realize that I may have to wait half a year for it to show up, but heck, it's what I want. I'm willing to wait because I know that the 950 is what I want, and will (hopefully) be the last piece of gear that I'll buy for quite some time (OK, I know I'll be replacing my tv with a projector...and there is that issue of the two rear speakers for the 7.1 setup however I digress). What I"m saying is I understand the frustration, but I get te impression thatr spending the cash for the sake of spending the cash is more important than getting what you want.

Now I"m going to hide in a fox hole.

-Jason

[This message has been edited by fmcorps (edited June 23, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by fmcorps (edited June 23, 2002).]

First post. I have been waiting for a few months for the Yamaha RX-Z1 receiver to become available as that fits my WAF better than separates. I became extremely interested in the Outlaw 950 as I finally found separates (950 & 755) for about the same $2800 price. As I have followed this forum ever since, it has become apparent that there is a few problems with the business model. I am not sure if this is due to a lack of manpower or a lack of attention. For a business that strictly relies upon the internet for it's revenue stream, I would think that communication would be the absolute priority. Take Amazon for instance, it is virtually impossible to contact them and they have suffered sales losses as their shipping dates have really slipped. As I sit here with my dinosaur JVC pro-logic receiver and struggle with the decision on what to purchase, the desire for an Outlaw package of products is slipping. Once a company' reputation is damaged, it takes a long time to recover. I feel that there are many people like myself that lurk here to learn about the products that are becoming lost customers due to communication issues and product performance questions. I love the support they give to existing customers to resolve product defects but for us new customers, this is becoming a disaster. I wish Outlaw the very best but something must change to really become successful.
Pete in Louisiana

Hello,

Jmac, what telephone line are you calling? The correct line for these questions is 866-OUTLAWA (688-5292). We're here from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST Monday through Friday. If you do happen to get voice mail, it just means we're on the other line so please leave us a message, and I'll call you back as soon as possible.

Best,

Scott


[Note: This message has been edited by Scott]

I don't think there's really any reason to attack Gonk here. Yes, he's posted more in the past than recently, but are you really going to take a "what have you done for me lately?" attitude rather than thank him for what he's done?

Additionally, it's not Gonk's fault that the Outlaws are not posting. If he offers to call on your/our behalf to obtain more information, as a "public service," don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Attack the Outlaws, maybe, but don't kill the messenger...

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Gonk, please do not take my posting as a slap in your face. But for your timely postings I would not have hung on this long. You have really done alot in helping us understand this product. I am sure everyone appreciates your efforts. I just felt that you were missing Lotus', point about customer service. I must admit I am a little jealous that you are listening-and I'm sure-enjoying your 950 while I am still listenig to my old Carver CT-17 pro logic pre- amp. Thanks Scott for the message. By the way Scott can I at least rent a returned 950 to use in the mean time.

I have recieved very good responce from outlaw. e-mailed once and got a responce in less than 24 hours. Than phoned and talked directly to Outlaw. However, I do not think that Oultlaw has done a good job with the release of the 950. My guess is that they are a bunch of solid engineers without any sort of Sales/Marketing. (Which in many cases is good)

TPS

[This message has been edited by tps123 (edited June 21, 2002).]

Jmac,

Now I know you're trying to get me in trouble Unfortunately, we just don't have the number of returned units to set that type of precedent.

Scott

Jmac

No harm done here. Don't worry about it, and I do understand what you were saying.

Hopefully you'll get your hands on a 950 of your own soon -- and on a permanent basis, not just a rental!

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

And actually "fortunately" there are not that many units, which attests to the quality of the 950, and most likely small % of units with significant issues (and I'm a user with hiss).

That certainly seems to be the case, so I don't understand why you don't just ship them and deal with the problem one as they come up. If it's such a small number of units it shouldn't be that big a hit to the outlaws. It's roughly the same thing they did with the s-vid issue, right?

brianca

Scott,

Nice to have the moderator back on line. You go to a trade show and take some time off and look what happens.

