Outlaw Outlaw Audio 915 User manual

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•• llUL ---
Outlaw Audio 915
7.1-Channel Surround Sound
Processor
DOUB Blackburn
Outlaw AudIO was one 01 the early companies to adopt a
direct sales model. selllllQ their products directly to consumers
WIthout adealer ne~ They have successfully used the power
of the Internet to spread !he word about thetr company, all the
while keeping product prices so low lhat they have been d:ffiCult
10 Ignore. But low prICes alone are no bargain if the product does-
nl compete with higher-priced components sold through trad,too
o
al channels Outlaw has done apretty good iOb over the years of
getting excellent bang-lor-buck reviews from both professional
reviewers and from ovmers posting on forums Today_ OtJtlaw sells
more than 20 products. including amplifiers, astereo receiver,
subwoolers. and vanous accessories.
The Model 975 Surround ProcesSOl' is one 01 Outlaw's newest
products To my knowledge, there is no other surround sound
processor available al1hl$ attractIVe price ($549) Of lower And there
are darn few surround processors available for under $1.0c0. More
typically. yOtJ find surround processors selling for $1,500 and up
So Outlaws Model 975 IS abig deal, making it possible for pe0-
ple to break into the typically higher levels of performance you
get from aseparate surround processor ar.d ampl fier compared
to an AVA that most people on tighter budgets will be forced into
for their home theatre control center Amplificallon is typieally the
weakest area of perlormance lor AVAs, so genmg a good stand-
alooe amphfier is one 01 the more effectIVE! electrontC upgrades for
a home theatre system. And once ag.xxl cmpllfer IS lI'l place, theres
Unle need to change the amphflE!f(s) as features corne and go. You
can get anewer SlM'1'OlXld processor and keep the amplifier Outlaw
would be more lhan happy to help you WIth your live- or seven-
chamel ampIiflElf. or even Wllh live or seven mono amplifes
wtlen deslgl\lng aproduct like this, deslQnefs typically have to
pick 'rom a list of DSP, videO Pfocessing, and controDer chlps.
and the device they select determines whal features the prodUCt
has available It gets very complex and expensive to try to add
somelhlng
no!: already supported by the selected controller chip
!Nhen you are on atight deYeIopment budget req~ed to meel
the modeSt retail PfICe of the Model 975 processor. you have to
choose yo.x chps very carefully. as they will have arather large
mpact on your per-uo~ build-eost. On top 01 that you want to seklct
Chips that are gclI'lg to be available for awhile There·s nothing worse
ItIan fll"\lstMng a deslgn only to have aCflllcal part being dlSCOr'1llnUed
and have to start over agaIn Because ollhis design rea Ity the Model
975 processor IS I"lOl QOlJ'lQ to be a1llhlOQs to aD JXl(ent.al customers It
has some things you may no! want. and It tacks other thIllQS you may
walll Only you can decide "!he Model 975 feature set meets your
noeds """"
Manual And Remote
The manual for the Model 975 is quite good Easy-lo-understar.d
grapl'\lC$ enhance clear Straightforward descriptiOnS that actually
make
sense The manual does not try to speak to the complete home
theatre I'lclVIce though, ar.d In thiS case, Ithink thafs exactly the right
way to posltl()rl thiS manual Anyone likely to be purchaSing Outlaw
AudiO products is likely to have had some heme theatre experience
and knows wtlat analog and digital are and knows DoIbye and Drs-
codecs, etc As a result. descriptions are short and meaningful, and
the lotal volume 0' text in the manual is quite manageable, Inever had
any trouble 'Indlng anything Iwas looking for either
The remote worked beller than Iexpected for asurround processor
that costs only $50 more than an QpPQ BDP-103 universal diSC player
There are avariety 01 button shapes to help organize things into groups.
AJlthe buttons except
the four colored buttons are backlit, and the
backlight is acwated by pressing any button. The remote can control up
to six other deviCes using stored codes There is no !earning mode The
bunon layout isn't the best I've ever used. but It'S certainly okay and
easy enough
to adapt to Without much difficulty. Secondary functions
are p(lnted on
the body of the remote and are not backlit. so there are
times when some room light is needed for less oflen-used bultons.
