I would like to buy, but two Questions:

1) the back of the 990 where the USB appears to be a connection as you would see on a printer? More like a "box" when seen from head-on as opposed to the flat thin rectangle you see on computers? That's better. I have MANY of those from the many printers I've had..

2) if I order today (Sunday Aug. 13 2006) when might I expect my 990/7500 combo? I live in Maryland, but I leave for Brazil exactly a week from today.

I'd like to have it by Friday.

1) The USB port on the back of the 990 is the square connector (like the one found on the back of a printer), not the flat one like you see in the back of your computer. The cables you have lying around will work just fine.

2) The 990 ships from the east coast, while the 7500 ships from the west coast. Ground shipping will get you the 990 in a couple or three days. I'd suggest calling Outlaw in the morning and asking them about what your shipping options are for the amp.

then the 7500 likely won't make it and my wife sure as heck can't lift 80 lbs without my aid! heck, even I would have trouble alone!

p.s. outlaw's XLR cable (5 pack) is good, yes?

Hi Known! Fancy meeting you here!

Outlaw makes great cables so go ahead and if I can lift my 100+ pound Earthquake Cinenova by myself you can handle the Outlaw :p

The 7500 probably wouldn't make it via ground, but they may have a faster shipping option if you call (of course, you may not want to actually go that route, since I doubt that 2-day or 3-day shipping of 80 pounds will be cheap).

Yep, the Outlaw PCB's are good cables.

Of course, the other option is to order it while you're in Brasil so it magically appears after you get back. I'm assuming that your wife isn't going to be installing the gear in your absence.

it's more like she'll be slightly miffed at this big heavy unopened box in the living room where my two little girls will mercilessly use it as a spare chair.

I BOUGHT TODAY!!

gonk . . I have been all over your site. I sure hope the firmware upgrade goes smoothly. I paid for 2-day DHL for the amp. It should get here in plenty of time. I am going nuts moving everything on my rack getting ready for the two new additions. the top 3 racks is nothing but Outlaw!! I have decided to let the 2200 monos drive the surrounds. The 7500 will be used to bi-amp the fronts and power the center.

p.s. I am seriously considering the Oppo DVD player you use.

I think you're putting together a great system, and the Oppo is a certainly nice player for a pretty impressive price.

I recently upgraded to the Oppo and am quite happy with it. For the money, it's a steal.

Cheers,

congrats on taking the leap.. i think you'll be very happy with the 990 pre and the 7500 amp.

knownalien,

I use the Oppos 971 with a 56" Samsung DLP and could not be happier.

I have heard that the 970 is more DLP friends due to the macro blocking issues some people have experienced with the 971. But I have not seen any excessive macro blocking on my TV.

If you have a LCD, Plasma or high-end DLP TV that has been professionally calibrated go with the 971.

-Peter

It came and I am a little shocked how great it sounds! I will have to collect my thoughts and say more tommorrow.

I heard the DVD set to stereo and put in the remastered Rush album "Presto." It is a very flat neutral recording. It is HARD to make it sound great. Let me explain my setup a little. The total max wattage for the LSi15's are 250 watts. They are 4 ohm speakers. I am one who believes that more wattage need not equal volume as much as it equals authority and clarity. Mainly clarity. The ability for a driver to push out and in much better. That said, the 7500 powers ONLY the fronts and center. the 2200 monos power the surrounds. I am using two channels each on the 7500 to bi-amp the fronts. In all, I am throwing 600 watts per speaker!!!! Though some say the center does the most work, because it lacks an 8" woofer and its crossover is set to 60 hz, I think 300 watts plenty considering its published max wattage is 200 watts.

So, what does it sound like? Even at low volume you can hear the power and authority. It was nearly 9 pm when I was done with the firmware upgrade (only one restart) when I got everything set up. I am using Outlaws audiophile grade PCA cables (7 of them). I stereo mode, "Presto" sounds like I am there. There. Heat does not seem to be a problem with the 7500, but just in case I have a brushless 120mm fan ready. Actually, the 2200's run hotter. I am freaked that I actually own this gear! Freaked!