You even had Gonk on hiatus. Now he's back too.

Best of luck fixing the hiss. I'll go back to lurk mode and await the next new product announcement before the All Star break.

guys, get a life. it's a pre-amp, not a cancer cure!

You apparently fail to understand the significance. I have a very rare form of cancer, known as Azryan's syndrome, which goes into remission only when faced with the onslaught of my favorite death metal bands played at extremely high volume. The treatment, analogous to a form of chemotherapy, is only temporary and must be repeated every few hours to remain effective. Failure to receive treatment results in irritability, followed by lethargy, followed by nausea and eventual death.

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

"AZRYAN'S SYNDROME", nice one Mr. Hill! In this condition of yours Mr. Hill do you find a sudden lust for RPTVs and a general disdain for front projectors?



------------------
m-mmeyer

It's a good thing too, that the 950 *isn't* a cancer cure. Otherwise, we'd all be dead by now...

Yee-haaawwwwwww! Freekin' finally!

I just received my "950 ready to Ship!" email.

My reservation date: 1/18/02, 3:26PM

My order will be placed when I get back from Dizzy World on Sep. 16th!

I already bought and received my 755 back in June (which kicks-A, BTW)! I can't wait!

I hope the wait was worth it... which by all accounts it should!

-Kurt

Just got my email too (and ordered). I got on the list January 19th. Yeah baby...

Cary

got on the list January 19th. Yeah baby...

I wish I got on the list for my B-Day

DmC

Only 26 more wait list days to go......

Wow. I got the email yesterday and ordered yesterday. This morning at 8:30am while leaving the driveway for work, the DHL van pulled up with a 950. Amazingly fast delivery.

I can't wait to get back home and play with it. I think I feel a little 24 hour bug coming on....

Cary

Wow, that was quick!

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

You know, I think you're looking a little pale. Aren't you running a low grade fever. Best to go home now until you feel better.

Looks like we need to dust off the old Review Thread. Congratulations on "surviving" the wait Cary. I remember how glorious May 2nd was for me after a year of anticipation. In fact, my first post on this forum is on page 3 of this thread. Ah, the memories.


[This message has been edited by Jed M (edited September 06, 2002).]

It's nice to see this thread come back from the dead, too.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Reserved Feb. 7th, got my "Ready to ship new 950" Email Sep. 9th.

I received my notification email last night, Sept. 9th, for my January 31st reservation.

Can't wait for DHL to show up!

Got the email this morning. Can't remember when I reserved but it was many moon come Choctaw. My # was 1957 if thats any help.

First time posting, long time lurker. I just got my e-mail stating it's time to order. Wanted to post for 2 reasons.

1. For information, I think I got on the wait list mid February.

2. I just wanted to brag to someone who might understand (lol)

------------------
bbugg

Well my number finally came up! My Email just moments arrived. My reservation was 2/12 so things are happenning quickly now. SO, what to do! Ive got my 9 day window and believe I will take the plunge! I am hesitating a little as I wanted to monitor the results from this latest batch. Does anyone else share this ! I would just be sick, after all this time, if another problem popped up!

Woohoo!!! At long last, I just placed my order. I got on the list March 1, so it looks like they're flying through the orders now. Opted for the overnight, so I can't wait!!!

i reserved on 3/19 @7:29 pm...just ordered my 950....overnight.

i'd like to thank everyone who posts in the saloon. i feel like i won't even have to read the manual!

i will certainly post my findings by the end of the week....

Okay, I tought it over. It took me 10 minutes to take the plunge, so I placed my order, plus 3 pairs of .5M PCA's. Hey, whats the deal about unscrewing the plugs before intallations. Do they fit so tight they need to be looser ??

Just ordered today. Chose overnight shipping. Placed on reservation list Feb.19th.

Just ordered today.

Any song parodys(werner52) for this fine occassion?

[This message has been edited by DMC (edited September 10, 2002).]

