Outlaw Model 975 7.1 Surround Preamp Processor

This processor is mounted in my home theater equipment rack (it fits a 19" rack shelf perfectly). I am using it for video and audio switching and running it in 5.1 mode. I have had this processor for about a month and after a bit of a learning curve, I am proud to report that this device was worth every penny. It has nice solid quality of build (although I would have preferred an aluminum volume knob and assignable text for the inputs). That said, the audio is crisp and clear with no cross talk, hum, etc. It is acoustically transparent when run in an analog mode and the surround effects (DTS) are realistic and not overpowering. Overall, this is really a good buy for a component system and I would recommend it to a friend.

I really don't like writing this review. I love the sound quality and the simplicity of the 975. However, over the last 2 years, it has been a roller coaster ride.I was ecstatic when I first received my 975. I didn't care that it only had 4 HDMI ports, I knew that when I bought it. I was amazed at the sound quality at this price point. I also have never understood all of the complicated and nearly useless features some processors have. The 975 does exactly as advertised. They concentrated on making a truly remarkable processor and kept it inexpensive by not adding all of that garbage that no one really uses anyway.After owning it for a few months I started having serious HDMI handshake issues. It progressively got worse until it was so bad that I was having to power cycle everything 3 or 4 times just to make it through a movie. It then developed a loud hum and, shortly after that, it popped and stopped producing sound altogether. Outlaw's support was great. They had me ship them the unit for repair (At my own cost it was around $50). The unit was quickly repaired and sent back.It was fantastic again! The handshake issues were reduced and the sound was back to being perfect. After a few months, however, the handshake issues returned and are increasingly getting worse again. Tech support will run you through all of the basics like re-seating and even replacing all of your HDMI cables but it was all a waste of time and money for me. If you research this problem, it is extremely common with the 975. The frustrating part is that I am confident that they could easily resolve this with a firmware update but they havn't bothered to do so for several years. Adding to the problem, it only has an rs232 port so you would have to find an old computer with a serial port or buy an adapter just to do the update. I was very surprised to see that the new model (The 976), still has this problem.I would wager that, if you have older equipment, you would probably be fine with this processor. It really has fantastic performance when it is working. If, like me, you have equipment that is less than 5 or 6 years old though, I can almost guarantee that you will have HDMI handshake issues.

Although this unit has impressive flexibility, be forewarned that it needs to be connected to a video monitor via an HDMI cable in order for you to set it most of its basic functions. Without that monitor, there's very little you can do.

I purchased the Outlaw 976, hopefully those who are thinking about buying this will decide to read the reviews here. It's hard to find any reviews from users due to no user reviews being put anywhere or any kind of star rating on Outlaw's page.Cons-Flaky HDMI handshaking, constant video flicker, or no video at all, random results depending on what HDMI port you plug into. Tested with multiple TVs and projectors.-Random sound fading in and out, sometimes it doesn't happen and other times you have to reset the unit to get it to go away-Static and bad feedback with ChromeCast and other Bluetooth devices-Garbage remote, no responsive, glitches to where you push a button, and no matter what button you push next it pushes the button you did previously. So you go to turn it down after turning it up a bit and instead of going down it blasts up the volume-Manual EQ with Rew is trash, have run figuring out how to actually make the Manuel EQ do something, you will find those answers in forums, not the manual. You will waste many hours-Lack of or no support, I called about a dozen times and no one answers. I will not email support if you are going to sell a product to consumers and have a support number actually answer it.Pros-The negatives shadow anything that might have been preserved as good. About 2 years of fighting with this paperweight.

Heads up- only 5 inputs (either audio or a/v) are available under any circumstances, despite there being twice as many jacks on the rear panel. This unit is suitable only for pretty simple systems. If you have a TV, BR player, VCR, PC audio, LD player, cassette deck, and turntable you're out of luck. I was not able to discern this from reviewing the literature and reading the reviews before I bought my Outlaw, perhaps because it’s just unbelievable that they had made so few of the inputs on the back useable. Also, note that the RECORD outputs are disabled for all digital sources; this seems unbelievable too- you can't record CD's to cassettes for example. The end result is too limited a piece of gear for my needs. Also note the headphone output sounds dull and cardboard-y compared to my cheap little Schiit component HP amp (driven by the 975).I was planning to upgrade my 14-year-old Lexicon MC12, which was a quality unit, just old and no HDMI. From the start the Outlaw gave the impression of poor construction; when I removed it from the shipping box the casework flexed and rattled. The Outlaw’s sound is decent and the picture looks fine, but it's recommended only for the great service from Outlaw (they took my return with no hassle whatsoever) and the cheap price.

Great Pre/Pro. Sufficient amount of HDMI connections. Outlaw Audio has excellent customer service and its Saloon gives you a quick response to numerous audio video questions.

I spent two years making the decision to buy the 975. I wasted two years of my time. Would have paid double the price for it.