Thinking of Returning Yami for Outlaw

[mrm1233]

I've just ordered a Yamaha RX-797 (I haven't received it yet) but I'm thinking of returning it and instead buying an Outlaw RR2150. I just want a stereo receiver.

Can anyone comment on this?

Thanks again.

 

[3db]

I've just ordered a Yamaha RX-797 (I haven't received it yet) but I'm thinking of returning it and instead buying an Outlaw RR2150. I just want a stereo receiver.

Can anyone comment on this?

Thanks again.

Both are solid units but as far as just stereo mode, the Outlaw will eat the Yamaha in terms of power output/reserves. And I'm a big fan of Yamaha owning the RX-V1800.

If you feel like you'll not get into HT for 3 to 4 years, go with the Outlaw. They have great customer service from what I've read.

 

[mrm1233]

Thanks very much for your reply.

I'm still undecided though.

Thanks again.

 

[JimmyTango]

Why not go with a really nice used integrated amp for that kind of money?

Cambridge, NAD, Arcam even fall in the price range of the outlaw, to name a few.

 

[KEW]

Thanks very much for your reply.

I'm still undecided though.

Thanks again.

Why?
What is it about the Yamaha that you like?
If we understand this, we may better assist you.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

What I don't understand is why the OP wants to return a unit he hasn't even had a chance to hear yet...he may actually like the Yammie...

That said, I've heard good and bad things about the Outlaw stereo receiver; many base their feelings on just its "rad" retro looks of the tabletop radios of yesteryear -- this wasn't my cup of tea, so I didn't go with it when I was searching for a stereo receiver. But I've heard horror stories about its knobs feeling flimsy and not really warranting the price of this unit and some other stuff; not that this means anything, but figured I would just share...

As the owner of an Onkyo TX-8555, I can tell you this is one kick *** unit, and I use it exclusively in my two channel setup. The Yamaha you're looking at is probably far from bad, too. There are surprisingly a lot of choices in the current, modern stereo receiver market.

 

[3db]

What I don't understand is why the OP wants to return a unit he hasn't even had a chance to hear yet...he may actually like the Yammie...

That said, I've heard good and bad things about the Outlaw stereo receiver; many base their feelings on just its "rad" retro looks of the tabletop radios of yesteryear -- this wasn't my cup of tea, so I didn't go with it when I was searching for a stereo receiver. But I've heard horror stories about its knobs feeling flimsy and not really warranting the price of this unit and some other stuff; not that this means anything, but figured I would just share...

As the owner of an Onkyo TX-8555, I can tell you this is one kick *** unit, and I use it exclusively in my two channel setup. The Yamaha you're looking at is probably far from bad, too. There are surprisingly a lot of choices in the current, modern stereo receiver market.

Its a solid design and has garnered many a great review. With any product, Onkyo included, there are stories of bad units. Its electronics these days. Personally, I think the look is hideous but the unit delivers on power as shown below. The Yamaha can't touch it.

http://www.stereophile.com/integratedamps/306outlaw/index4.html


I do understand where the OP is coming from. Why invest the money on a feature set that he won't be using.

 

[jostenmeat]

Why not go with a really nice used integrated amp for that kind of money?

Cambridge, NAD, Arcam even fall in the price range of the outlaw, to name a few.

I own Cambridge, NAD, and Onkyo for that matter, and I vote for the Outlaw. The Outlaw is reasonably priced for what you get, it is a stereo receiver with tuner, and it has usuable bass mgmt built in. 5yr transferable warranty makes it a piece of cake to sell, and even if you never sold it, 5yrs beats all of the other aforementioned candidates. I got lucky on my Cambridge, as it was a top of the line being superceded by version 2 or whatever, and it knocked off the price by about 40%.

 

[PearlcorderS701]

Its a solid design and has garnered many a great review. With any product, Onkyo included, there are stories of bad units. Its electronics these days. Personally, I think the look is hideous but the unit delivers on power as shown below. The Yamaha can't touch it.

This is true -- it has garnered many a great review within the audiophile community and there are horror stories within each brand; I was merely pointing out that I have READ stories from people who have had bad experiences regarding the Outlaw's supposedly cheaply-made controls and buttons and that the unit didn't meet their expectations at all. YES, there are just as many good reviews on the unit -- I was merely pointing out that I had read about the negative ones as well.

I too cannot stand the "tabletop radio era" looks of its faceplate, and wouldn't buy one just for that...

As for the Yamaha not being able to "touch it," physical specs on paper aren't everything.

I do understand where the OP is coming from. Why invest the money on a feature set that he won't be using.

Well, from that perspective, yes, I understand it -- but what I was saying was, why would he want to cancel the order on something without hearing it first, because that's the main thing in putting a system together...how it SOUNDS in your particular room. If it DEFINITELY doesn't have the feature set he wants, then by all means he should look elsewhere.

 

[Pyrrho]

I've just ordered a Yamaha RX-797 (I haven't received it yet) but I'm thinking of returning it and instead buying an Outlaw RR2150. I just want a stereo receiver.

Can anyone comment on this?

Thanks again.

What speakers will you be driving with it? If there is nothing difficult about driving them, the Yamaha will be fine. The Outlaw will cost you more, and may not give you any audible improvement at all. Remember, it takes a doubling of power to give you just 3dB increase in volume, so it is not likely that these two units will be significantly different with ordinary speakers. Also, the FM specifications are worse for the Outlaw.