[This message has been edited by DMC (edited September 10, 2002).]

Reserved March 18th
#2178
Got email today that mine is ready (or will be "within in the next week")

DMC(How'bout a movie tune, excuse me while I go pinch myself, I still can't believe it's finally happening! Ow, ouch!)

One more day'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.
One more day'til Halloween Black 950.

O.K., Cheers everybody! (Sung to "Folsum Prison Blues." - Johnny Cash)

I hear that DHL a-commin', their rollin' around the bend
And I ain't heard music since I don't know when
I'm stuck on reservation and time keeps draggin' on
But that 950 keeps a-rollin' on down to San Antone

When I was a Deputy, Scott told me, son
Were working hard, we ain't havin' fun
But when they stopped shipments I'd thought I'd die
When I read that newsletter, I'd hang my head and cry

I bet there's folks a-listenin' in a fancy room
They're probably eating popcorn and cheering them big booms
But I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free
But those people keep a-postin' and that's what tortures me

Well if the confirmation freed me and that 950 was mine
I bet I'd move it in on this rack of mine
Far from Forum prison, that's where I want to stay
And I'd let that 950 blow my blues away



[This message has been edited by werner52 (edited September 11, 2002).]

Very funny.

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m-mmeyer
GO TWINS

Very nice Werner but to be technical, that is actually sung to "Folsom Prison Blues".
Darn, you guys are getting close to actually owning the 950, so I can understand if you are flustered.
Besides, you waited this long, whats another couple of days. (Sorry, I couldn't resist spilling over onto this thread).

[This message has been edited by Jed M (edited September 11, 2002).]

Thanks Jed! Updated.

Ordered my 950 on 9/10 at 10:40pm and the delivery attempt was made yesterday at 1:40pm. I went and picked it up yesterday evening at the DHL office. Once I have it calibrated and tested thoroughly I'll post my impressions on the review thread but I am very impressed so far!

-JPancake

You can see me? How you doo dat?!

September 17, 2002, 9:33 AM....Ding Dong......DHL man calling......Big box with Outlaw on the outside...I wonder what THAT could be......I'll have to investigate further........................

My 950 arrived this morning, but my 770 has not. Evidently the two pieces ship from different locations. Those who have received a 950 & amp combo: did they both arrive the same day or am I going to have to drink heavily in order to get to sleep tonight?

My 950/770 arrived together.

Bottoms up!

MC Pee Pants, My 770 also did NOT come with the 950 today. Does it get a different tracking # ? Hopefully tomorrow Good Luck and keep us posted.
DmC

Unpacked the 950 ----but---- I have a space in my rack that fit my original Sony processor which is 3 1/2" high. The Outlaw 950 is quite a bit higher. I did some major re-arranging (a real pain in my setup) and finally connected everything togeather. The 950 works great, and exactly as I expected. So far for listening to stereo CDs, the NEO:6-C works best for me. Time will tell though if something else works better for the majority of the music I listen to. Strangely, considering the eclectic nature of my system, when I played the Sound & Vision Tune-up disc Dolby EX audio test pink noise, the levels were pretty much right on, being just 1db high all around. The built in tuner is not as good or sensitive as my Phase Linear Model 5100, Series II (a pretty good unit from the 70s). No big deal though, but it makes me wonder why they even bother including a tuner in the first place.

ATTENTION

The Eagle has landed !!!

Checked the DHL site this morning right after receiving my tracking number from Jamen. It said my 950/770 was still in Ohio.
Bummer.
2 hours later (11:00am)DHL pulls in with 2 big boxes!!!
Didn't ask the driver how he got from Ohio to Upstate N.Y. in two hours...didn't really care. Would've fixed the ticket for him

Ordered Sat.
Shipped Mon.
Rec. Wed.
If anybody sees my boss, tell him how ill I looked when you saw me.

EFSIII,

Where do you live in upstate? I am in Syracuse, so we can't be too far away.

