My 7700 arrived scratched :-(

Posted by: Robert Holloway

My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/18/06 05:50 PM

This is very weird. I opened my amp last night after nbeing away for some time and being unable to get to it.

The box is in perfect condition but the face of the amp has a deep crescent shaped scratch that cuts through the black facia and inot the metal itself. in addition there are other scratched across the whole front.

The depth of the first scratch suggests that amp has been hit very hard by an off shape, or even dropped. the strange thing is that the packaging shows no evidence at all.

That said, it sounds great!!! It's also beautifully built.

I'll phone the Outlaws on Monday and see wat they say. This is a major pain as this thing is heavy.

Rob
Posted by: korkster

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/19/06 03:43 PM

FYI, mine has a couple of pretty deep scratches (gouges) in the side of the case as well. Same thing with me, the box was in perfect condition. This definitely happened at the factory prior to shipping. I think Outlaw has to have a talk with the shop in California. The amp is completely intact and fortunately for me, the scratches are not in the face of the amp and aren't readily visible, and as in your case it's working fine.

Regards
Posted by: nfaguys

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/19/06 04:30 PM

Does anyone know if Outlaw intends to make it right with scratched cases?

And what about the hum? If everything is disconnected, and if there is nothing on that circuit except the amp....and...if the power cord and speaker lines don;t run together...what next?

Is there something wrong?
Posted by: korkster

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/19/06 04:45 PM

Reference the hum, although in my case it is more of a "buzz" then a "hum," mine is associated with my cable TV coax cable. As soon as I disconnected it from the cable box it was gone. Touch it back to the box and the buzz comes back. I originally thought disconnecting all of the inputs from the cable would do it if it was being caused by the cable but I guess it has to do with what the cable is introducing to the A.C. current. But I'm no expert. All I know is that the noise is completely gone once I disconnect the cable. They obviously anticipate this problem because it is one of the fixes listed in the manual.

Regards.
Posted by: Robert Holloway

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/20/06 02:53 AM

Korkster

I'm confident that I'll be able to get this sorted. It's just very disappointing. I'm still intrigued on how my "scratch" was made. It's very deep, almost like something was hammered with force into the faceplate.

I guess the Outlaws will be on vacation tomorrow, so I'll phone them on Tuesday

I'll let you all know

Rob
Posted by: Robert Holloway

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/21/06 05:15 PM

Wow!!

My impressions of Outlaw Audio just jumped. This morning I got a nice mail from the Outlaws before I even contacted them!! They obviously read the forum.

I phoned the numeber and had a great chat with Steve who assured me that all would be sorted.

I dunno, this ttype of service is so rare these days. I know the scratch shouldn't be there, but let's face it. Screw ups happen and it's how you deal with issue that really makes the difference.

So far, so good :-)
Rob
Posted by: Robert Holloway

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/22/06 06:12 PM

Amp getting warmer and sounds quite lovely. Very open with authoritive bass. This sounds very good!

One niggle is that the on/off button seems very flimsy, almost loose

Rob
Posted by: Robert Holloway

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/26/06 01:39 AM

I have to say that the more my scratched amp warms the more I love it. Outlaw are working with me on a replacement.

The amp has so much weigth through all channels (I'm using 5) but strangely combines this with an open airy sound that is surprising.

I have a $40,000 Naim 2 channel system to compare and the Outlaw 7700 is amazing for $2000. It's not quite with the Naim but it's close and I have 4 Naim 135s costing in excess of $3k each combined with active cossovers and a $10k preamp!!!

I dunno, this amp sort of redefines my thinking completely and now has me looking their top of the range preamp as a partner.

Guess I'm a convert...

Rob
Posted by: korkster

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/26/06 04:19 PM

Robert,

I'm getting the same "warm" feeling about this amp but I don't have the kind of high end gear that you have to compare it to. It does seem to be sounding better but I'm told that with solid state amps they don't really have a break in period. It's more just getting used to how they sound once you have them. I don't know about the theory but I am really enjoying this thing. It's bringing out a lot of "sound" that wasn't there before. I was just listening to a Yo-Yo-Ma CD in 2 channel and you can actually hear each time he takes a breath. Never heard that before. Neat! And then threw on some Glenn Miller big band stuff. That really made the Axiom M80v2's I'm using show their stuff. And I don't even normally listen to this stuff. I'm a folk/rock guy (Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, etc.). Needless to say, even with the scratches, I'm starting to smile more and more about the 990/7500 combo.

About the scratches, I also talked to Outlaw (Steve) and referenced your issue. He said he was aware of it and they were very concerned. It is great to deal with people who believe in great customer service. I mentioned that in my case I wasn't that concerned because the scratches were on the side and with the amp in my rack you didn't see them. He called me back a few minutes later and said that they they were going to figure out something to make it right with me anyway. And I didn't even ask for anything.

The other thing I like is that I'm very much a novice at this stuff, and whatever I've asked him, regardless how dumb a question, he hasn't talked down to me at all. He just seems just genuinely interested in me making the most of this purchase. What a great way of building customer loyalty....

Regards.
Posted by: BloggingITGuy

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/27/06 06:34 PM

Hmm, I wonder if they will offer your scratched 7700 up as B-Stock. Would be very tempting if the deal was sweet enough.
Posted by: gonk

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 02/27/06 08:14 PM

Good point - especially for folks who have their amps behind closed doors (my Model 750 is completely unseen in our current entertainment center).
Posted by: Robert Holloway

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 03/02/06 10:49 PM

Here's the status with my 7700

First off, the customer service from the Outlaws (Steve & Jennifer) has been nothing short of sensational. I'm actually glad i've had this issue as it's totally welded me to their brand. I just can't speak highly enough about how proactive they have been.

The amp itself is a delight. It currently drives seven B&W and Kef full range floor standing speakers with ease and authority. It has great "weight" and also an open airy sound that is surprising. At its price point I've heard nothing even remotely close. It goes very loud without a hint of strain. Tyhe amp gets better every day as it breaks in. I know this is not supposed to be the case but I do think that as an amp gets warm it improves. I never turn the Naim off.

The Outlaws have shipped me a replacement and told me to keep the current amp in my system until the new one arrives. They asked me to take some digital photos of the scratches which I sent them yesterday.

I was so impressed by this service and the amp that i read reviews of the 990 and bought that yesterday as a mate for the 7700.

What have I learned?

1) Direct delivery will occassionally result in defective product. That's a fact of life.

2) The way the company deals with it is the key. These guys are beyond awesome!

3) The amp is nothing short of sensational for $2000

4) Someone may get a second / B stock 7700 that will sound sensational :-)

Regards
Rob
Posted by: Robert Holloway

Re: My 7700 arrived scratched :-( - 03/18/06 01:24 AM

My assistant informed me that the new 7700 arrived in the office yesterday. Nobody seemed inclined to move it around :-)

I'll try and pick it up over the weekend, repackage the old one and set up the new one. Thankfully, my recent gym work and weight training may pay off here!

Gotta say that the Outlaws have been exceptional.

Rob