Got my 976 this weekend!

Well Christmas came early this year. I received my 976 on Friday, but had agreed with my wife that the preamp would be a Christmas present. I was not happy about waiting, but a deal is a deal.

On Saturday morning I received a call from Outlaw Audio. It was Peter Tribeman personally calling me to see how I like my unit. Apparently I was one of the first 3 people to receive the 976! I explained that my wife wanted to give it to me for Christmas, so he talked to her to explain why I should set it up now. It worked, talk about customer service!!

Well the unit is setup and works perfectly. I have not had a lot of play time with it, but 4K works flawless. I have only one 4K HDCP 2.0 input on my Sony XBR-65X900A as I was an early adopter to 4K (mistake). My OPPO 203 looks great. Now I can finally use the Roku in 4K. Zero handshake issues. Thank good!

Sound quality is excellent. I will be testing over the next week but am very happy with first listening. Bluetooth module also sounds good, range is about 15 ft then starts to cut out.

Once I have used for a week I will post more, but wanted to let others know the unit is really out there and it was worth waiting for . . . .

Adrian

Thanks for sharing your first impressions and good to hear about Outlaw's great customer service.

OK so now after one week of use I will add some of my initial impressions, likes and dislikes.

Picture quality. To me this is the most important thing as the only reason I needed to upgrade was massive compatibility issues with prior equipment essentially limiting me to just one HDCP 2.0 input. I genuinely would not have spent money to upgrade as the last processor as it was really quite nice. Bottom line. 100% flawless both in function and image quality. HDMI pass through also flawless.

Sound quality. When I initially ran the configuration, I noticed something wrong with the left front speaker. In the end discovered I had at some point blown a mid bass speaker. The system is almost always run in 7.1 mode, so the desolated sound test made me aware. Swapped in a similar pair of L/R speakers and finished setup.

Now one week into using, the sound quality is really really good. Dialog in movies . . . crystal clear. Sound stage wider and more convincing that last unit. Compared to my old 975, a significant setup in quality. Played "Dave Matthew and Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City". Absolutely Fantastic! Stereo also excellent! I have a medium sized living room about 500 sq ft. I already have a 7.1 setup in room and really not willing to add ceiling speakers and all to the latest formats. What this unit does is decode the Dolby True HD, DTS Master Audio, and earlier formats as good as any setup I have ever heard. This is all I wanted (once I resolved the 4K issues) and I do not see a reason to keep chasing newer formats. Hoping the unit stays in my system for a very long time!

My main dislike is the remote. Outlaw went out of their way to make a premium feeling remote in the hand. Let's face it they have never been known for using an awesome remote. They definitely tried to setup the game. That said it is "laggy". Find I have to push buttons hard and frequently more than once. I typically sit about 13 ft from TV, and do not have issued with other remotes in system.

Over all I am extremely pleased with this unit. I have been chasing the upgrade bug for 20 years now. Have gone through about 10 preamps and receivers in that time. Hoping I keep this one for minimum 5+ years.

I will be replacing my 975 with the model 976 very soon. So, you think that movies and music sound significantly better than the 975? More than just subtle? Thanks.

Adrian L,

Thanks for your comments about your viewing and listening experience in the last week. We are obviously pleased with your conclusions.

As for your experience with the remote, please call Ben on Monday. That same remote is used both in the 976 and the 2160 and your problem with having to press the buttons more than once is not normal. Let's see what we can diagnose.

Peter

But maybe first try swapping in some fresh batteries. Loss of range and multiple button presses can be a sign of weakening batteries.

A Couple thoughts:
1. Maybe you just received weak batteries. Replacing will fix.
2. Maybe there is something wrong with the remote that is running down your batteries. Outlaw can fix.
3. Other controller problem. Outlaw can fix.

Remember too that IR is line of sight. Even through glass (especially tinted glass) sometimes the reflection is too much and deflects the signal.