|
Some
comments from the UK:
Here are
some comments from postings placed on a UK newsgroup
(uk.media.home-cinema) by Patrick Navin:
My Outlaw 1050
Receiver...
Part
1
It's here, it's all set
up and...
It's a peach! After
manfully struggling to lift the bloody thing out of its box
(weighs a ton), I inspected it to check out what the build
quality was like as it is a "no name" brand at
present.
Well... Denon, Marantz,
Sony, NAD etc. are in trouble! This bit of kit is better
built than anything else in my system barring perhaps my
valve amp (3mm steel chassis). Fit and finish is lovely and
all the buttons have a really tactile feel. Binding posts
for all six speakers are massive and will take any size
cable. Phonos all gold plated and no back panel flex on
insertion.
OK, so bearing in mind
it's not run in yet - how does it sound? Well, Prologic
performance is excellent, very airy and spacious, plenty of
detail and much more controlled than my NAD T751. Dolby
Digital and DTS performance are in another league from all
the DD receivers I've owned (Sony 830, NAD T751, Sherwood
R925) with masses of bite and attack (à la Sony
830/930 series) but none of the harshness or brightness -
feeling more smooth and controlled (like the NAD) yet
powerful and able to run my 6 ohm Sony SS176EB Brooklands
floorstanders with ease. Very impressive!
A nice touch is that
Outlaw have shipped me a 230V, CE approved version with an
RDS FM tuner and European AM stepping - this means that none
of its features are redundant. The tuner seems decent
enough, pulling in plenty of stations and having a nice warm
tone in FM.
Stereo performance is
exemplary, makes the NAD look restrained and over laid-back.
I'd put it more in the £300-450 quality integrated amp
bracket. Superb control and lots of power available. Music
never sounds "processed," but feels natural and
weighty.
So I havent had time to
play with the 6.1 processing, the switchable crossover or
the funky 8 device multi-remote that comes with it but I
shall as soon as I can.
Part
2
It's been a few weeks
since the Outlaw arrived and it's settling in
nicely.
I've been trying to
"listen" to it but invariably I get caught up in the music
or the movie that it's playing and forget to make any notes
... a damn good sign!
Surround sound
performance - I have to say this is the first receiver I've
had which really knows how to handle Pro Logic!! Digital
performance is as expected but it's the analogue surround
that really stuns me. The movementof sound front to back is
exceptionally well controlled and the overall atmosphere of
a pro-logic broadcast or disc is very effectively
created.
DD/DTS performance is
excellent, smooth but pwerful with acres of bass extension -
so much so that I've had to turn the sub down a touch.
Channel steering is excellent and separation is as good as
I've heard (using the old "unplug the speakers"
tests!).
As I haven't got round to
getting a sixth speaker I've yet to try the 6.1
option.
Stereo performance is
also superb - and it's here that the variable crossover is
worth its weight in gold - I use big Sony Brooklands edition
floorstanders and I don't want the sub interefering -
setting the crossover at 60hz maeans that the sub barely
gets a look in on most CD material.
Overall pace is great,
bass is controlled and rythmic with my Rega Planet 2000 CD
player. Minidisc performance is revealing (sometimes a
little to much so) especially with recordings from an
analogue source.
Build quality and
operation are exemplary - I couldn't fault it in any
way.
I hope this gives you
some idea of how happy I am with the receiver - the very
fact that I've spent so much time listening to the music and
not the kit tells you how impressed I am.
-----------------
Check out pictures at
Outlaw's website (http://www.outlawaudio.com)
If anyone is after a
European model you need to get in contact with Robert Woods
at the following e-mail address
robert.woods@soundcenter.fi
They are the
Finland-based importers of Outlaw products (and working with
European distribution - RFW). Expect to pay in the region of
£600 for a CE spec receiver - well worth the money in
my opinion.
I don't work for Outlaw
or Sound Center (though I corresponded recently with Robert
about UK dealership - however Outlaw's business model
precludes regional distributors). I'm just happy with the
product and think more people should take a look - mention
me to Robert if you contact him though !! ))
Patrick
|