“To live outside the law youmust be honest,” Bob Dylanonce sang. This principlemight also have served as thebusiness plan for Outlaw

Audio, the scrappy American electron-ics company that started up a fewyears back with the idea of selling itsA/V electronics factory-direct over theInternet, saving its customers the sub-stantial mark-up that would normallygo to the retailer. Although this busi-ness model has served the computerworld well (witness such firms as Delland Gateway), it’s risky for a con-sumer-electronics company, which tra-ditionally relies on a strong dealer net-work to stock, display, demonstrate,install, and service its products. Butbreaking the rules seems to be servingOutlaw just fine. The company hasrapidly gained a reputation with con-sumers and the press for building ter-rific-sounding, super-high-value gearthat’s also straightforward to set upand operate.

Though the word on Outlaw hasspread rather quickly, the companyhas wisely, to my mind, taken its timereleasing new models. Aside from itsconnecting cables and an Internettuner that’s in the works, OutlawAudio has introduced just six compo-nents to date: the now discontinuedModel 750 5-channel amp (the firstOutlaw product); the Model 1050 A/V

receiver; the clever and effectiveICBM-1 bass-management unit forSACD and DVD-Audio playback(which I used as part of a systemreviewed in Issue 43); the 200WpcModel 775 5-channel amplifier; andthe products under review here— theModel 770 amplifier (a seven-channelversion of the Model 775), and theModel 950 A/V controller (for therecord, Outlaw calls it a “preamp/processor”).

To give you an idea of OutlawAudio’s value, its Model 1050, anuncommonly good-sounding 6.1-channel receiver, which Neil Gaderraved about in Issue 35, was awardedEditors’ Choice honors in Issue 40 andalso listed in Issue 43’s Recommended

Products feature. The Model 1050sells for just $499—the price realm ofGodzilla-sized Japanese companies,not small-fry American ones. Outlaw’sother gear is similarly priced. TheModel 950 controller costs $899, and

the Model 770 7-chan-nel amp goes for $1799.What’s more, if you pur-chase them togetherOutlaw knocks two hun-dred clams off their indi-vidual purchase prices,so the duo ends up cost-ing you $2498 instead of$2698. Still anotheradvantage of the direct-sales approach is thatyou get to audition the

stuff at home with a 30-day money-back-guarantee. Of course, shippingcosts will apply, but these can be nom-inal, depending on the shippingmethod you select.

An Outlaw’s Brain

The Model 950 is about as up-to-date as an A/V controller can be. Itdecodes 5.1-channel surround fromDolby Digital and DTS discs, and 7.1-channel surround from Dolby DigitalEX and DTS-ES discs, as well as turn-ing stereo sources into surround-matrixes via Dolby Pro Logic II andDTS Neo: 6. In addition, the 950 is said

to be the first A/V component to offerCirrus Extra Surround, which derivessurround-back information from two-channel or 5.1-channel sources.

Hookups, too, are plentiful, andinclude a 5.1-channel analog audio

January/February 2003 ❘ www.theperfectvision.com 69

A/V REVIEW ❘ Wayne Garc ia

Outlaw Audio has rapidly gained a reputationwith consumers and the press for building terrific-sounding, super-high-value gear that’salso straightforward to set up and operate.

Outlaw Audio Model 950 A/V Controller and Model 770 7-Channel Amplif ier

70 The Perfect Vision ❘ January/February 2003

input for SACD and DVD-Audio play-ers (or the new “universal” players hit-ting the market that play both), ahealthy mixture of composite-video, S-video, and component-video ins andouts, a slew of optical and coax digitalaudio connections, plenty of analogstereo jacks, and DC and remote trig-gers. The Model 950 also lets you setup a second listening zone for music-only sources, which makes its features-set compete with units costing at leasttwice as much (for details seeSpecifications at the end of thisreview). Another nice touch: Unlikemost A/V controllers, Outlaw’s 950includes a 32-preset AM/FM tunerthat functioned very well in my listen-ing room with nothing more than thesupplied dipole antenna attached.

Another unusually smart featurecan be found on the rear panel, justnext to the 5.1-channel inputs. A tog-gle switch lets you choose one of twoanalog bass-management modes. Withanalog bass-management on, frequen-cies above 80Hz are routed to the frontleft, center, and right, and surround leftand right speakers, while frequenciesbelow 80Hz go to the subwoofer. Withanalog bass management off, the mainspeakers receive full bandwidth sig-nals, but all sub-80Hz information isstill summed and sent to the sub-woofer. Bottom line: Unless everyspeaker in your system is truly fullrange, make certain that this switch isin the “on” position; otherwise, driverdamage is practically guaranteed.

