Outlaw 950 has been ordered!

[Hirsch]

After months of waiting, Outlaw Audio is starting to take orders for the 950 pre/pro from people off of their waiting list. I've been on the list since about two minutes after it opened, and am in the first set of orders they're taking. The units will arrive in the US at the end of the week, and start shipping. This has been a long wait... They figure that it will take 60-90 days to clear all orders, including new ones. Apparently, they've already got reservations for all of the units they projected they'd sell in the entire first year of the product.

(They didn't put a headphone jack on it. Darn.)

 

[DarkAngel]

OK I'll bite on this one. Why should one wait 60-90 days to buy an Outlaw preamp? I have never heard of this model, and with all the fine new/used competing products why pay full price (I assume).

This appears to be a home theater product which may be why it is unfamiliar, fill us in on what we are missing.......

 

[dcg]

DarkAngel,

You are correct that the 950 is a Home Theater preamp. If you think 60-90 days is bad, you'll be shocked to hear that some have already been waiting about a year and a half for this product. Outlaw Audio is a pretty new compant that has come out with some products in recent years that many consider to be an excellent value for the money. Quite simply, the Outlaw has features never before seen in a sub-$1000 preamp (and Sherwood and Atlantic Tech. have what amounts to an exact copy of this preamp coming out, with the Atlantic Tech having an SRP of $1700 vs. the $900 preorder price for the Outlaw.) I believe Outlaw has a discussion forum on their site, there's also been a great deal of discussion at The Home Theater Forum. Also of note is that the DACs are supposed to be excellent, according to some beta testers.

Hirsch - what are the chances of this thing arriving by the DC meet?

 

[Hirsch]

Darkangel,

There is simply nothing else out there in the price range that has the features I was looking for in a pre/pro. It has a very nice set of processing modes. Also important to me, it also has analog bypass on all of the inputs, so that an analog signal need never go near the processors (many of the high-priced processors will still perform A-D-A conversion on an analog signal). Multi-channel SACD and DVD-A ready. Outlaw has also been establishing a reputation for sonic excellence with its initial products. Early reports from the beta tester indicate that they succeeded with this one also.

dcg-

That's up to Outlaw. I'd say chances are about 60/40 that it will be there. If everything stays on schedule from here on out, it should arrive about a week before then.

 

[morphsci]

Did you actually receive your 950 before the audio and video recall problems? What are your thoughts on the bass management decisions for the 5.1 "direct" inputs? Just wondering.

 

[dcg]

morphsci-

Hirsch never got it. However, I got an email this morning saying that Outlaw was about to/had already resumed shipment, and I know Hirsch was very high on the list. Looks like his wait is almost over (unlike mine. I got on the list March 1).

 

[Hirsch]

No, I got caught in the hold while they fixed the bugs. They're resuming shipments, as of an e-mail last night, and I should be near the top of the list.

The bass management decision sucks, IMO, as there should be a direct passthrough option on all six 5.1 inputs, not just the five mains. That being said, it probably won't affect me at all. I've got two channel SACD, so there won't ever be a dedicated LF track, and I can simply turn the subwoofer off if I don't want to hear it. OTOH, if I get a true multichannel SACD or DVD-A source, I'd like to be able to hear the LF track isolated...but my rear surrounds are pretty small, even with their own passive sub, so my guess is that I'd keep feeding the signal to the main sub anyway. So, I can disagree with their decision, but realize that at least for me, it's not going to matter.

 

[morphsci]

Well I am going to stay on and at least audition one. My plan was to insert an ICBM between my SACD and the 950 "direct" inputs. However, their nodefeatable bass summing at a fixed xover point makes that plan moot. I am a little less enthused about it now than a month ago. Don't forget to let us people further down the list know what you think when you get it into your system.

 

[Hirsch]

Be still my heart. My 950 has shipped. I selected ground shipping, so it should be here next week. So near, and yet so far... (This has been a long wait

)

 

[dcg]

Quote:

Originally posted by Hirsch Be still my heart. My 950 has shipped. I selected ground shipping, so it should be here next week. So near, and yet so far... (This has been a long wait )

ARGHH! I would have paid for next day had I known, so it would get there by Saturday

 

[morphsci]

That sounds very positive. Things should start moving along now. Congrats Hirsch.

 

[blueocp]

Yay for Hirsch! Now tell us how the PCAs compare with silver laces

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by dcg ARGHH! I would have paid for next day had I known, so it would get there by Saturday

I would have gotten next day shipping if I had known I could get someone else to pay for it

Maybe the truck will have a tailwind...

 

[dcg]

It's possible that it'll be there Friday I suppose. At any rate, I'm dissapointed - I saw that you had posted to this thread and thought it had arrived! Poop.

 

[Hirsch]

I thought something weird was going on when the sun rose in the West this morning, but then something even stranger happened. I got a box from Outlaw Audio...with a 950 in it. Going to go get it set up...