DTS, S-Video in/outs, coaxial digital

Weak tuner, mediocre sound on anything but DTS

I'm not saying this unit is a bad deal. It sounds mind blowing on DTS, just what I dreamed of when watching a movie at home. But otherwise, with no DTS surround sound stuff, it just run of the mill. Sure, I hear background effects in the rear speakers and some panning in the front. But the fidelity and immersion of the experience are non-involving.

My assesment is that you probably do get what you pay for here but not much more. This is not a $1000+ receiver at a bargain price. It is a $600+ receiever for $600+ hard earned bucks. I listened to the Nakamichi unit and I am convinced you get a better unit, $1000+ for $1000+ but still nothing more. The Nak has a better tuner and fidelity is better but still a long way from current state of the art or high end units.

Similar Products Used:

vintage and audiophile (later units) tube gear, Pioneer $330 (at Costco) unit. Polk surround speakers w/subwoofer

Great price, great clarity, excellent surround

No component video (but that is honestly a high expectation on a sub $1000 6.1 system). Only 65 per channel, but that's plenty for me and it has preamps so no big deal.

These guys have the best communication channels I have ever seen. They kept me informed when the order weas placed, when delayed, and even when it shipped. I am a computer support technician and I truly wish all companies made so much effort to keep their customers informed.

The only problem I experienced was when I used my VHS in Prologic. For some reason I had extremely low volume until I bumped the unit with a flashlight while looking at the connections. Since then I have experienced no problems whatsoever, so I am guessing it was just a loose wire in back.

DVDs in 5.1 and 6.1 mode work great. Jumanji made it sound like it was my own wall burst under the stampede. Independence day, Matrix, Lost in space, they were all much more immersive thgan my older ONKYO prologic system.

The console is wonderful. So many systems rely exclusively on on-screen programming that they forget those of us that don't mind making changes at the console. All of the important features are duplicated on the console and make tweaking a snap. My wife likes that it unmutes when the voume is adjusted so she doesn't have to track down the remote if she just wants to unmute it after getting off of the phone.

Also, the muting issue switching to prologic is no big deal. It only happens when you have it set to 6.1 mode (just a press of the "6.1" button fixes it if you remember to before switching signals). By setting it to 5.1 before bumpimg out to prologic it goes away. I would hazard a guess that it just does not autoswitch while in 6.1 mode rather than truly muting. If per chance you are already in the proglogic portion, just click the "input" button to change to a non-digital signal.

Similar Products Used:

Onlyo, Denon 3300

clean sound, excellent channel seperation, easy to set up very good remote

wish it had more power, no on screen display, not sure what the Lcd is saying weither it is decoding dolby digital or dolby prologic, on Sat transmission

the unit is used with a a Hitachi 52" Ultravision which has dolby prologic and HTS55 cube system with a sub woofer and four cube speakers. I also use energy C-8 as my front speakers for music(Z-1 Cables) & Echostar dishplayer with a toslink, all my cables are monster interlinks 200 plus. So far for the money it is definately the best sounding receiver I have exprienced.

Similar Products Used:

ADcom GTP 600, Kenwood 1090VR, Adcom GFA 6000(amp)Echostar Dishplayer 500

Transparency, neutrality, customer service

nothing at the price

This product is an outstanding value, outperforming units way above it's price class. This receiver does not have typical receivier sound, sounding much more like separates.
In regard to one of the previous reviewers who states that the sound is unbalanced with too much highs and not enough midrange. Well, I have owned the Outlaw for 4 months and have tried it with at least a half dozen speakers already. I have also done a home audition with the M&K speakers that the other reviewer used and are very familiar with their sonic signature. I can say without hesitation the unbalanced sound he describes is NOT the Outlaw.
Aside from the suberb sound I have never dealt with a company so concerned about their customers satisfaction. A real pleasure to deal with.

Similar Products Used:

nak, b&k, marantz, yamaha, nad to name a few

Home theater sound performance and build quality.

Confusing owner's manual and small (difficult to read) display readout.