Setup And Use
Stnctly old school methods are used Measure the distances from
loudspeakers WIth atape measure and enter them manJally
Determine
the best crossover pcxnts tor each pair of loudspeakers and
enter
!tlOSe matlUSlIy. Measure the PIn!. noise test tooe from each loud-
speaker and set the levelS manually so all chamels are equaJty loud
It's SImple and pretty foolproof lis nice to be able to set adifferent
Cl'OSSOYef pant lor each pa,r oIloudspeal<.ers and the center chameI
You can seJecl5 1 6 1. or 7.1 loudspeakers, and asubwooler orVoff
senng allaNs lhose to be changed to 50. 60. and 70. even !hough
you never see ItIat as a settlf1g opoon anywhere. If you do select sub-
woofer off you do need to have at least one patr of iOUdspeakers sel

Outlaw Audio 975 7,l-ChannelSurround Processor --- EQUI PM-=: , .... 1RVI W
to large so the bass has somewhere to go, otherwise it would be lost
completely. Distances
are set in increments of half a fool.
Other setup steps involve assigning sourcesJinputs and naming
lhem
to suit your needs, There are settings for surround modes that
you may or may not want to tweak, depending on your room and per-
sonal preference. There are video processing settings for brightness,
contrast, saturation,
hue, sharpness, and aspect ratio. Iwould recom-
mend
not using these unless you have avery g<Xld reason to use them,
There are bassltreble controls in addition to an LFE Trim setting that
allows you to decrease (but not increase} subwoofer level. There are
also bass augmentation senmgs
for Dolby Oigital, Pro Logic II, DTS,
and DTS Neo:6 In addition, there's asubwoofer trim control for all
those surround modes. There's even aseparate subwooter trim setting
lor
when you are using Stereo mode with the subwoofer. You can dis-
able
the HOMI video out to the TV if you are only connecting audio
sources
to the Model 975 The Video Output menu allows you to select
Native mode
to keep resolution set to whatever the incoming resolution
was, or you can select AutoScale and the Model 975 will upconvert to
the highest resolution of your video display, You can also select a sin-
gle resolution from the choices of 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and l080p
The Advanced DolbylDTS menu allows you to vary the settmg val·
ues for Pro Logic II Panorama, Center Width, and Dimension, There is
aseiling called OTS HD loudspeaker Remap that addresses one of
Editor Gary's pet peeves about 7.1 soundtracks (apparently only helps
with DTS-HD in this case, butthars astart). There is no industry stan-
dard
for which channels of the Blu-ray'M soundtrack should be sent to
the side surround loudspeakers and which channels should be sent to
the rear surround loudspeakers. So you can end up having a"fly over"
start at the side. move to the back, then jump to the front instead of
starting in the back, moving forward to the sides, then ending at the
front. The DTS HD Remap setting has \'NO possible settings 1 or 5.
Why 1 or 5. Idon't know but the 1setting shou'd be used when the
5.1 surround channels are connected to loudspeakers to the sides of
the listening position with rear surround loudspeakers in the back
However, thaI's not the best choice for loudspeaker connections if you
want to listen to 5,1 movies with 5,1 channels (not having the rear sur-
round channels synthesized
or duplicated into the rear loudspeakers)
and
7,1 movies with 71 channels The 51 surround loudspeakers
should
really be somewhat behind the listener and to the Sides II you
connect your loudspeakers
that way. your "rear surround" OUlputs lor
7,1 loudspeaker setups would actually be connected to the side chan-
nels Having this Re-Map seltlng alkJWs you to hear 5,1 soundtracks with
the correct 51 surround loudspeaker locallOns and 7,1 soundlracks with
the correct 7.1 locations Your biggest hurdle with this 'what channels
are placed where" for each 7, 1channel Blu·ray Disc'M is figuring out
what they did lor each lT10VIe If yo<J are a Widescreen Review subscriber,
you can access the online Blu-ray Disc movie reviews, lind all the 7.1
soundtrack movies, and find the channel locations iclentijied. A small note
taped to each 7.1 Blu-ray box will remind you how to set up for each 7,1-
channel disc. Unfortunalely, it sounds like Dolby TrueHD 7,1 soundlracks
\.
