soundog

Nothing is absolutly perfect - everything contains flaws to one degree or another. Recordings such as the new multichannel SACD of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and the recent Remastered Dylan recordings on SACD (I have Blonde on Blonde) show what can be done to improve recordings. (Note: It would be interesting to compare the 2 channel SACD versions of both recordings with the multichannel - think I'll do that). Likewise equiptment such as the Sony 222ES can be upgraded (modified - see www.sacdmods.com) to improve sound quality. I have the modified Sony 775 which has much the same inerts as the 222 in a lighter weight package. I also have the new Sony CX985V 400 disk DVD/SACD player which is really impressing me.

You'll pay a premium for THX certification which may not be your "best buy". As stated above, how much you would like to spend plays a big role.

If you are used to the quality of NAD and Adcom and Klipsch Fortes, you would appreciate the high quality of sound provided by the Outlaw 1050. What it lacks in looks and features it more than makes up for in sound quality. There are some great live concert DVDs out that sound great in surround sound but you do need a quality A/V receiver. The Outlaw has consistantly won praise from reviewers and "best buy", editor's choice, etc. awards.

Al- Please tell me more about the Beyma CP25s Tweeter - is that a direct substitution for the T35? Where do you buy it? Cost? Any change in ALK crossover settings?

I read the thread below about DVD-A and SACDs and their future. I ran across another factor in the mix. RCA Red Seal/ BMG has remastered some of their best old classical recordings in a high performance format that has a 24 bity resolution and a 96 kHz sampling rate. They claim that with their "newly developed 'down-sampling' software" that these recordings "can deliver many of the audible benefits of 24/96 to the current 16/44.1 cd players". My experience with the several I purchased is that they are very good but I don't have any identical cds, sacds or LPs to compare them to. Anyone had experience with this product?

I'm sure if you had identical source material you would hear a very noticiable difference between dvd-v and sacd/dvd-a.

I had it once. But just email Al Klappenberger at ALK@toad.net and he can give you all the information you need as he's the designer/builder.

Depends on the recording - live concerts I love in multi-channel surround - some processed CDs sound great in multi-channel; some sound worse.

Outlaw'a amazing customer service made all the initial problems right ... they will actually ship you a replacement unit free of charge BEFORE you return your unit along with prepaid return labels. The 950/7100 is so quiet that, even with Klipschorns, when I turn it all the way up I can hardly tell it's on! Scarry since if you started playing something at that level (full volume) it could probably hurt you!

I have no doubt that the Denon 2900 plays all formats well (although one review I read, said don't substitute this machine for your dedicated CD player) , but are you saying that the sound quality of video DVDs played on this machine are the same as CDs which are the same as SACDs? And the quality of the picture from DVDs is the same as a High Definition cable feed? My point was that a comparison of the same source material namily the movie musical "Chicago" in cd, dvd and sacd formats revealed to me the limitations of each format. Do you have a high definition TV to compare video resolution? I can not beleive that with Khorns you can not hear a very noticable difference between cds and sacds. Do you have identical source material in each format to make A-B comparisons?

If you click on "Soundog's HT Systems" below you will get a list of all my equiptment. My DVD players are high quality progressive scan players but DVD is limited - it generates pictures at about half the rate (but twice that of broadcast TV) of High Definition cable signals. The audio data is compressed and limited in size compared to CDs which are limited compared to SACDs. My SACD player is an excellent modified SONY 775. While DVDs are very dramatic when it comes to usual movies - musicals and concerts require a lot more to sound "live" and that's were the auditory limitations of DVD are most noticable.

The 950/7100 is absolutly amazing ... it would cost a great deal more to get just a little better sound quality .... they are hefty and contain top flight parts ... the 950 has a built in AM/FM tuner section as a kind of bonus...they do not waste any money on apearances however ... they are basically plain-jane black boxes ... what's really impressive is the way they sound ... Not the way they look. Search out the reviews on the net and in the magazines ... Outlaw components get rave reviews ... lots of "best buys" and "editor's choice awards" ...

