merc,

No problem. (I didn't realize you can't read things on the HTF. I thought the only limitation was posting.)

I'm intending to eventually add some comments and pictures on my HT web site but a combination of factors vying for my time (March Madness, a christening, a surprise party, etc.) might not give me a chance until next week.

So, in the interim, here's a quick "cut and paste" for some of my comments over on the HTF:

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I've spent most of the day playing with my new Outlaw 755 Amplifier. I tested it out with my Marantz MA700 monoblocks and also with the amplifier section of my Denon 5700 in all possible combinations. After almost 8 hours of constant listening my initial verdict is in.

If you are planning on getting a 755 (or a 770 which is the functional equivalent of the 755 with two more amps) I predict you will be very, very happy. The individual amps in the 755 match up very nicely with the performance of my MA700's and, quite honestly, I can't say that I can hear a difference. I've lived with the MA700s powering my front soundstage (L/C/R) for over a year and when I put three amps of the 755 in place of the three MA700s the only reason that I knew that this had occurred was because I had done the wiring. Very similar performance in terms of power and imaging. And this is not surprising because the two products have very similar specs. I love my MA700s and the 755 amps are, in my opinion, at least the equal in performance.

Then I replaced the four Denon 5700 amps that were previously powering the four surround channels (LS,LR,RR & RS) with the remaining two amps from the 755 and two of the MA700s. As we like to say here in New Yawk, Fuggedaboudit!! No contest. An acoustic epiphany! Seven clean channels of 300W each into 4 ohms with plenty of headroom. Of course, the MA700s and the 755 amps are more powerful and have much more robust specifications than a receiver's amp section so this wasn't really a fair comparison.

It now just comes down to which amps to use where and for me this is just a matter of convenience. After trying out all manner of configurations I've decided to let the 755 address the L/C/R and L&R side surrounds (as indicated above) and use two MA700s for the L&R rear surrounds. The remaining MA700 becomes a spare until 8.1 or whatever shows up.

I will probably never, ever need all the headroom that this set-up provides, but as with my SVS subwoofer, it's nice to know that it's there for that rare burst of power that is called for. (A similar philosophy guides my predilection for 8 cylinder automobiles.) During normal listening and viewing the reserves make the regular stuff effortless and this shows up in how everything sounds.

I've been speaking very favorably about the performance of the 950 and can now, from personal experience, give an enthusiastic endorsement for a 950/755 or, by extension, 950/770 package.
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Hope that helps.

Take care.

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RAF

My HT (latest update 02/14/02) Now includes Outlaw 950