'1 require physically changing the loudspeaker connections, either at
the back of the 975 or at the loudspeakers themselves. Or you just live
With the "out-ol-position" surround channels
The Model 975 has aNight Mode to compress dynamics lor late
night listening, but it is only available tor Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital
Plus, or Dolby TrueHD soundtracks It Ihe soundlrack is PCM or any
DTS format. the Night Mode selling won't do anything Idid use it with
cable/satellite programming that's almost always Dolby Digital, and it
did work wim that source
What The Model 975 Does Not Have
The Model 975 does not have an analog pass-through mode All
analog inputs are digitized, processed, and converted back to analog
Some people will be fine with that. while others may find that's adeal
.4
-_ ...
Up to 7,1 chlmets
All ourref\t Dol~ aocl Drs Iomlats fnctuding Dolby Pro Log!c
excepI Drs neo:X
Front heIghl ch&rlnel outputs or rear SUl'round outputs (botn C801'lOI
be U8ed at the same time)
ResoIuIlOt'I scaJing lor HOMllnputs or pas&-lhroogl'l original resoIuIion
Programmable remoI8lor up 10 6O\tler deV'CM, stored codes only
Front panel ~ j8clI.
HCIMk 4n 1 out WIIh IlUCfI(l rel1Jrn el'laMel support
5-video' 4in; 2 out
Composite Video: 2in; 1ou1
Component Video: 2in: 1ou1
8-Vldeo 2...; 1out
..,ZOoo_
0lgll8I Audio 2 C08J( in. 0COllIl out: 2Toshnll oplical til: 0Tosllnk
_out
RCA stereo analog. 5,n: 1out
7 1 .-tog inpul: Ftl
7 1analog 0UlPUl' Vee
Ethemel j8d<: No
12 \t)jl Triggef 0 m: 1out
Analog slereo pass-through mode (I,e "d rectO) No
USB Forts: none
late N;ght moM ~l'eIlnct dynamics: Yes
Il'lI$r1'l8l aIJCIIo or YlCIeO sIr'Mrnlng support None
Netwofk audIO or ...cleo streamM"Ig supporl NOOl)
Crossov6!" sellable lor each pair Of loudspeak~ and ceme'-
charv1elrndlVidually In 10 Hz increments from 40 Hz to 200 Hz
30 pass-through
~'II;.C'"
DimensIOl"lS t6.9 w. 28 HIt 9.5 D (inch88)
W~ 827 (pounds)
PoWer Requ 'emerts 120 VAC: 60 Hz only
Power Con$<.mP"-'Ol1 Standby- 05 (wall)
Frequency IflP011$& lQ.2O,OClO Hz: +1- 1 dB
toput Impedance. 47 000 (ohms)
OuIput ImpeiWlce less than 10Cl0 (ohms)
~-!(I-IlOose fal 0-100 dB Aweighted
Q1annel separaloOfl root specrl eo
THD+Norse' no! speclf«\
lJes9'led 'n USA
Assembled ~ eh na
Wwranty 3 years
MSAP: $549
--
P.O. Boll 915
EIIIon. Mas&achusetl. 02334
Phone: B66 688 5292
Web ... e _.OUIIa ... aud a com
Email lISe Wfib 5 te contact !arm
breaker Digitizing analog inputs generally results in asmall loss of
fidelity, and Idid detect mat with the Model 975. Analog sources did
not sound qUite as good as they sound via high-end processors that
do have analog pass-through modes. But Idon't want to overstate "did
not sound quite as good." I think people will read too much into that
statement The Model 975 sounds quite g<Xld with analog inputs.
Music.
the primary source you're likely to have in analog lor mat, is
entertaining and enjoyable. Using alo-times·more-expensive proces-
sor will get you maybe 5percent better sound quality. So, as long as
your expectalions are realistic tor a$549 product, you will not be dis-
appointed,
If you think a$549 processor should have the same analog
pass-through sound quality
as a$2,000, $5,{X)(), or $lO,{X)() processor,
perhaps
you need to readjust your thinking about the realities 01 prod-
uct
deSign, budget, and retail price. As designed, high-quality analog
sources sound perfectly
tine until you compare them drectly to ahigh-
end processor
or stereo preamplifier. That comparison reveals the
sound of the Model 975 is not quite as spacious (width and depth),
background silence
is not quite the equal. and detail is not quite up to
the standards 01 the high-end products.
But once again. we're only talking about an apprOltimate 5percent dif-
ference
{Wish there was abeller way 01 quantifying this}. In that con-
te.!. the 975 is quite abargain. II your comparison products are AVRs
(used with preamplifier outputs bypassing the internal ampliliers), you'll
Widescreen ReI'iew • Issue 177 • June/July 2013 47

EQUIPMEN
VI W --- Outlaw Audio 975 7.1-Channel Surround Processor
find thallhe 975 sounds abit better than sub-$l,CXXl AVRs and is com-
petitive with $1,200 to $2,CXXl AVRs.
