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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