Brian

Wow!!!
I'm about 20 minutes North of you just outside of Fulton.
(No....it's not snowing)!!!
I'm just waiting on my SVS 20-39PC Plus and I'll be good to go. I'm hoping for rain...or snow...this weekend
I got stuff to do

FYI: Appears that due to the (may I say) ridiculous delay even by electronics-industry standards between product announcement and volume shipping, very few orders were placed March-July. I base this statement on fact that I placed my order end of July and just got my confirmation - same day or only a day after orders placed mid-February were confirmed.

Or they could be shipping fairly large batches from (where is it, Malaysia?) On distances that far, I'd guess there are significant shippings savings to be realized from shipping in bulk; fewer shipments but more units packed into each batch.

Of course this is just a guess.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

We know that there were huge "clumps" of reservations around mid-December and early February, triggered by the opening of the list and the beta tester feedback, respectively. (Outlaw doesn't release any numbers, but they did mention in a newsletter that the original batch of reservations was triple what they'd expected.) So relatively speaking, Norman's right -- there were a lot fewer orders placed per day from March on than in the first couple of days. That and some good-sized shipments from the factory go a long way to explaining the rapid pace lately (seems like they've been getting through around 4 to 8 weeks of reservations per week, maybe more).

Oh, and congratulations on getting your confirmation e-mail, Norman. If they're into late July, then they've got to be getting near the end of the reservation list. Great news, indeed. I'm looking forward to the day when Outlaw starts shipping 950's from warehouse inventory...

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

It's late.

Reserved June 20
#2660
Received it Sept 19

They are through the reservation list at this point. I'm sure they are happy about that. Nice going Outlaws.

I am smiling, can you tell?

Ordered tonight. I reserved Sept 2, #2873.

The email from Outlaw came just before midnight. I am writing this about 30 min later. Does DHL deliver on Sat?

Man, and I don't even have it yet...


The cool thing? Also have a Pioneer DV-45a universal player on the way at this very moment too...


[This message has been edited by Kevin C Brown (edited September 21, 2002).]

Really excellent!

Ackkkk I reserved in early august but I have gotten no message. Who should I ask to get into the order chain. Thanks, Mike

stabie,
I would contact the Outlaws via telephone. As helpful as they are on line, they are really helpful when you call !!

I too reserved in early August (6th) and haven't received an email to order. I think maybe Kevin actually may have reserved in August as well and the excitement has fogged his memory some. (I know it would me!)

Anyone one else out there with a later date than ours that have received their email?

My birthady is Friday and it sure would be nice to be listening to a 950 by then. (hint, hint)

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Bill

Yes,
I reserved in Sept, and have received my Email. I would call them as they probably will be able to accommodate you at this point.

You're right. I did talk to Mike early this morning and they had my email address wrong. He sent me the link and I was able to place my order (#2796). I haven't received a conformation yet, so I'm assuming they still didn't correct my address.

Something tells me I'll have a 950 on my doorstep tomorrow morning without ever receiving a conformation, tracking number or a receipt. Oh well. I can clear all that up while listening to my 950 and that's the part of this story that really matters. Right?

Yeehaw!

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Bill

I ordered Fri night / Sat early morning, but still no 950 and no email with a tracking number or anything.

Don't be too blue Kevin. I've ordered twice before to Outlaw and have found that if you order overnight it is usually at your door before you receive a tracking number. If you ordered Friday late or Saturday morning then your order was filled today and you should see it tomorrow. So we'll both probably be getting our 950s about the same time.

The only puzzling part of this is you usually see a conformation shortly after placing your order. In my case, I understand because they had the wrong email address. I don't know why you haven't received yours, but my guess would be the same problem. Give them a call and find out.

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Bill

Bill- I did get the confirmation. Says that if there's no problem, I would get one more email with a tracking number. So maybe Tues...