Counterbalancing the lack of analog pass-through, however. is the
benefit 01 full-bass management, toudspeaker layout. and surround
processing thai can be used to enhance stereo analog sources of any
kind. including SA-CDs.
The Model 975 has no 5.1 Of 7.1 analog inputs. For those who \IIanl
to use the 5.1 or 7.1 analog outputs of ahigh-end disc player like
OPPO's BOP- 105 or Cambridge's Azul 75280 for DVO-AudiO or SA-
CD. the Model 975 is probably not your surround processor
While many video processors. TVs, AVRs, surround processors.
disc players, and other products are dropping composite. component,
and S-video connections, the MOdel 975 has two of each as inputs
and one of each as outputs. The 975 will also convert those analog
sources (0 HDMI. Likewise. AM and FM tuners are disappearing from
many products that would have had them in the past, bulthe 975 has
both.
cannot be done very well by ear alone. The meter guarantees you'll
get the right level setting for each channel, something critical lor a
good surround sound experience, You'll also need atape measure to
determine the distance from each loudspeaker to your ears, and you
will manually enter that distance in the setup menu Interestingly, there
are sound-pressure level meter applications available for most smart
phones at prices ranging from free to afew dollars. But be aware that
the microphones used in smart phones are designed to be very good
for human speech but not very good for measuring the level of asub-
woofer, so you could use asmart phone app to set your five or seven
loudspeakers, but it may mislead you in setting the subwoofer level.
That alone may be enough to justify purchasing areal sound-pressure
level meter that will allow you to set the level of asubwoofer accurately.
SPL meters are available from $20 and up and come in USB models
as well as standalone models. Radio Shack no longer sells their for-
merly highly recommended analog SPL meter that used to sell in the
$40 to $50 range, but within 2minutes or so of searching online, Idis-
TH[ Moon 975 IS A GR[AT VAlU[ IN A SURROUND PROC[SSOR PRIG[ RANG[ THAT
HAS SORnY NHOm MOR[ OPTIONS fOR A lONG TIML
Afair number of new home theatre audio products are not support-
ing Dolby Pro Logic liz or DTS NeoX both of which include process-
ing options for additional loudspeaker channels, The MOdel 975 is not
supporting DTS Neo:X at the time of this review, but it does have Dolby
Pro Logic liz that can support two extra Width channels outboard of the
main front loudspeakers, or it can support two additional height chan-
nels placed above the main loudspeakers (front left and right). The
Model 975 supports additional height channels but not the extra width
channels. But. you must choose between 5.1 channels with two height
channels or 7,1 (with rear surround channels) and no height channels
The analog outputs are 7.1 channels. You'd need 9.1 channels to sup-
port width or height channels and rear surround at the same time, or
11.1-channel support to have 7.1 channels plus width and height
channels at the same time. To support 11.1 channels, the MOdel 975
would have had to have, at aminimum, an addi\lonal DSP chip and
two more stereo Of Aconverters, and additional connectors fOf the
exira channels. That would have pushed the Model 975's price consid-
erably higher. When you want to make a $549 processor, everything
you include and everything you decide not to include has to be
weighed and justified, It's likely to be inevitable that there will be fea-
tures deleted and included that some potential owners will not be satis-
fiedwith.
There is no automated speaker level capability. That means you'll
really want to inve~t in aoound preccuro lovoi motor 00 you con manu
ally measure and selthe level of each channel accurately. This really
48 Widescreen Review· Issue 177 • JunetJul~ 2013
covered anearly identical-looking meter sold as the Velleman
AVM2050 selling for about $43,
The Model 975 is not equipped fOf any network or USB functionali-
ty. There's no USB DAC input, there is no Ethernet port, there are no
network applications, and there are no USB ports. No loss, Isay If you
want that stuff in your system, there are so many disc players with so
many of those features that you can easily have whatever level of net-
work and Internet app support you want without having It duplicated in
the surround processor Ifind that aperfectly legitimate way of dealing
with that level of functionality. Theres s,mply no reason to have Internet
and network functooahty in your TV, in your disc player, in your com-
puter. With your satellite or cable service, and In the surround proces-
sor You'd be paYing for ,tthree to live times awaste of money.
