Recent content by phil faulds

A few notes on the above tests: 1. My numbers are high, and should be used for comparison purposes only. RCA outputs were used, and they were taken directly in my home setup, not in a clean, low-noise lab setup. Also, I used free software to do the testing, so YMMV. These numbers are not...

Hi all I am deleting the prior post with measurements completely. There were a number of issues in my setup causing bad results. Also, there is now no audible distortions on test tones with EQ engaged, although that one track (Spanish Harlem) still has some audible increase in 'fuzz'... EMI has...

Hi Todd, The unit is off-warranty, no longer in stock, no longer in production. I guess I'm shipping it back at my expense. Whatever the cost, it will certainly be less than any other 4K HDR/Dolby balanced processor on the market today. And best case, they can cure both the OSD and distortion...

Final chapter: intending to do the reset as suggested, I turned on the OSD Menu and got a blank screen. Guess I'll have to ship it back to Outlaw.

I appreciate your interest and willingness to help. Front, center, left and headphones over the headphone jack all show this noise/distortion. (Not the subs of course, because they don't pass mids/highs, and I haven't bothered running through the surrounds.) Outlaw has suggested a factory...

No need to answer all of those questions, I can make it very simple after running a test yesterday. I play a test sine wave between 30 and 100 Hz from REW through the system. With the EQ off, I hear a sine wave. With EQ on, there is a buzzing sound on top of the sine wave (on any channel and...

Thanks, Dread Tried reducing input to -6dB: no difference. So it doesn't seem to be an overload. Note that the same exact problem exists with various headphones. Thanks anyway

Hi Tony PEQ ON or OFF? Other material doesn't trigger this problem with PEQ on or off. The specific tracks identified distort with PEQ on only. The equalization is pretty aggressive. I won't post the curves/settings because even if I set all the EQ bands to 0dB, the problem still exists...

Hi all After having my 976 for almost 2 years, I've noticed an apparent flaw that other owners can possibly verify (or not.) When I play certain material with high energy in the 60-80 Hz range with PEQ on, I get a buzzing sound on the bass peaks. (Think of a loose driver or something rattling...

The audio gods were listening, Kal. After years of sporadic searching, a pristine Sony S5100 came up on Kijiji for $30. After a short drive and the usual difficulties that people with tiny brains have with the software, we're off and running, ripping DSD MCH files with no problems (server...

Most are out of production and/or too expensive, going by the list on Hifi Haven. Unfortunately my Sony is too recent (or I shouldn't have updated the firmware.) I'm in Canada so buying used off eBay or elsewhere is often unreliable, with high shipping/import/brokerage costs. But one will...

Thanks, Kal That's what I suspected... I'll contact Essence if I decide to go this route. In the meantime, I'll look for a hackable disc player to see if I can't rip these discs. They are getting very scarce. Phil

A quick question, sir, if you have time... a solution might be to run the HDMI from the BD player through an Essence HDMI MCH DAC, then run the analog to the 976. I know you've reviewed this DAC positively, and wondered if you noticed if this device had the same problem. I'm not sure that the...

Thanks, Kal You might have hit on it. Also, I have no center channel, so that might further confuse the issue. Sad that the old, sonically inferior 975 handles them and its successor doesn't.

Hi all I replaced my 975 with a 976 mostly on the basis of this review, and am very impressed with the PEQ and sonic improvements. (In my environment, the 975 was plagued with ground loop/hum problems.) However, I've run into one bizarre issue that Outlaw says can't be happening, so I wanted...