(Even came home today at lunch to check! )

I'm sure we'll both see our 950s show up today. Still no conformation here, but I was expecting that. My wife works out of the house, so I don't have to run home and check at lunch. She just calls and then I suddenly start feeling ill and must leave early. That's funny, even talking about it makes me feel I should be home waiting on it.

Let see, headache, stomach, allergies, sanity......?

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Bill

Bill- Did you get yours? Mine showed up at 9:05 am. But I left for work at 8:45...

Gee, I think I have a Dr's appt for Wed morning...

Not yet Kevin, but I did speak with Jamen at Outlaw at about 9:30 a.m. CST. She said it was shipped yesterday and gave me the tracking number. I received my receipt from her about 10 minutes later. I checked the tracking and saw that DHL had picked it up from them in Ca. about 2:00 in the afternoon. I just got home, boxed my 1050 up and now there's a hole waiting to be filled. It better get here soon! I rented Enigma on the way home and I was expecting to watch it tonight.

I think I'll go sit on the curb for awhile.

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Bill

Well, sitting on the curb didn't help. Just checked the tracking and it appears my 950 was in Ohio at 5:10 this morning. Now, isn't that a roundabout way to get to Texas?

I guess overnight doesn't necessarily mean overnight. Oh well, as long as it gets here in one piece. I can wait and maybe still get my movie rental back without late fees.

Waiting for that truck in Texas.

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Bill

I used standard ground shipping to Canada...my 950 is in town today and my 770 is at the border (one day behind)...I feel a weird illness where I have to stay home but I am allowed to go play hockey at noon coming on...

Tracking says mine is on the truck in Austin. I've already had a month to enjoy my 770 with the 1050. The 1050 is now boxed, next to the door and the PCAs are hanging like stockings waiting Santa.

Man, I'm feeling ill.

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Bill

I got on the waitlist in late May. I got the email to order my 950 last Wednesday. I ordered it that night and received it today.

I am leaving work early to go home and set it up.

One piece of advice for those of you waiting: Pay for next day shipping otherwise they ship it from California and it takes 5 business days to the east coast.

Josh

Got mine! About 10:30 I get the wife call. 10:31 I'm out the door for a long lunch. It's hooked up, calibrated and configured. Watched the pod race for a couple minutes (very good) and then listen to a little Sarah McLachlan (I melted). I heard the slight hiss on the analog input. Big deal. You have to just about put your ear on the speaker to hear it. So far, with my 15 minute test, I must say, "I'm favorably impressed."

More maybe later. If I ever get out from in front of it.

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Bill

I put some info in the "hiss" thread too.

Here, for now, I'll just say, I REALLY don't like the remote. I keep forgetting to hit AUD.

And here's a quirk (?). (Haven't tried to find this yet in the manual.) Let's say I'm playing a CD in my DVD player in Stereo mode (not bypass). (I have the DVD coax input set up to stereo default because that's what I listen to 80% of the time.) Then I pop in a DVD. It comes up in Stereo mode. When I hit the DD key, it switches to DD on the display, but then reverts back to stereo (the audio never changed from stereo). If I hit DD once, then twice (to get to DD EX), *then* it switches to DD EX, and then I hit DD once more to get to DD. (Not a DD EX disc, btw.)

[Added] OK, I replicated this. When I powered it up this time, it was in DPL-II mode for CD playback. (After playing a DVD.) I pressed the Stereo button. "Stereo" displayed for a few seconds and then reverted back to DPL-II. I had to do 2 presses of Stereo to get it to "take", and then cycled back around to Stereo. ??

If I set the input to default to DD, and I put a CD in, would it auto to stereo?

Sound is fine. (I didn't expect any big differences from the TA-E9000ES I have.)

Did I say I don't like the remote? Why isn't the button for the tuner up top with the other source buttons? And even to switch to the tuner, you have to hit Aud 1st. (So I set up a macro for Aud, then AM/FM.)

[Added] Why doesn't the POWER button turn it on? That's just plain stoopid.

I do like the pre amp though. A little rough around the edges, but good sound overall.


