Are the "Outlaws" for real?

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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Well Sean I do totally agree with you, everytime I
read your tread, I always learn, I could tell,you
do your homework, Maybe if i saw those bad comment
on the outlaw, I will also think 10 times or not
buying at all.

Here is a link for a comparison between the Outlaw 950 and the B&K Ref 30. Interesting that the tester claims that the 950 he had didn’t meet specs.

http://dsnyder.ws-e.com/outlaw/

I was interested in the 950 but now I think I'll wait until the used price for the Ref 30 comes down a tad.

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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I would also like to start "scientifically" testing my equipment but what comes out on paper isn't necessarily what your ears like. Maybe the equipment is flat across the band but my ears aren't!

There is a free download of the TrueRTA and it is pretty useful even though you don't get the whole picture.

As for the Outlaw 950, I found another document that shows that it's actually a clone of another mfg.

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/clone_prepros.php

Maybe this is a good thing since the other units costs so much more, but it makes you think twice about the 950.