Frankly, I would stick with the Yamaha unless there is some actual reason why it won't work well for you. And if there is some reason the Yamaha won't work well for you, there is a very good chance that the Outlaw won't either.

 

[3db]

Frankly, I would stick with the Yamaha unless there is some actual reason why it won't work well for you. And if there is some reason the Yamaha won't work well for you, there is a very good chance that the Outlaw won't either.

In terms of driving difficult loads, the Outlaw WILL be the better choice over the Yamaha. It offers the OP more avenues to speaker choices than is possible with the Yamaha and be able to drive low impedance speakers in a larger room. Its FM reception may be not as good as the Yamaha but unless he's living in the middle of nowhere, I'm sure the OP is able to pull in the multitude of FM stations available in his urban center.

Since the OP will be using this a two channel system, I'm thinking that a turntable is also in the picture. It offers two phono input stages, one for MM and one for MC. This eliminate the OP from having to purchase a seperate phono amp should he choose to buy a MC cartridge. The Yamaha offers no phono stage. The Outlaw offers rudamentary bass management so he could use this in 2.1 set-up.

I agree that it has a face only a mother can love.

 

[Pyrrho]

In terms of driving difficult loads, the Outlaw WILL be the better choice over the Yamaha. It offers the OP more avenues to speaker choices than is possible with the Yamaha and be able to drive low impedance speakers in a larger room. Its FM reception may be not as good as the Yamaha but unless he's living in the middle of nowhere, I'm sure the OP is able to pull in the multitude of FM stations available in his urban center.

Since the OP will be using this a two channel system, I'm thinking that a turntable is also in the picture. It offers two phono input stages, one for MM and one for MC. This eliminate the OP from having to purchase a seperate phono amp should he choose to buy a MC cartridge. The Yamaha offers no phono stage. The Outlaw offers rudamentary bass management so he could use this in 2.1 set-up.

I agree that it has a face only a mother can love.

You seem very sure that the Outlaw is better with low impedance loads. I am aware of the specifications, but has anyone actually measured the performance of the Yamaha? If not, how can you be so sure that it is so vastly inferior to the Outlaw? There have been Yamaha receivers of the past that have not been rated for 4 ohm use, but when actually tested, they were good with 4 ohm speakers. So why are you so sure that this Yamaha is so inferior to the Outlaw?

All of that is, of course, only relevant if mrm1233 is actually going to use speakers that are difficult to drive, which is why I asked about that as the first thing in my response to whether or not the Yamaha was a good idea.

Also, not everyone who uses a 2 channel system uses a turntable, and given the fact that mrm1233 ordered the Yamaha, there is a good chance that he or she isn't planning on using a turntable with it.

As for the looks, I have not said in this thread anything about it, and given that mrm1233 is considering the Outlaw, and has actually ordered the Yamaha, both must be acceptable in appearance to him or her. (I do, however, regard the Outlaw as hideous looking [even though I generally prefer the "silver" look to the black box look], but I do not base my advice on that at all, as I will not be looking at it, and mrm1233 can see it and decide for him or herself about such a superficial matter.)

Since the Yamaha is already ordered, and since it costs less, unless there is an actual reason to believe that it will not be adequate for mrm1233's needs, I think it would be best to keep the Yamaha. Of course, it is up to mrm1233 to decide, and everyone is free to give their own opinion on the subject.

 

[KEW]

Since the Yamaha is already ordered, and since it costs less, unless there is an actual reason to believe that it will not be adequate for mrm1233's needs, I think it would be best to keep the Yamaha.

I have to disagree with this approach on general principles. It is much more appropriate to establish proof that a component is adequate before buying it. I believe there are inadequate components which would be difficult to prove inadequate.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!

 

[3db]

You seem very sure that the Outlaw is better with low impedance loads. I am aware of the specifications, but has anyone actually measured the performance of the Yamaha? If not, how can you be so sure that it is so vastly inferior to the Outlaw? There have been Yamaha receivers of the past that have not been rated for 4 ohm use, but when actually tested, they were good with 4 ohm speakers. So why are you so sure that this Yamaha is so inferior to the Outlaw?

All of that is, of course, only relevant if mrm1233 is actually going to use speakers that are difficult to drive, which is why I asked about that as the first thing in my response to whether or not the Yamaha was a good idea.

Also, not everyone who uses a 2 channel system uses a turntable, and given the fact that mrm1233 ordered the Yamaha, there is a good chance that he or she isn't planning on using a turntable with it.

As for the looks, I have not said in this thread anything about it, and given that mrm1233 is considering the Outlaw, and has actually ordered the Yamaha, both must be acceptable in appearance to him or her. (I do, however, regard the Outlaw as hideous looking [even though I generally prefer the "silver" look to the black box look], but I do not base my advice on that at all, as I will not be looking at it, and mrm1233 can see it and decide for him or herself about such a superficial matter.)

Since the Yamaha is already ordered, and since it costs less, unless there is an actual reason to believe that it will not be adequate for mrm1233's needs, I think it would be best to keep the Yamaha. Of course, it is up to mrm1233 to decide, and everyone is free to give their own opinion on the subject.

So we disagree. No biggy. About its looks...you have commented but not in this thread.