[This message has been edited by Kevin C Brown (edited September 26, 2002).]

Hi Kevin,

If my 950 is in DPL-II and I want switch it to STEREO then I'll typically press the stereo button twice. Usually that works. But sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes there's no change (still DPL-II). At other times, it switches to 5/7 STEREO, as I recall. I just have to look and see what it did.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited September 26, 2002).]

I too have the irrataion of the unit switching from my selected mode to something else when I pop in a DVD. I know some DVDs have metadata that flags the processor to change modes, but my Sony EP9ES handled this switching much more elegantly. I have found I have to go over to the 950 and punch the button repeatedly to get it into Dobly EX after a DVD has changed it to 2.0 prologic or something. I have to go over to the 950 'cause I use component connections for my projector, and It's a pain to switch over to S-video just to see what mode I'm in.

On my 950 I was able to set it to change formats depending on what source was playing. FM is in DPL-IIM. Cable is in DPL-IIC. When I select DVD and Play a CD, the source shows DVD PCM 44.1 and I have this set to stereo. When I put in a DVD it shows DVD only and I have that set to Dolby Digital. I do not have to change formats manually when switching from a DVD to a CD in my DVD player. You do this by playing a CD in the DVD player and going to the 950's "Input Menu" and selecting "stereo" for DVD PCM 44.1.

Yes, my TA-E9000ES handled source/mode switches a lot better.

DVDs "auto format decode[d]" to DD, linear PCM CDs in the same player AFD'ed to stereo.

I think Scott had a response somewhere, that if the 950 *was* in multichannel mode (i.e., a DVD), and then you switched to a CD, it would *stay* in multichannel mode (i.e., DPL II).

Would be nice to be able to set the default mode for the type *and* format of the source. (DD for DD 5.1, but stereo for LPCM.)


Oh, when is "powered on" not powered on? I have the 950 hooked up to a switched outlet. When I turn on the switched device, the 950 powers back up in standby, not "on". So now I have hit the power on button for the 950 after I turn on my balanced power unit (which powers up my amps). The exact opposite of what it should be: pre/pro first then amps last. Because the 950 comes up in standby, its the amps 1st, the pre/pro last. The TA-E9000ES powers up in the mode it was turned off in.

OK, so it sounds like y'all are seeing the same required "2 button pushes" thing I'm seeing with switching surround modes. (Still haven't had a chance to check the manual on this, but I imagine, not supposed to work that way.)

Well, I expected to have my Outlaw 950 by today.

But no, they didn't tell me when I asked if I could send them a check that they didn't accept checks (yet, they said 'mail your check too...' and gave me the address, and everything)

So now, I have to wait for said check to show back up Snail Mail (after I wasted $17 to overnight a check to them) before I can send them money again. If they'd just had said something, I'd have my new toy for the weekend, but instead, they didn't say a thing until it was too late, and didn't call me, just emailed me that they were mailing it back. I was unable to do anything about it until it was already on the way.

I wanted to pay via check because my credit card is offereing 1.9% if you use the check instead of the 10.9 %. While I'm waiting for my ES9000 to sell I'd have liked to have not been charged for interest.

Oh well, guess not, now need check back before I can get the cash.

Very annoyed.

Got my 950 today...it sounds great! I was skeptical about DPL-II being so different but the "presence" for lack of a better word is supurb!

One problem...my display is slightly out of position...looks like it might of giggled loose of it's mounting enroute. Being so far away, I am tempted to crack it open and set it myself. I will talk to Scott.

More indepth review to come when I get my 770 and then tune my room.

Kevin, I'm sorry I misread your post on HTF and thought you said you couldn't get the mode to change from DD to stereo when changing from DVD to FM (you said DVD to CD). Try this: leave DVD as it is. Set up the CD source just as you did the DVD source button (so that when you press the CD source button your remote will control the DVD player). Go to the AUD menu and then to INPUT CONFIG. Select CD as source, select the same digital input as you use for DVD, and STEREO as mode. After doing this, simply pressing the CD source button will get you to PCM stereo when you wish to listen to a CD.