Before trying the Outlaw, a friend and I demoed the Denon 3300. My friend liked the Denon so much he bought it. I really liked the 3300's sound perfomance and features, but I was concerned about all of the overheating complaints I'd heard about. Even the unit my friend bought had some problems with it getting very hot and shutting down the center channel. He ended up removing it from the cabinet and adding an extra fan. Its fine now. I wasn't sure if the mere 65 watts the Outlaw had would be enough to drive my low sensitivity NHT's. The rep at Outlaw assured me that the the 1050 would drive the NHT's just fine. I figured that I would try the Outlaw and eat the return shipping charge if I didn't like it.

I ordered it on a Thursday and got it via Federal Express on Friday. I was immediately impressed with the build quality. The RCA jack and binding posts were of much higher quality than the Denon.

I had a bit of tough time understanding the manual, I found myself looking at the back of the receiver while reading the
overly texted manual several times, since the diagram of the back plate on the manual wasn't exact to the receiver. I tried calling Outlaw for a connection question on Friday afternoon (PST), but I got a phone recording. I then tried again on Saturday, but again no luck. I finally figured it out on my own and haven't had to call them since.

I'm very happy with this receiver. It replaces a Marantz AV-550 home theater preamp and two Carver amps, a 753x three channel and a 500x two channel(250 watts per channel). I actually prefer the sound of the Outlaw much better. I mainly blame the Marantz for that, however, I'm sure that the overall design and newer technology of the Outlaw has a lot to do with it.

I'm definitely keeping the Outlaw 1050 and plan to purchase the Outlaw 750 Amplifier sometime in the near future. I think it is the best home theater receiver out there for the money.

Associated Equipment:

Sony DVP-S7000
NHT Super Zeros x5
NHT SW-P1
XLO VDO speaker cables
Kimber Kable Silver Digital cable
Kimber Kable PBJ audio cables
Sony WEGA XBR 32"

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300

Quality,sound, features,nice remote

Maybe the way they organize their shipping?

Finally got it! I complain about the wait and the conflicting emails I got about it, but back to the receiver- it is great! I wanted something that could run 4ohms, have 6.1 sound, and s video connectors, powered rear center and I think this is the only unit under $2000 that meets these needs. At $634 delivered, it is a steal! The sound is very clean, none of the distortion you get from those supposedly more powerful 100w per channel units at the local stores. This unit blows them away.I am running ten ( count them!), ten Radio Shack modified LX5 II speakers, two for each front channel, two for the center rear and one per left and right rear. The sound is spacious, open.I also run an Infinity 2112 sub. If you saw it and heard it, you would agree that you would have to pay at least a grand more to get a better unit.My advice? Buy one, find some of the RS LX5II speakers if they are still available, for $59 each, mod them and for about $1000, you will have a system sounding way more than it's worth. Oh yeah, get a sub. Don't worry about the 65 w rating; it is enough, but when you have a powered sub, 65w is more than enough!

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Technics THX 1010 receiver.

Quality Build, Dolby Digital 5.1 and 6.1 Matrixed, DTS 5.1, Pro-Logic, Low Price, Great Customer Service.

Lack of Digital Inputs

I received my Outlaw on Thursday and really surprised by both the performance and build quality. My previous system utilized separate components (NAD amp(s) and the Marantz AV-550). For music listening (two channel) I use a pairs of Spica TC-50 monitors. For HT listening I use Carver 5.2 center channel and surrounds and a VMPS subwoofer.

I really wanted to compare the Outlaw with the Denon AVR3300. I picked one up from a local stereo shop to do comparisons.

Both the Outlaw and the Denon have very nice displays, however, the Denon’s display is much easier to read. The physical appearance of the Outlaw looks as if it came from a high end audio shop while the Denon looks a little more mass produced (This reminds me of the NAD amps I own). Both units weight about the same and have very large power transformers. The inside of the Outlaw is more tidy (Wires are grouped together) while the Denon looks as if it were just thrown together. On the back panel the Outlaw’s binding posts were far better than those found on the Denon. All input and output jacks on the Outlaw were gold plated while the Denon’s were just bare metal. Both the outlaw and the Denon lacked enough digital inputs for my needs (Four on the Denon and three on the Outlaw).