As befits the company’s high value-to-performance ratio, the 950 is arather plain-looking thing. The char-coal-colored faceplate is simple andentirely functional in layout, with var-ious controls for tuner, menu, source,surround, and so on separated intological groupings. The centrally placeddisplay window provides the identicalset-up and operating information asthe on-screen display, which can beoutputted through both the S-videoand composite-video jacks (but not,take note, through the component-video jacks). If you prefer to use thehigher quality component-videohookups and your installation is suchthat the Model 950’s display cannot be

seen from your couch or chair, there’sno reason not to use the S-video orcomposite jacks temporarily to viewthe OSD. I should also note thatOutlaw includes a stereo-bypassswitch, which defeats any digital sig-nal-processing by feeding all analogstereo signals directly to the outputstage. This feature is vital for themusic lover, as my listening tests withCD and FM proved. Better focus,detail, air, and a far more involvingexperience were to be had in thebypass mode.

All of these functions can beaccessed remotely, too. The suppliedwand is a familiar pre-programmed/learning model, used by B&K and oth-ers. Although backlit, it’s not the clean-est or most intuitive thing out there, andmy review sample was a little squirrelly,responding most, but not all of the time,to the desired command.

On the other hand, kudos must begiven to the Outlaw team for thecleanly written and easy to understandowner’s manual, which provides usefulhints even to experienced users, andshould make setup a relatively simpletask for the first-timer.

In last issue’s review of the NaimAV 2, I lamented the generally amusi-cal nature of A/V controllers, notingthat too many designs don’t cut itwhen playing music sources. So howdoes the Outlaw fair in this regard?Quite impressively, I’m pleased toreport. With a number of discs, fromBob Dylan’s Live 1966 to The FlamingLips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robotsto Miles Davis’ Porgy and Bess to theeclectic soundtrack from The RoyalTenenbaums, the Model 950 (initiallypaired with my reference BalancedAudio Technology VK-6200, laterwith Outlaw’s own 770) was warm, abit laid-back, relatively spacious,

decent if not super-detailed, with apleasant overall balance. If you audi-tion the 950 at home, make certainthat the bypass switch is engaged.Because the differences in presence (orthe unit’s feeling of directness), tonaland textural makeup, image focus,and dynamic contrast are quite largewhen compared to the digitallyprocessed sound.

Moving to surround-sound musicDVDs—like the Talking Heads’ StopMaking Sense and The Best of Sessionsat West 54th—revealed that theOutlaw 950’s character is consistentwith both analog and digital sources.A variety of DVD movies, includingUnforgiven, Singin’ in the Rain, andPulp Fiction (to name a few), con-firmed that the 950’s warm dispositionmatches well with most film sound-tracks—except in one area.

My reservation concerns a discrep-ancy in the transitional area from theupper midrange to the high frequen-cies, where I noted a consistent, if notgross, edginess. (Keep in mind that thiswas with MartinLogan’s very reveal-ing Aeon electrostatic-hybrid speakersand, as noted, a very expensive world-class amplifier.) Still, I was curious tosee if this edge would disappear whenthe Outlaw was paired with the com-pany’s own Model 770 amplifier. Theremainder of my review will focus onthat pairing.

An Outlaw’s Brawn

The Model 770 is a 90-poundmother of an amp, a no-nonsenseworkhorse design that’s housed in anunadorned box. Inside and to the frontare two large, custom-designedtoroidal transformers incorporatingmultiple windings for each channel.

A/V REVIEW

January/February 2003 ❘ www.theperfectvision.com 71

Running from front to back are sevenamplifier modules that deliver 200Weach into 8 ohms and 300W into 4ohms. Five pairs of discrete outputdevices are used in each module, withrows of heatsinks between them, elim-inating the need for noisy fans.

Hookups are on standard RCAconnectors for inputs and via bindingposts for speaker cables. Otherwise, apower cord receptacle, master circuit-breaker switch, and DC trigger con-nection (for auto-turn-on with theModel 950) are all that’s included onthe rear panel. The 770 is very nicelyconstructed with quality parts andseemed to operate cool enough to beplaced in a cabinet. And unlike somedesigns the 770 doesn’t seem to changedramatically with warm-up, soundingquite good directly out of the cartonand improving only slightly over time.

It was immediately evident that theedginess I noticed with the Model 950vanished when it was teamed with the770. Whether this was due to productsynergy, the BAT amp’s higher resolu-tion, or both, I can’t say. But when youconsider that manufacturers typicallydesign pieces of their gear to be usedtogether, it makes sense that the twoOutlaw items would blossom in eachother’s company. The sound I’m aboutto describe is of that pairing, and Iwould strongly recommend consider-ing the purchase of either the Model770 or the 5-channel 775 to mate withthe Model 950.