Bill Polley

Bill, er, I mean willscary!

Good idea actually.

I have 2 more remote tidbits I've found out, 1 good, 1 not.

1) I couldn't figure out why it took 2 presses of a surround mode button to get it to do anything. Well, the 1st press simply brings up the format of the currently playing source. The 2nd press then begins to cycle through the available surround modes available for the source format playing. OK, so I can dig that.

2) If you look on pg 30 of the *remote* manual, it says you can reprogram the Power button. So OK, I can't stand the Aud thing, but at least the Power button is bigger, easier to hit, and I can reach it with my thumb. But alas, when I try to reprogram it to simply replicate the Aud button, no dice. I even tried a meaningless button 1st, then Aud to try and trick it. It did take the meaningless button. But wouldn't take Aud. Even if I programmed Aud twice. Nada. Oh well. But it's cool to know that the Power button can be changed though...

3) A pseudo fix for the 950 powering up (via a switched outlet) in Standby and not fully on. I found out that if I turn on the switched outlet *while* holding the 950's power button down, the 950 powers up fully on. Not the best solution, but a solution nonetheless.


[This message has been edited by Kevin C Brown (edited September 28, 2002).]

Kevin, the only 8 buttons that can not be reprogramed are the source buttons, including AUD.

Kevin, just a thought. Do you have another learning remote (or does a friend)? If so, try to teach it the AUD command from the 950 remote. Then turn around and teach the 950 remote the command back, but store it to the AUD POWER button. I have not tried it, but it might work.

willscary- I think you missed what I'm trying to do.

Here's what an example. I set up M1 to be the following keystrokes:

AUD, AM/FM

So from any mode on the remote, I can switch to the tuner. So it is taking the Aud button in that case. And I double checked this, because if I hit DVD, and then try AM/FM, doesn't work because the AUD button wasn't hit 1st.

So this morning, I tried to simply program M4 to this:

AUD

But it doesn't work. My only conclusion is that AUD is a *modifer* button. (Sort of like SHIFT on a PC keyboard.)

I just Re-read your post. I'm trying to reprogram the Power button to be AUD.

I've gotten the Power button to take other commands, so it does act exactly like the other macro buttons. Just won't take AUD by itself.

It's a mystery!

It took me a little while to get a good idea of what the 950's remote does with its macros. Here's the deal: when you program a macro, it has to get the device inputs to know which signal to send (think "does pushing "AM/FM" send the command to the 950 turn on the tuner or does it send something to the DVD player, or the CD player, or...?"). Those device inputs count as steps in the macro, but they have no effect on the state of the remote. A macro cannot, say, change the device being used by the remote (I tried this, hoping to have a "power on" macro that ended by selecting the CBL input, so it would be a real single-button start-up for my wife to watch TV).

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[b]gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

You are exactly right.

If I program a macro key to be the following:

Aud, Stereo

And if I hit the macro key from within "DVD" mode, it does flash the format of the current input type (so it is taking both keys), but at the end of the macro, the remote is still in "DVD" mode.

I'd give anyone a dollar to figure a way around this...

The only thing that might work, is to try "learning" the Aud button to the Power button. But you'd need 2 remotes for that. And I don't know if you can "learn" to the Power button anyway.

A whole dollar?

Yes, you can learn to the power button. The only buttons you cannot teach are the 8 source buttons. I have tought my power button to turn on my old NAD tape deck. There is no code for the deck, but by manually teaching the commands, I can now use the 950 remote exclusively for all of my components. It works perfectly. (the power button can actually be tought any command)

[This message has been edited by willscary (edited September 30, 2002).]

So either in major stealth mode, I go to a B&K dealer (I know that B&K uses the same remote) and learn the Aud button there,

Or if any kind Outlaw owner in or near San Jose, CA would allow me to borrow, visit to learn from their remote!