Outlaw Model 5000 Multi-Channel Amplifier: Best Deal of the Year?

K

Karen Molinares

Audioholics Social Media Coordinator


The cat is out of the bag. Audioholics has the first review of Outlaw's top secret weapon, the Model 5000 Five Channel Amplifier.

Will this product put them back on the map of a high value per dollar ratio currently shared only by a select few manufacturers?

Rated at a modest 120 watts/ch, how could this amp possibly stand out in a sea of more powerful competitors?

We put the Model 5000 on our test bench and gave it a listen to find out. Our results may not only surprise you but more importantly put several of Outlaw’s competitors on notice.

What do you think about this amp for only $599?

Read our Outlaw Model 5000 5CH Amplifier Review
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
That is a heck of an amp for the price! And the measurements are pretty dang good!

A couple comments concerning the side notes on P/S Filter Caps.

*The general rule of thumb is 10,000 uF of capacitance per rail per 100Wrms. The config here shows to be 6,800 uF capacitance per rail for an amp rated at 120Wrms. Personally, I would have added a little more capacitance. But, 6,800 uF is certainly adequate and the measurements prove it! Big electrolytics aren't cheap, so I'm sure the decision had to be made to keep the cost down.

*In general, ripple on the PS doesn't seem to be a huge concern for amps. By the time you are driving the output into the region to see the ripple, you are clipping anyway (i.e. you have bigger problems to worry about). If ripple were of true concern, it would be handled with regulated power supplies. Regulated power supplies will introduce more problems than they solve for a power amp.
 
3db

3db

Audioholic Slumlord
Color me very impressive for $600. Its nice to see a competitor to Emotiva come in.
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Now if Outlaw could cut it to 2 channels for $300....that might be a giant killer!
 
AcuDefTechGuy

AcuDefTechGuy

Audioholic Jedi
Wow. I'm impressed. $600 for 135W x 5Ch into 8ohms @ 0.1% THD from 20Hz-20kHz w/ -90dB crosstalk @ 1kHz. It even looks good aesthetically front and back.

However, I'd be more interested if it were an ATI AT1200-clone.

I think an Outlaw Model 1800 (clone of the ATI AT1805) for $900 would be really hot. :D I bet it would output 200WPC x 5Ch into 8 ohms @ 0.1% THD.
 
Last edited:
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
That is a heck of an amp for the price! And the measurements are pretty dang good!

A couple comments concerning the side notes on P/S Filter Caps.

*The general rule of thumb is 10,000 uF of capacitance per rail per 100Wrms. The config here shows to be 6,800 uF capacitance per rail for an amp rated at 120Wrms. Personally, I would have added a little more capacitance. But, 6,800 uF is certainly adequate and the measurements prove it! Big electrolytics aren't cheap, so I'm sure the decision had to be made to keep the cost down.

*In general, ripple on the PS doesn't seem to be a huge concern for amps. By the time you are driving the output into the region to see the ripple, you are clipping anyway (i.e. you have bigger problems to worry about). If ripple were of true concern, it would be handled with regulated power supplies. Regulated power supplies will introduce more problems than they solve for a power amp.
Agreed regulating a power supply for an amplifier is not a good idea since you will essentially be wasting power to regulate. I had a friend that did this with his amps and although they sounded great and measured great, they were relatively low power as a result.
 
S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
A review with data! What a beautiful thing! Thank you, very nice review! One crucial thing you forget though: Did the amp make the mids sound chocolatey or buttery smooth? And if the mids were chocolatey, would you describe it as an intense dark chocolate or perhaps a creamy white chocolate?
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
A review with data! What a beautiful thing! Thank you, very nice review! One crucial thing you forget though: Did the amp make the mids sound chocolatey or buttery smooth? And if the mids were chocolatey, would you describe it as an intense dark chocolate or perhaps a creamy white chocolate?
I would say they were dark though not fully dark. Maybe 60% Godiva but not a true 80% Belgium :)
 
Seth=L

Seth=L

Audioholic Overlord
I would say they were dark though not fully dark. Maybe 60% Godiva but not a true 80% Belgium :)

Good, I was worried it was gonna sound like Hersey's milk chocolate, yuck.
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Hey Gene, Inquiring minds want to know......

It seems like Outlaw is very open with measurements and specs, and with performance like that, I would be too!

I'm just curious, do you know the VA rating on the transformer?

And, how low of an impedance does Outlaw say the amp can drive and maintain stability?

I went and took a look on the Outlaw site and they have just a couple more details on the specs. Dang! This is a heck of an amp and the price is right!
 
Steve81

Steve81

Audioholics Five-0
I'm just curious, do you know the VA rating on the transformer?

And, how low of an impedance does Outlaw say the amp can drive and maintain stability?
Per the manual, the transformer is 0.9kVA. They also mention:
Your Outlaw Power Amplifier has adequate power to drive most
loudspeakers without producing any distortion. Most modern speakers
are rated at four to eight ohms nominal impedance, but within some
frequency ranges, the impedance may drop to two ohms. The Outlaw is
designed with ample power reserves to protect you from experiencing any
problems at these low impedances, unless you demand excessively high
volume levels.
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Per the manual, the transformer is 0.9kVA. They also mention:
Thanks! I didn't even see the manual link, and I probly wouldn't have downloaded even if I had.

So......I'm just starting to drool over this amp more and more!

Honestly, looking at the specs, I would have expected it to come closer to doubling down on the power from 8 to 4 ohms. I guess that's about the only negative comment I could muster up on this thing!

Is it too early to call this a game-changer?
 
R

rnatalli

Audioholic Ninja
Good, I was worried it was gonna sound like Hersey's milk chocolate, yuck.
Hershey's isn't so bad if you mix it with peanut butter :D But give me Belgian or Swiss milk chocolate any day.
 
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