Living with Outlaws

Returning to the discs I’d previous-ly auditioned was a fascinating experi-ence. I didn’t just hear a smootherupper range with the Outlaw pair, buttighter focus, a greater sense ofdynamic ebb and flow, and a moreexpressive, and hence involving, pres-entation. Dylan’s “Visions ofJohanna,” for example, had a far moreintense and personal quality, withnoticeably clearer vocal phrasing, akeener sense of connection betweenguitar and voice, and greater sense ofhall ambience. Miles’ Porgy and Bessrevealed richer, warmer brass, more

air, and a wider soundstage. And themodern day psychedelia of TheFlaming Lips’ Yoshimi displayed a nicefeeling of envelopment—the looped-inaudience applause that bridges num-bers filled the room, and the extremebottom end was tight and punchy,though slightly lean.

Surround-music sources wereimpressive, too. Wynton Marsalis’“Back to Basics” from Sessions had adriving rhythm, with throaty brassesand a well-defined percussion section.With these Outlaws, the widestdynamics are not as dramatically ren-dered as they are with the very best,but they remain far better than I’veheard with comparably priced sepa-rates and A/V receivers. The longer Ilistened, though, the more one unex-pected word kept popping up in mylistening notes: “beautiful.” Whetherit was Suzanne Vega’s creamy alto orEmmylou Harris’ incomparably gor-geous soprano there’s a lilting sweet-ness about this Outlaw combo that Ijust hadn’t expected. It may not beentirely neutral, but that’s okay. It’squite seductive and, to my ears, betterthan the cool, clinical sound deliveredby some stuff.

You’ll also hear cohesivenessbetween speakers and an illusion ofspace that, though it may not extendthe boundaries of your room, isimpressive just the same. This wasnicely demonstrated with the newlyremastered DVD of Clint Eastwood’snoir-western Unforgiven, where thestorm sequences that appear through-out the film were almost spookily nat-ural, convincingly recreating thesound and sensation of rainfall. Orelsewhere during the outdoor scenes,where little things like birds chirpingoff-camera, or the sounds of gallopinghorses’ hoofs, add so much to themood and effectiveness of the movie.

My first experience with OutlawAudio’s gear was a very satisfying one.Both the 950 A/V controller and 770amplifier performed very well individ-ually, and yet they excelled whenpaired together. Here’s a company thatdelivers as promised. This stuff is easyto set up and, minor bugaboos withmy remote unit aside, performs flaw-

lessly and at a very high level. By sell-ing its gear factory-direct over theWeb, Outlaw is able to offer con-sumers some of the best values to befound in home electronics. Outlaws?Maybe. Honest? Absolutely.

A/V REVIEW

OUTLAW AUDIO, INC.

Post Office Box 975

Easton, Massachusetts 02334

(866) 688-5297

www.outlawaudio.com

Price: $2498, when purchased together

MANUFACTURER INFORMATION

SPECIFICATIONS

Model 950 7.1-channel controllerDecoding formats: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX,

Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, DTS-ES, DTS Neo: 6,

Cirrus Extra Surround

Inputs: One 5.1-channel analog audio, nine stereo

analog audio, six digital audio (2 coax, 4 optical),

two component-video, five S-video, five composite-

video

Outputs: One 7.1-channel analog audio, two analog

audio, one Zone 2 audio (stereo only), two digital

audio (1 coax, 1 optical), one VCR (composite- and

S-video), two monitor (component- and S-video),

one DC trigger, one remote

Dimensions: 17.12" x 4.6" x 14.76"

Weight: 17.6 lbs.

Price: $899

Model 770Number of channels: Seven

Power output: 200Wpc @ 8 ohms; 300Wpc @ 4 ohms

Number and type of audio inputs: seven RCA

Dimensions: 17.2" x 7.75" x 18"

Weight: 90 lbs.

Price: $1799

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT

Arcam DV88 DVD player, Balanced Audio Technology

VK-D5 CD player, Naim AV 2 controller, Balanced

Audio Technology VK-6200 multichannel amplifier,

MartinLogan Aeon (main speakers), Cinema (center

channel), Script (surrounds), and Descent (sub-

woofer), Runco PlasmaWall PL-50cx video display,

Chord Company DIN-to-RCA interconnect cables,

Cardas Quadlink interconnects, Cardas Reference

speaker cable (L/C/R), Cardas Twinlink speaker cable

(surrounds), Canare component video cable, Sound

Anchors center channel stand, ASC Tube Traps,

Essential Sound Products Power Conditioner/Strip,

Richard Gray Power Company 400S and 600S