outlaw 1050 for 75 bucks?

scottyboy76

saw it on cl, got a glowing review on cnet as did outlaw products in general. basic stuff, not a lot of frills but great performance. about six years old. i guess the main thing. are they built to last?

jawhog

I think the volume controls on those end up having trouble over time, but if I remember they're usually still remote controllable. For $75 I'd say it's worth the risk, unless it's already messed up.

jimbo1421

I have one that I bought last November for $150. I am now using it with a power amp and 4 Monitor 10s (see signature). My experience with it is mixed. On the plus side, it has pre-outs, 5.1 direct analog inputs which will accept analog outputs from a future Blu-Ray player, and sixth center rear surround channel. The sixth channel was good to use with a SurroundBar 42. Also the SB42 can be painfully bright with some AVRs. The Outlaw 1050 tamed that; no more pain. I am currently using the front two direct input channels for the output from a pre-amp that I use with my turntable. This works well and will until I get that Blu-Ray.

The downside: stereo inputs convert analog to digital to allow bass management and digital signal processing modes. From what I read in Outlaw forums, there is no way to bypass this except by using the 5.1 direct inputs like I do. So you have one more AD-DA cycle (not good). FM reception varies from poor to OK and sometimes good.

Then there are repair issues. The right front speaker output (not pre-out) on my 1050 has recently become intermittent. Outlaw tech support says that it might just be a stock relay which could be replaced locally (maybe an $50-70 repair). Otherwise I will have to ship it to them back east ($100 shipping round trip). They do not sell spare parts to anyone. But that they will still repair it at all is good. Other minor issues: the digital volume knob doesn't always respond (so I use the remote) and one of the speaker nuts won't tighten firmly (I use banana plugs). Since I am satisfied with the sound quality (except FM) I will keep it until something essential breaks, then move on.

For $75 you will be getting a lot of AVR as long as everything works, but if I had thought that repairs would involve such expensive shipping I would have passed.

The Outlaw 1050 forum has a few active participants. The last few threads there are mine. You should get more answers there. http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=2&page=1&PHPSESSID=ce8a782c80566f004e0cf364cd680c5b

Regards,
Jim

scottyboy76

thanks guys. interesting two guiys owning same stuff and both having same concerns about reliability. also, i find it incredible they wont sell the public repair parts, that might be common, honestly dont know, but doesnt sound right.

jimbo1421

I know, it sounds like poor marketing. I don't think I would buy another Outlaw product knowing that every repair would cost me an extra $100 for shipping.

Jim