Any forum members own any equipments from Outlaw Audio, the online-only audio manufacturer? It does not appear the TAS gave the relatively new Outlaw HT processor a very good review...
Keep in mind that the receiver is only $700. Outlaw is lucky that TAS even accepted the package. They have a 30 day guarantee so you have nothing to lose. Outlaw has a good reputation among home theater users. I had their ICBM bass management unit and was extremely pleased with it. David
I bought the model 1050 home theater receiver in the summer of 2001 for $499 direct from Outlaw. It's the only dolby digitial/dst surround receiver I have experience with, but I can't imagine how I could do better at that price with a different brand. It's hooked up to the Wharefedale 8.X series speakers all the way around, and sounds great. It gets constant daily use, and is powered on and off several times a day. Only because I was so pleased with the 1050, I bought the RR2150 receiver direct from Outlaw for $599. While I agree with one reviewer who felt the receiver is worth twice the price, it doesn't come close to the performance of my Tandberg 3001A/3002A/3003A tuner/pre/amp setup, nor did I expect it to. I would have been willing to pay $100 more if Outlaw had decided not to skimp on the volume control on the unit itself. The crude volume control on the remote just adds to the poor performance (of the volume control). I'll swear to the excellent performance and value of the 1050, and I'm sure I'll find a use for the 2150 sooner or later. I don't regret buying it. And, no doubt, the 2150 is very pleasant on the eyes.
I actually have the Outlaw 990 preamp/processor in mind since I have gone and stayed separates for years. As I am really not into HT that much but would like to take advantage of the multi-channel SACDs, I need to have a multi-channel processor. I can cobble together a number of existing amps to power this setup. Given my listening requirement is mainly audio, it makes no sense for me to spend $4000 on such preamp/processor. The TAS actually had reviewed the 990 not long ago.
There is no question that for what Outlaw charges for its products, I cannot expect them to perform at a level similar to most of what I currently have. I just want to be pragmatic, as there is no reason to spend money on something I do not need, such as super video capability since all I need is multi-channel audio capability. The 2150 receiver has some great touch, such as attaching your MP3 player to its front panel so you can hear your MP3 music through your regular speakers.
I have the Outlaw ICBM that I bought used from a member here and it has worked beautifully! Their stuff is built to last.
Some of the Outlaw equipment appears to be OEM'ed by Sherwood (for example, their HT processors and HT receivers). Their subs are OEM'ed by Hsu RFesearch. Their stereo receiver is, I believe, their own design manufactured in China. Their multi-channel amps are made in the USA. I'm not sure who OEM'ed them, but the back panels look pretty similar to Adcom products. All-in-all, great stuff for the price.
Ooo...I had no idea Outlaw OEM'd a lot of their stuff. I had a Sherwood Newcastle home theatre receiver (twice) and neither unit would work with SVHS inputs from a DVD player - the video would actually distort on certain scenes...it was weird.
Yeah, I said that in my post. However: The OEM for at least some of the HT receivers and processors is Sherwood. However, the amplifiers are made in the US and Sherwood does not have manufacturing facilities in the US, ergo the amplifiers are not OEM'ed by Sherwood. The rear aprons of the amplifiers look extremely similar to the rear aprons of Adcom amplifiers, some of which are made in the US.
Outlaw sales manager Scott Jackson posted this on The Outlaw Saloon a few years ago: "It is a well known fact that the Outlaw amplifiers are built at the same factory that builds ATI, and other quality amplifier brands. The factory that builds our unit and the ATI unit also manufacturers under contract several other brands of power amplifiers. Some of these models are made for very famous large companies in conventional distribution. Other models are for the rapidly growing custom installation area. Suffice it to say, that the Outlaw power amps are only a small portion of what comes out of this factory, but the design is our own. To anticipate your next question, our circuitry is entirely different than that of the ATI designs." Outlaw amps have been called the "stripped down" version of ATI's product and there have been comparisons made between such amps as the ATI 1505 and the Outlaw 750. It's been said that because of manufacturing costs and tooling, ATI uses a similar design and construction format, but the two amps have several differences that make the ATI superior to the Outlaw. Ed Frias is an ATI dealer and tunes his speakers with ATI amps, but he has stated publicly that Outlaw has much of ATI's quality and will also out-perform any amp in it's class. Sorry that all this doesn't answer your original question though.
But according to an earlier posting in this thread, Outlaw does have certain model(s) made in some foreign country.
Yeah, looks like the 990 was manufactured in the same Korean factory as the Sherwood P-965, I think. Someone said they didn't know who made the amps, so my earlier babbling was in response to that. Maybe you can get some further answers here. Sounds like a nice pre-pro though. If I was smart I would've went the route you're thinking of...I did it @ss backwards instead.
I have their cables, and a friend of mine has their HT processor and amp. They're good for HT, but my tastes for music are more refined.
Hi coopmv, I've been listening to a pair of Outlaw 2200 mono amps driving my Maggie 3.6s (via Nordost cables) and am quite pleased. Can't argue with the price either. Barry www.barrydiamentaudio.com www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
In fact, I have been considering getting the Outlaw 2200 to power the center channel and combine it with two existing 2-channel amps for the front and rear channels to form a 5-channel system since I don't want to go 7-channel.
