March 13, 2002

200 watts x 5 into 8 ohms, 300 watts x 5 into 4 ohms

Click HERE for specifications and more

In early March, 2002, I was given the opportunity to purchase the reference sample of the new Outlaw 755 amplifier. After adding the Outlaw 950 pre/pro to my home theater a 4 or 5 channel amplifier was the last piece of the puzzle needed to completely phase out my Denon 5700 receiver.

Outlaw 755 Amp Outlaw 755 Amp Outlaw 755 Amp Outlaw 755 Amp Outlaw 755 Amp Outlaw 755 Amp

I originally wanted to order an Outlaw 750 amplifier, but this model has been discontinued to make way for the new 755/770 series. When I went to place my order Outlaw asked me if I would be willing to buy the reference unit of the 755. Normally, a reference unit is kept by the company until the first models ship but Outlaw was so confident in the build quality and design of the 755 that they were willing to let it go early. So naturally I jumped at the chance and have not been sorry.

When the 755 arrived the first thing I noticed was the weight and size of the unit. I had been prepared for something heavy, but at almost 80 pounds, this is one hefty amp. As you will be able to see from the pictures below, the 755 is slightly bigger than my three Marantz MA700 monoblocks and completely fills one shelf of my Sanus Euro racks. It's a tight fit, but the racks are sturdy enough to hold it.

I originally planned to keep the 755 on all the time, but because of the close fit on the shelf I've decided to turn it on and off using the 12 volt trigger voltage from the 950 pre/pro. In fact I use the 12 volt trigger voltage not only to turn on the 755 amps but to power up my Monster 3500 switched outlets. This also turns on the Marantz monoblocks as well. By using time delay circuits I assure that not all amps turn on at the same time. The 755 is a fanless (noise-free) design which uses large heat sinks and a chimney effect to keep things cool. The bottom of the unit is about .5 inches off the ground to allow for air flow. The top of the unit also has air vents and these are the ones that were a tight fit on my Sanus rack (and why I decided to turn off the amp when my other equipment is turned off). Even with these tight quarters the 755 never runs very hot even with all day use but I'm just being extra cautious. If you have the ability to house the amplifier on a stand that allows an couple of inches above it, this would be the best of all possible worlds and you could leave the amp on 24/7. Unfortunately, many non-custom racks, like mine, only offer 8 inches of shelf height or less in their normal configurations. (FYI, Sanus does offer 12" pillars for their racks and I'm thinking about incorporating some of these into my system at some future time.) And if you don't have at least 8" high shelves a 755 or 770 (same case) will not fit. Something to consider.

I'm currently using the 755 to power the front soundstage (L/C/R) as well as the Left and Right Side Surrounds. Two of the Marantz MA700 monoblocks are powering the Left and Right Rear Surrounds, with the third monoblock available as a spare (or for 8.1 and beyond?) Before removing the Denon 5700 from my system I tried out various combinations to see which amps sounded the best. As expected, the internal amps of the 5700 receiver were no match for either the MA700s or the 755. The design of the receiver amps is not as robust as that of the separates and listening bore this out. Interestingly, I found it hard to differentiate between the MA700s and the 755 amps so I decided to use the 755 as explained above. Both the Marantz and Outlaw amps have similar specifications. (300 watts into 4 ohms). Maybe my preference will change over time but this is not a problem at all since all 8 amps use banana plug connections which can be rearranged quickly without moving any equipment on the shelves.

In summary, the combination of the Outlaw 950 pre/pro and seven full-fledged 300 watt amps is providing me with the best sound I have heard in my home theater to date. The MA700s are a proven product (although now discontinued) and the Outlaw 750 (the predecessor of the 755) received excellent reviews. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of both the 950 and the 755/770 so that I can hear what others have to say. As one of the first consumers to have these products in my home I can say that these products represent a very nice price:performance ratio.

CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE 755/770 MANUAL