Buying a 990 in 2011

I am slowly upgrading from my old 1050 based system (see my configuration below). Currently, I do not have any equipment that supports HDMI and my HDTV seems to do slightly better with component input vs DVI. I am guessing that I am at least 1-3 years away from getting a new HDTV.

I see that Outlaw is now starting to offer 990's as B stock with an attractive 3yr. warranty. I was thinking that I could use the 990 to replace the 1050 and then start investigating blu-ray players. An alternative would be something like the Marantz SR5005 used as a pre-pro, but for $150 more, I get both the 990 and an Oppo BDP-93.

Any thoughts?

The BDP-93 and Model 990 makes for a pretty wicked combo, in my opinion, even without room correction. If you do this, though, you'll want to re-visit the notion of preferring component over DVI with your TV - the BDP-93's Marvell processor only works with the HDMI1 output, and it's worth using if your TV will accept it.

73Bruin,

The 990 will deliver a major performance improvement to your system over the 950. Among other things its DACS are more advanced than its predecessor.
This promo was sent out at 6 AM EST today. Already we have sold several units (and the west coast hasn't even awakened yet.) If you are going to move, I suggest that you make your decision quickly. Remember that you also still have a 30 day evaluation period.

Peter

Is it just me, or does anyone else think it's a little avaricious of the Outlaws to take a $200 trade-in and turn around and sell it for twice that price? I can't imagine it takes $200 of effort to process and 'thoroughly test' each unit.

I think I understand the company name a little better, because this sounds like a ripoff.

Actually, they offered $300 for the Model 990 and $200 for the Model 970, and they payed for the shipping on the returned units:



That means they paid shipping on the units, received the units, tested the units, updated firmware if needed, and cleaned them up if needed. In addition, they are providing a one-year warranty on the units when they re-sell them. All of that involves costs to them. Yes, they still make a profit, but it's not much of one. It seems like a far cry from a rip-off to me...

Well I have decided to go ahead and trial a 990. Placed the order with Scott this morning.

To TJR: The typical price of the 990's that I have seen being sold on Audiogon and eBay is around $375 not including shipping. Assuming the 990's capabilities fit your needs (as it fits mine), getting a cleaned, updated, guaranteed working unit for $25 extra is a no brainer. Getting a 3 year extended warranty for $50 more means that I am pretty sure that I will not have problems for a long time.

To be honest, I think you are correct. It probably is "just you".

Have you ever traded in a car? Does the dealer resell it at the same price they paid you, or do they put a bit of money into checking it out, cleaning it up and then making a little profit. Anything wrong with that?

Gonk's take on this is correct, not to mention that he has the facts correctly. 73Bruin also validates the price by mentioning what these are going for in the on-line market.

More importantly, if anyone thought that the $300 buy-back was not enough, there is nothing to prevent someone from selling their gear on-line or otherwise, getting what they can for it, and then using the money to buy an AV 7005 or whatever else strikes their fancy. Hmmm, again like when you buy a car -- you can sell your old one yourself and get a higher price than when you trade it in, or you can get a slightly lower price but eliminate the hassles of selling it by just handing the keys over to the dealer.

What's the big deal?

What's this country comming to when one man turns a profit....
And then we have individuals who will squander their resources to by a luxury items ?
Both should be taxed to death , or hacked to death.
Greedy Capitalist Pigs

They will sell all of those units at the going market price. If people don't buy them, the price will come down accordingly. Outlaw is not stupid enough to sell good units at below market prices just to get rid of them.

At these prices I'm considering buying one just to have as a spare.

Just received my 990 and I have not even had a chance to plug it in, but I have to say wow!! PeterT: Thank you for gently suggesting I act.

This looked and was packaged like a brand new unit. While this may not hold true for every 990 sold on under this program, the one I received was pristine and a 10/10 on Audiogon's scale. Absolutely no marks that I can see on the front, top or the display. The remotes also looked to be new as did the mic and antenna. If the other units that Outlaw sells are even close to this, this is really a no brainer.

The only way that I can tell it was not new was the manual which seems to have been reprinted and stapled but not bound and the upgrading instructions were on 3 separate loose pages.

Going to the gym so I will hold off setup to tonight or tomorrow.

Hello,


I was wondering are you happy with the purchase and how is the sound quality when listening to music?

Yeah, I was one of the folks that took advantage of the buy-back and sent in my 990. It was mint, original packaging, all that. I was very early in the 990 game. Had my name on the list and pulled the trigger as soon as they were available. When I got mine, brand new, the manual was as you described it. Printed and stapled in the upper right corner.

I have no regrets having purchased that pre-pro. It was the centerpiece of my system for several years and performed flawlessly and reliably during the time that I owned it.