Using any Rush disc pressed since Moving Pictures is probably not going to provide a real useful test. They are horribly mastered and compressed/clipped to the point of silliness. I can't imagine it getting much better with "remastering." If you said it sounds good, then someone must have pulled a rabbit out of their hat in the remaster stage.

You might try something a bit more dynamic like a live jazz recording. Getting a whole new system is always good for some serious quality time as you listen to all your old favorites and hear things that you didn't know were even there. Welcome aboard!

Cheers,

Well, with the Rush CD's I have the benefit of being able to compare them to lesser systems and perfect or not I can tell you there is great improvement. I have a relative who is very well to do. But he likes Klipsch. He also likes the high end power horses like Makintosh (sp?). He would make me listen to Rush to hear (oddly enough) errors in the recording process. Now I can hear that too!!! I was listening to Rush tonight with my wife. It sounded loud and clear in the basement. I assumed it was loud upstairs. It was not. simply put, it is so tight in the listening area that is "sounds" loud but it is quite controlled. I wish I was Hercules because I would take my 7500 and put it in bed with me!!! It is pretty obvious that the power it provides is serious. Between you and I it sits on its own 20 amp circuit. I am thinking maybe I should have gotten the 7700, but I don't mind using the 2200 monos. really, Outlaw makes quite fine products!

I did something I normally don't do when I placed an order for an OPPO 971. I failed to do my homework on the unit and impulsively placed my order. I'm due to receive my unit on Monday. I remember hearing good things from the forums about the good features of the 971 and I really didn't pay much attention to their new 970. It appears in hindsight that I may have ordered the wrong unit for my needs. My current video is from a 32" Sony KV-32FS100 Wega tube. I'm planning on using S-Video through my 990 to feed my video. I am planning on a HDTV LCD purchase in the distant future but that's at least 1-2 years away. The 970 plays SACD's where the 971 does not offer that feature. I'm also hearing about rumors of a replacement for the 971. My need to upgrade involves my current Panasonic DVD player not playing my DVD+ dual layer burned discs and I need something to play DVD+(-) dual layer discs I create. Any feedback to my situation would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

There is a replacement planned for the 971. From what I've been able to learn about it, it'll replace the DVI output with an HDMI output and will add SACD support. The video processing will still be handled by the Faroudja chip (which the 970 lacks). For the s-video output, I suspect that either the 970 or 971 would work equally well for the moment (including support for DVD+R DL discs), while the 971 may be a better choice for your future LCD HDTV.

I also just got the 971 and I have to tell you this is an amazing DVD player. I am not a big SCAD person and DVI is fne for me I jsut bought a DVI to HDMI cable from bluejeans. If you are looking for a hold over unit until HD-DVD or BR then this is a good one. The way I see it this will do everything I need to until I get an HD player. Trust me you will be thrilled with you 971 but if you do a lot of SCAD then wait.

Cisco,

If you don’t use the DVI output the 971 is a mediocre DVD player at best. When I was playing with mine I found the s-vid output to be worse then even DVD mode on my old x-box.

Dont get me wrong, if you use the DIV output (which is the only output the Faroudja chips is processing for) this player provides as good of a picture as I have EVER seen. But if you do not utilize the DVI you would be much better off with a player that costs 25% of the 971.

My suggestion, return it and hold off on any purchase until you get the LCD HD set. Your Sony is can only support 480i, so purchasing a DVD player that can do progressive scan “480p” or even worse up-scaling to 780i/p or 1080i (like to oppo line) is a waste of money. DVD technology, like most consumer electronics, is moving rapidly. In two years you will get more in features and processing at the same price points we see today.

Hope that help

-Peter

P.s. you may notice an improvement in picture quality if you switch to component video cables. Both the 990 and your TV can handle them.