General Use
Both the Outlaw 990 and 7125 worked flawlessly, with no significant problems
during the time they were in my system. The 990's common operations of
volume control, input selection, and surround mode selection are all handled
effectively from either the remote or the front panel. The 7125 powered on
and off cleanly without any thumps or pops to the speakers.
The only issue I
had was with turning the 990 on from the remote control. Generally, the
power button is used to both turn components on and turn them off, but in
the case of the 990, the power button on the remote is only for turning the
unit off. Turning the unit on is accomplished by pressing one of the source
buttons. It is a minor issue though, and one I’m sure I would adjust to over
time.
The Sound
I always like to start my evaluation of a piece of equipment with stereo
recordings of music, and for this review I began my listening tests with
the Atlanta Symphony recording of John Adams' Harmonium (Telarc CD-80365), an
expansive orchestral and choral piece that is set to the text of three
poems. For all of the stereo listening, I was feeding the Outlaw
990 with a digital output from my DVD player and had the 990 set in 'Bypass'
mode. The first movement, "Negative Love", is very powerful, with large
dynamic contrasts, and the way the 990 and 7125 captured these elements of
the piece were very impressive. I was equally impressed by the definition
and detail the components maintained during these intense and complex
passages, with the choir and the various instrument sections both well
integrated into the sound as a whole, but clearly discernible in the mix as
well.
The second movement, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death", is delicate
and sparse, and is more akin to the minimalist style for which Adams is most
commonly known. Here, the 990 and 7125 opened up the music, giving a wonderful
sense of acoustic space, with the sound crisply decaying into nothing as
instruments came in and out of the music. This sense of acoustic space was
also augmented by the high level of detail these two components produced
from this recording. I was also very pleased by the natural timbre of the
instruments, with the woodwinds displaying a very realistic tonal quality.
The third and final movement, "Wild Nights", regains the intensity of the
first movement, with strong rhythmic elements and prominent use of the brass
instruments. I felt that the 990 and 7125 displayed these elements
exceedingly well, with great rhythmic drive and intensity.
I continued my listening with Fredrick Fennell’s recording of the Cleveland
Symphonic Winds performing Gustav Holst's Suites for Band (Telarc CD-80038),
which is a disc I have been using regularly for reviewing components,
primarily due to my familiarity with the music in live performances. I began
my listening with the "First Suite in E Flat". The first movement, "Chaconne",
highlighted the 990 and 7125's ability to reproduce brass instruments with
great clarity and definition. In addition, Holst features the low brass
instruments throughout this movement, which showcased the ability of this
Outlaw combination to resolve the detail of the musical instruments and the
depth of their range from my speakers. In fact, the 990 and 7125 produced the
best bass I have ever heard from my speakers, which was immediately evident
on the classic Telarc bass drum hits. The second and third movements,
"Intermezzo" and "March", continued this laudable level of sonic performance
with similarly excellent results.
Of course my review of these units would not be complete if I didn’t listen to
the "Fantasia on the Dargason" movement from Holst’s "Second Suite in F".
Again, the Outlaw 990 and 7125 combination excelled, producing both brass and
woodwinds beautifully and creating a life like sound for the whole ensemble.
Detail from the recording was excellent, easily the best I’ve heard through
my speakers, and the bass was just fantastic. I really felt like the 7125
was able to grab hold of my speakers and drive them to the full extent of
their abilities. Overall, I was exceedingly impressed by the performance of
the Outlaw 990 and 7125 with this recording.
The Outlaw 990 also offers the interesting option of up-sampling CD audio to
24/192. I tried out this feature using "Fantasia on the Dargason" again. In
general, I found the effect to be very subtle if noticeable at all. My notes
are full phrases like, "the bass might be deeper", and that, "there may be a
bit more detail". Most importantly, this processing does not seem to detract
from music and thus one could easily leave it engaged for any added
performance it may give.
I started my evaluation of DVDs with "The Attack on Port Royal" from Pirates
of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl. The Outlaw combination
rewarded me with an enveloping and detailed sound field, deep and powerful
cannon shots, and clear, crisp dialogue. I was also impressed as to how well
balanced the sound was, with the score remaining clear and driving the
action forward, despite the very busy and powerful sound effects throughout
this scene.
I continued to be very impressed with the way the Outlaw duo performed when
I put in the Raiders of the Lost Ark DVD. The 990 and 7125 were able to
create a great sense of atmosphere with their deft handling of the low sonic
details and the score. Things really got interesting though when the guns
came out. I was amazed at how overblown the sound effects were for Indiana
Jones’ revolver, with a weightiness to its retort that might be more akin to
a howitzer. It was made even more apparent by the very distinct sounds of
the different guns during the bar fight at the beginning of the movie. This
is a detail in the sound of this DVD that I had never truly captured, but
was laid out plainly and honestly by the 990 and the 7125.
My audition continued with Star Wars - Episode II, Attack of the Clones, and
again I was impressed with how rich and detailed the textures of the sound field were. The 990 and 7125 were also producing great bass, with clear
and bold sound effects. The sound was very dynamic, with my own ears and
comfort being the limiting factor in setting the absolute volume of the
system. The most important result I found from listening to this DVD was
that I always felt like I was getting the most from the disc. I just did not
feel like I was losing any real detail or dynamic range using this setup,
which at this price is a huge achievement.
I decided to finish my review with one of my all time favorite DVDs,
Super Speedway. My favorite section is where Michael Andretti takes the CART
car out for testing at Road America with Dire Straits lilting in the
background. The way the Outlaw 990 and 7125 handled this DVD was superb. The
music was excellent, and the sweeping effect used when the car passes under
bridges was awesome. It was a great way to finish up an audition of a truly
excellent set of components.
Conclusions
At $1,099 for the 990 and $999 for the 7125, the two Outlaw units both
represent excellent bargains in their respective markets. All of the
processors and amplifiers I could find with comparable, and in many cases
inferior feature sets, cost significantly more than the Outlaw units. In
addition, I feel these two units together represent a better value than the
receivers that they would compete with on a cost basis. While the 990 may
not have all of the features (room equalization and built in satellite
radio) that competitive receivers have, I feel its feature set is entirely
competitive, and it offers a better upgrade path by only having to replace
the processor rather than the whole receiver. This may seem obvious, but it
is a tangible benefit of owning separates when you are upgrading equipment
generally every one to six years. Thus, not only are the units themselves
excellent bargains, but their overall lifecycle costs should be less than
owning a comparably priced receiver.
The Outlaw units are attractive and very well built, and are the kind of
purchases that will inspire pride for years to come. Additionally, the
Outlaw 990 has sufficient connections and customizability to handle all but
the most ludicrously complicated home entertainment setups, while still
being simple and reliable to use.
Finally, the Outlaw 990 and 7125 can deliver truly state-of-the-art sound
quality on all kinds of source material. Both the 990 and 7125 performed
beautifully, producing some of the best sound I have ever had in my home
theater system on both music and DVDs.
It should be entirely apparent that I was very impressed with the Outlaw 990
and 7125. I give them both my highest recommendation.
- Matthew Abel -
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