Only to satisfy yourself... wire is controversial ... people spend amazing sums on wire ... IMHO on short runs any reasonable gauge wire will work as well as any other ... yet some people swear by certain brands of wire, claiming all sorts of improvements ... speaker wire over short to medium runs is all the same according to many ... low level interconects if they are sturdy and well shielded are pretty much the same also IMHO ... You will get passionate opinions to the contrary, however. I use some moderatly expensive interconnects for teir durability and shielding ... I use a Monster bi-wire cable harness for my K-horns because it makes a neat package with some clever and handy screw-on terminations ... however I won't be replacing PWKs internal wires ... by the way, I did't see much difference in the bi-wiring from the single zip cord I used previously ... maybe a little more clarity ... much, much bigger diffference when I installed AL K's crossovers. In short, I would spend the money on better components before I would spend a lot on wires. The only reason I suggested you experiment is so you can say with assurance, as I can, "There's very litttle to no difference".

I meant the actual speaker component (as in woofer, etc)...internal wiring is very small gauge. PWK just used zip cord in his original designs. But why not experiment -get some heavy gauge wire and some small gauge wire and see if you can hear the difference ... the lengths will be short so the cost will be minimal.

You're right about the video limitations also. I find myself watching movies in HI DEF on HBO and Showtime even though I own the DVD just because the picture is so outstanding. Well, it's really a problem, since technology is advancing so rapidly what's amazing today is obsolete tomorrow. Or, as in this case, one aspect of the A-V equation is better in one format; while another aspect is better in another format. Now if I can just syncronize the musical numbers from Chicago on SACD with the high definition cable feed of the movie when it plays on HBO....... Kind of reminds me of the time when one channel of a stereo broadcast would be on FM while another was on AM, but now I'm dating myself.

The gauge of the wire does not make a difference over short runs. Check out the gauge of the wire between the terminals on a speaker and the voice coil.

I use the Outlaw 959/7100 combo with my Heritage speakers and recomend it highly as do a number of Home Theater publications and sites. Avialable from outlawaudio.com for $1599. the combo can not be beat at even twice the price.

I was reading a previous posting on what speakers would make the best Klipsch home theater system and I thought of my experience last night. I have an all Heritage HT which is a sonic knockout. I just got the new SACD multi-channel soundtrack of Chicago and I have the DVD of the movie. NOW I know the limitations of DVD sound be it Dolby Digital or DTS (better than Dolby by a small, but significant margin). The SACD blows the DVD away!!! Until I had a direct comparrison, I didn't know how significant the difference was. While the present DVD sound may be fine for regular movies, it really needs to be improved for musicals and concerts. Back to the previous topic, given the state of current DVD sound, I'm not sure how much of a difference there would be between the Refernce 7s and the Heritage speakers for regular movies. The newer speakers designed for HT might actually be better for regular movies. SACDs, musical and concerts would be a different matter but you really need SACD quality sound to make the Heritage speakers shine IMHO.

Like other Outlaw products the 950/7100 combo is receiving rave reviews and the combo is available direct from outlawaudio.com for about $1600. I have it and it is remarkable in it's clarity and stability. Top quality inerts provide top quality sound in a "plane jane - black box" wrapper that's hard to beat at twice the price. And Outlaw is famous for their customer service. But if you want to impress your friends with how your equiptment looks rather than how it sounds, this would not be a good choice.

Perpetual Technologies (AV123.com) make an amazing DAC and Digital Processor that do great things for CDs.

Outlaw 1050 - Perfect Vision (July-August 2003) Editor's Best Buy Also on last year's Stereophile GTHT editor's choice recomended components list .... Black Box, limited features, top notch sound quality. $499. or less from Outlawaudio.com

This is great! Thanks! I would love two pair if you still have them. HFHalligan@aol.com

W/O K77 Tweeters, used in smoke filled bar, damaged cabnets and the current bid is $1800 !! LaScalas are a better investment than stocks!

Works the same way on my Toshiba

OUTLAW 1050, GREAT SOUND, AMAZING VALUE, TOP RATED REVIEWS, PLAIN LOOKING.