On to the sound. Both amps were calibrated with a SPL meter at ¾ volume level. I did not notice a significant difference in volume levels between the two amps. When playing the Eagles DTS I noticed about a 1-2db loudness increase with the volume levels adjusted to twelve o’clock. I also could not tell a difference between the 5.1 processing of both units. The only sound feature that the Outlaw appears to be missing is a Re-Eq effect that can be found in the Denon. Neither amp could satisfy my Spicas in two channel stereo mode. The Outlaw is a little brighter on the high end then the Denon.

Options on the Outlaw completely satisfy me. The Denon has more options, but to be quite honest I would never have time to play with all of them. The build quality of the Outlaw is far better than the Denon. Both amps performed relatively the same and processing could be considered equal. The Outlaw is cheaper.

I am going to keep the outlaw. It is a great value at $600!!!

Similar Products Used:

Marantz AV-550 w/ NAD Amps, Denon AVR3300

received the first one out!!! sounds great with the outlaw amp.

none

finally received my outlaw!! My outlaw amp and magnapan 1.6 sound great. Had my 750 outlaw amp for about a month before my receiver came but once I hooked it up is was more than worth the wait!!!! Running a Toshiba 9100 dvd and my BAG END subwoofer. I don't know all of the tech terms but I do know my music, and it sure sounds great!

Easy to set up and use, plenty of power, not too many bells & whistles

None

I was shopping for separates and could not justify the prices. Then I looked at the B&K receiver and it was pricey too. Nak and Yamaha had good receivers, but way too many buttons and a consumer electronics look, and still some of them well over $1,000. Then I found the Outlaw, all the stuff you need and none of the crap you don't want. The best part is the purchase price, $637 delivered to your door. No tax, no salesman, excellent customer service, what more could you want. I am using the Klipsch new reference series (96 db/1W/1M) front, center, and rear, along with a Velodyne HGS-15 sub. The sound is truly awesome in any mode. I can not believe how loud and clear this setup can play. Unless you have a HUGE room, or no powered sub, you won't NEED the big amp, but after hearing and seeing the high quality of the receiver, you will want it just to show it off. Best audio purchase I have ever made!

Similar Products Used:

Nakamichi and Yamaha Receivers

Price, customer service, very well built

Sound, hiss from rear channels, looks

I was disapointed with this receiver after much anticipation to get it. I have nOrh 7.0 speakers which are very revealing to the source. It is amazing to hear the sonic differences between the receivers we auditioned. The outlaw was very well built, probably the best in the bunch and very well laid out. It was very easy to set up. My wife and I found the sound very bright, thin and sterile. I wanted to like this receiver but couldnt. After about 1/2 hour, I had to shut it off. Musically, it was lacking especialy in the bottom end. It never sounded "full" just thin without bass punch. For home theater it wasnt much better. I had to turn the volune control to 66 to get enough volume to fill my 18x12 room. It decoded dolby digital and dts disks fine. There was a prominent hiss from the speakers at this volume from about 3ft away. I did not try the 6.1 feature, having soured on this receiver early and knowing that every midfi/hifi unit coming out will have 6.1 on it. I then let it play for 18 hours straight and it still sounded thin and punchless. Im not sure if i gave it enough of a chance, but the other receivers I demo sounded much, much better from the start. I agree with the e-town review that this receiver was bright and thin and compared sound wise to the HK 500. I was also disapointed that there was no 24/96 (20/48 on the 1050)dacs on this receiver, important with all the new higher sampling formats coming out. Customer service was teriffic, made it very easy to return ( cost me $24 though)and very helpful with my pre order questions, but they could not answer my questions about power transformer output, peak amps and capacitor size.

I rated the recivers I demo as follows with the price I was able to attain them for:

Marantz 7000 * * * * 1/2 ($700 inc tax, bought localy)
Denon 3300 * * * * 1/2 ($700 + $25 shipping)
Onkyo 777 * * * ($760 inc tax local) bad hiss from rear speakers also
HK 500 * * 1/2 ($649 inc tax, local)
Outlaw 1050 * * 1/2 ($599 + 37 shipping)

I ended up keeping the Marantz. It had a very warm tube amp sound and did everything well. The Denon was equally its peer, but the Marantz got the nod on muisc.

Your ears are different, reviews are subjective and this is how it played out in my room with my equipment. I recommend everyone try the products they're interested in, in their own enviroments.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300, Marantz 7000, Onkyo 777, HK 500