Tom,

Thank you.

I apologize since I was getting defensive thinking you were suspicious of my inability to get the hiss out of my system. Everything was tried in my house to ensure it wasn't a ground loop issue. Emotiva CS was great and agreed there is nothing more to do than return the LMC-1 and get my money back.

Kind regards,

Rodney, I apologize for the misunderstanding, and deeeply appreciate you sharing your experiences with the rest of us.

Well,

I walked into BB and got a Yamaha RX-V661, which I think is the 659 (Hutzal or someone has one) with HDMI. The 659 got good reviews on the net. So I thought I'd try the 661.

No hiss.

NO HISS! Using the pre-outs to the LPA-1.

I haven't done any critical listening as it was getting late and the Yamaha is quite complex to operate/set up
compared to the LMC-1.

If anyone has the 659/661, how do you like it, why do you like it, how does it compare to your pre/pro or receiver before that?

Regards,

Peter- What is your opinion of the LPA-1? I am looking at buying the Outlaw 990 and now instead of the 7075 or 7125, buying the LPA-1 instead for $ 500 less then the Outlaw amp. I can't see how you can go wrong for that kind of money for that much power, unless the amp shares the same type of quirkiness of it's pre/pro partner.

I really like the LPA-1. No quirks. Does just what an amp is supposed to do. Now, this is my first dedicated amplifier, so I really don't have anything to compare it to. However, my 'audiophile' friend has listened to it and commented that it seemed quite nice, and was very impressed that it cost lest than his last set of speaker wires . YMMV.

In any event, the LPA handles my 4-ohm M80's much better than my AVR. The AVR strains at moderately high volume and the sound becomes 'grainy'. The LPA remains calm and collected at high volumes. The highs are also quite a bit better with the LPA; smoother, more refined. I feel that the M80's sink into the background more with the LPA than with the AVR. Really, I like it. My only possible complaint is that it's quite a massive amp, so be sure that you have enough room for it! It doesn't fit in my AV rack, and so has to sit on top, which is not the best place for a heavy amp...

I'm actually thinking about the 990/LPA combo myself, but that would require purchsing a new AV rack, as neither fit in the rack, and I'm not balancing an LPA+990 on the top .

Outlaw makes really good stuff, though I say that through reputation only, as I've never actually heard any of it. Keep in mind that if you're buying the amp and pre-pro at the same time, Outlaw will give you a nice discount and the price difference isn't all that much. LPA @ $500 + 990 @$1000 = $1,500 vs Outlaw 990/7125 combo at $1,800. Also, that 7125 is a pure 125x7 design and is not as tall as the LPA, so if space is a concern, that may be something to think about.

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Peter- What is your opinion of the LPA-1? I am looking at buying the Outlaw 990 and now instead of the 7075 or 7125, buying the LPA-1 instead for $ 500 less then the Outlaw amp. I can't see how you can go wrong for that kind of money for that much power, unless the amp shares the same type of quirkiness of it's pre/pro partner.

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I went and checked and much to my dismay, the A/V wood cabinet my wife had to have from Pottery Barn is too shallow to fit the LPA into! Needless to say, I am very disappointed and would cut the back out of it if I could get away with it, so I am back to Outlaw products by default. Damn, I hate when the decision is made for me!

Heh. Welcome to the club.

Outlaw gear is not a compromise at all. I'm sure the 990/7075 or 990/7125 would be awesome. Now just make sure that the 990 will fit. It's about the same size as the LPA.

Quote:

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I went and checked and much to my dismay, the A/V wood cabinet my wife had to have from Pottery Barn is too shallow to fit the LPA into! Needless to say, I am very disappointed and would cut the back out of it if I could get away with it, so I am back to Outlaw products by default. Damn, I hate when the decision is made for me!

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Just barely deep enough! Did not mean to imply the Outlaw was not a great choice, I am going to order the combo tomorrow.

I was poking around the Emotiva site and looking at web reviews and the LMA-1 really seems like a sweet amp at a great price. I'm wondering if Randy might have been happier with the LMA than the MPS... even the LMA puts out 225W per channel into 4 ohms.

At first glance it seems like Emotiva is at the point where they have some really nice products and some which are still teething a bit -- and a prospective customer might do better to mix & match the best of their products rather than going for the standard combos Emotiva offers. Does this make any sense ?

The MPS1 was putting out 300W into 4 Ohms. I doubt Randy would be happy with 225W. Randy needs 8 X A1400-8s .