Sound Quality
Analog sound quality compared to other products was discussed
earlier, so I won~ repeat those observations here, Using an HDMI con-
nection to aBlu-ray Disc player produces movie sound very close to
the high-end processors. The dynamics, the wide frequency range, the
well·developed sense of space, the subtle details, the near-subliminal
ambient cues, it's all there, Multichannel digital decoding gives lit1le
ground to the more expensive products. There is just abit less of
cverything with the Model 075, but again, the cost differential is in no
way indicative 01 the sonic differences. The MOdel 975 is far closer

Outlaw Audio 975 7.1-Channel Surround Processor ---E
UI MNT VI W
than its bargain pnce would lead you to believe
USing more closely prICed competillon. like the front-end of asub-
$1.(XXl AVA as a companSOfl. and the Model 975 pulls out agap about
!he same as the higher-priced procesSOl'S have 0Yef the Model 975
Nol ahuge difference, bot one lhat can be heard ndirect compar-
isons, though, not likely audible in separate 6stenlng sessions aday or
more apart
The dynamics of gunfire, loud cars and frequent crashes in Fast
FfV18 were enough to raiSe the hairs on my neck. Surround effects wefe
convincing
and rea~stIC The few qUIeter moments in the movie were
wei served by the Model 975, showtng that II could deal well WIth the
smaIJe( mornents-f.JSt as well as the big The 8Jue Man Group, How to
BeaMegaslar LNe IS surprlSlt19ly smdar to Fast FfV18 in regards to
dyr'IarT'Mcs and all-atOlXld-Ioud, Wl\h orIy a few qUIeter moments but
the Model 975 had no trouble keeping up lVld deIvenng an theroances
in this clever and inventIVe live performance There was nothing about
the sound of the Model 975 that so.nded °Iow-«ld" or even "mid-fi °It
sirrl>tY delivered v.tIatever was Q"I the soundtrack qUIte competently
The sub-$1(0) AVA front-end Icompared the Model 975 10, inter-
fered enough WIth the performance that even though thel'e was noltWlg
obviousfy wrong w,th the sound, II was mentally cnallenglflQ to remain
engaged WIth the performance ThaI was more obvious ...... th rT1USIC8l
performances than WIth rTlOVIe soundtracks but there was stJl abit ol a
dlSCOR1eCl. WIth rnD\IIe sound It's a dlfflCUft Itw1g 10 describe because
the!e IS noone thng you can put your /Inger on. Ifs something like
missing rTqO. as nebulous as that might sound Its ltlere, bot not com-
p1e:efy there; alittle duner. alittle !hocker, alittle smeared, alittle iodis-
tinct Those shortcomingS are low In Iel/el, enough that It doesn't hIt
you right away, but after five or ten minutes you find yourself Iosmg
interest for no obl/IOUS reaSOfl
On the other hand, the Model 975 had none of those abolle short-
comings •and ltIat aklne is
one ol the reasons you'd switch to aModel
975 and outboard amplifier combo rather than stick with an AVA
Conclusion
().jt1aw AudIO'S Model 975 is agreat value in asurround processor
priCe range that has sorely needed more, or arty. op\JOl'lS lor along
tJme Be sure you lKlderstand the Model 9755 feature set to insure II
WID do Yohat you want 1\ to do The Model 975 has the lowest priee of
any surround processor I'm aware of. but the low cost doesn't result in
Iow.quahty sound If you need and warn the feature set ol the 975
processor. II will definitely live up to your expecta\JOl'lS for sound quality
in $p!te of the low prICe Outlaw seIlS a 7 <hamel amplifier for just
S699 Wlth 75 watts per ehanneI That IS eqU:lialent to at least 150 watts
pel' chaMeI in OIIefSta:ed -AVA watts So Jar $1.248, on paper one
can have aseparate processor and amplifier that wiI perform at least
as YieI as AVRs in the S2,OO) range (Outlaw Audio aetuaJIy offers this
Model 9751775 c:ornbII"l8l1OO lor $1.096, so nreality it is even abetter
deaL)
II the day comes when you need sorneltw1g the Model 975 cant
do, keep the amphflet and replace the Model 975, and you're goOO to
go egan I et1IOYed the tme Ispent With the Model 975 qui:e alot, I
think you will too