Are the "Outlaws" for real?

I checked into their pre / pro and it appears to be built to a pretty low standard, seems to be plagued by quality control problems and suffers from a higher than normal noise floor. All of this plus quirky operation of the remote. Hearing these words come from actual owners of the units was enough to scare me away. Other than that, the pre / pro very much resembles some slightly older, "plastic" NAD gear cosmetically. I think that the pre / pro is one of those products that they built tons of features into the chassis but forgot to leave room for the quality. If you get a good one, they are supposed to be a great buy for the money. If you don't get a good one... Sean
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Jack & Jayctoy: The comments regarding build quality and high noise floor were taken from those that own the 950 and have publicly posted such comments. More than a folks have stated such things, going so far as to say that they have sent them back to Outlaw, sometimes multiple times. Even with revision 2 units, they are still experiencing high levels of hiss and a lack of "black background". I have also seen units listed for sale / comments made here on Audiogon to the effect that the units are not the most reliable BUT that customer service is phenomenal.

Like i said, i was interested in buying one of these units and checked into it. I backed off after reading / finding out the above info. Less than a month ago, my Father asked to check into this unit for him. His thoughts were that the unit was unmatchable in terms of features for the money. I did further research and i'm still seeing the same complaints / comments / compliments being made about them as when they first came out i.e. it looks like they need better quality conrol and the customer service is exemplary. Sean
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Jayctoyz: Thanks for the kind words. I do what i can with what i have and try to share the limited knowledge / experience that has wandered my way. Either way, the bottom line is to enjoy what you have or find a way to get something that you can enjoy : )

Warehouse: That was a great find and very informative website. Thanks for posting the link. Not only did we learn about the actual performance of the 950, this link exposed me to another interesting item. I am refering to the program that David used to calibrate and measure the performance of these units i.e. TrueRTA. I'll have to check into this program as i think it might come in VERY handy if it has this type of resolution and is as easy to use as he makes it sound. Thanks again... Sean
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Another good find Warehouse. We call this "badge engineering" within the industry as the only thing that is changed ( in many cases ) is what name or "badge" the component ends up wearing.

I do have one problem with the article though. It stems from this quote: "Being a EE myself, with experience in working with reference designs for OEM purposes, I know that the changes one can make are minor at best, so I find that response a bit perplexing."

I disagree with this to a very great extent. It is possible to use the same power supply, chassis, circuit board, basic circuit design, etc.. and come out with a VERY different product. If this were not the case, "tweakers" wouldn't be gaining anything by swapping / bypassing / upgrading parts and manufacturers wouldn't be coming out with revisions 1, 2, 3 & 4 using nearly identical circuits in the same box. Even though the writer did us a favor by covering such a topic, he tainted the total package by adding in that last statement. The scary part is that many EE's think the same way that he does i.e. it all measures close, so it will perform / sound the same. As any of us that have ever modified circuitry can attest to from first hand experience, such is not the case. Then again, the EE's designing many of these products never get to see or use them at all. If they did, they would surely be more user friendly : ) Sean
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