Pythagore: I will reiterate what I said in my first post, that the HK 525 outplayed the 990 that was sent to me in every sens of the word. I just bought an Aragon Stage One, neither the 990 or the HK come close to this beast.

So, what's the problem?

You didn't like the 990, got something else, and Outlaw agreed to take the 990 back.

So, what's the problem?

Shipping and currency exchange fees giving you the blues? Sorry, but it's not Outlaw's fault you don't live in the U.S. Frankly, with all the hassles to ship to Canada from the U.S. (yes, been there, done that) I'd consider that they did you a rather big favour in sending a 990 your way.

I happen to like my 990 very, very much, and don't think I could have done better for less than $5-$6k. Dead silent with no input, and gentle turn on. A very, very, little bright on the highs, perhaps, but far better than anything up to (and beyond) three times the price. Output padded down -8 dB across all channels (my sub has a level control) to get THX reference levels at 0 dB "on the dial". FWIW, I run an Odyssey Audio Stratos Plus amp into my front Bohlender-Graebner Radia 520i, and use a custom Acoustic Visions Q=0.6 sealed 96l sub with a Dayton Titanic Mk. II 12" driver and Hypex HS-200 sub amp.

Outlaw does not owe you a pre/pro that you like, at any price.

What they do owe you is to stand behind their conditions of sale, which, with their 30 day full refund period, are extremenly generous. And, I think they've kept that part of the bargain admirably, from what you've posted. Heck, if they charged a 15% restocking fee, they'd likely still lose money on returns, even if they could resell them full price as A stock (which they can't) because of restocking and repackaging labour and overhead. Do you think Outlaw could remain in business if they sold crap, and we were all shills? For a year perhaps, maybe two. Certainly not long enough to evolve their product lines.

From the equipment lists described here, quite a few 990 owners could easily spend five or perhaps even ten times as much on a pre/pro. They have chosen not to. They didn't buy the 990 as a price/performance compromise for lack of funds, I suspect. They bought it because it offered the best performance at any reasonable price.

It is entirely possible that your 990 was defective, and that Outlaw has quality control problems. I've read others having trouble setting their 990s up, and some complaints over the years (I've been lurking here over a year before I decide to purchase my 990) -- M200 monoblocks cutting off the high end and various units exhibiting power transformer buzz.

You know what? Sony, that over-priced bastion of Japanese consumer electronics, has lousy Q/C too, based on what I've seen over the years. Shit happens. I've been lucky: all my Sony TVs over the years have performed flawlessly: I had a 30" XBR for over 12 years.

At the end of the day, one has to take all the positive and negative opinions formed about a company and decide if one wants to do business with them -- if the risks are worth it. Based solely on what I've read in reviews, I'd probably never buy an M200 amp, for example. Pity, because I'd really like it to be a good amp, even at double the price. My mind might be swayed if I heard one, and I needed two channels of amplification recently, but deep down, I think I'd not be satisfied, and it would be a waste of every one's time and money if I ordered one, only to send it back.

I'd like to think that you ordered your 990 in good faith, and were just disappointd, for whatever reason. Though, if you were considering an Aragon, and ended up getting it in the end (likely having auditioned it before hand), it sure smells that you just wanted to save some money, and hoped the Outlaw 990 would serve as well, using the slightest excuse to send it back and justify the increased cost of the Aragon (which you really wanted all along). I suspect that if you kept the 990, you'd always wonder if the Aragon wouldn't be better, and be upset at the slightest perceived problem. Never mind wanting something as good as the Aragon for less money, I'll boldly guess that you wanted something noticably better for less money, and wound up disappointed. Such speculation on my part is risky, of course: I can't know your intentions, but you sure come off as having thought that way, having the same kind of prejudiced opinion about the 990 that I have about the M200 (and I openly admit to having prejudged it based on reports and reviews). The difference is that I didn't go and order something about which I had preconcieved misgivings (quite possibly unjustified), and kvetch about it, even after the vendor tried to help, and ultimately offered to refund my money. Knowing Outlaw, your money was likely refunded "cheerfully".

Fortunately, for Outlaw, while their amps don't seam to fit my standards, their pre/pro does. Unlike you, I can't afford an Aragon pre/pro today, but needed a pre/pro soon, and so, was somewhat sensitive to price.

The Stratos Plus is Class A/AB, flat from 2 Hz to 400 kHz, sports a continuous damping factor in excess of 500, balanced and unbalanced inputs, and a distortion figure under 0.04%. It weighs around 54 lbs. (24.5 kg. for Pythagore's benefit), and costs around US$1200. It comes with a 20 year warranty (transferrable to the second owner), 30 day trial period (though $120 for two-way shipping would not be cheap), and like Outlaw, the manufactur sells direct.

I could "sit here" and kvetch and complain that the M200 isn't as good an amp as the Stratos Plus. I suppose if disparaging the M200 were my intent I might actually order one and audition it to lend some credence to such complaints. Outlaw might even agree that sonically, the Statos Plus was a better amp (and note the double price point for two channels). And you know, I really wanted the M200 to be "the amp for me": a pair of sleek and "sexy" monoblocks driving each of my Radia 520i, biamped. I'd start of with two and not biamp, and save $600 in the process. And, even if the M200 proved perfect, I'd be unhappy, always wondering if the Stratos Plus wouldn'tve been a better choice. Any slight problem with the M200 would become magnified in my mind until I couldn't stand it, and I'd not have the patience to try to get it resolved.

Is that you, Pythagore? Maybe not, but your continued complaints here certainly paint you that way.