Outlaw Audio RR2150 Stereo RetroReceiver Review

 

 

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Review Introduction

Two Channel stereo receivers haven’t been cutting edge since the 1960s, but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers from refining and advancing the technology all the way up to today. Throughout the years people have experimented with three-channel, quadraphonic, and modern 5.1 mixes, but none of those technologies hit a stride in the mainstream market. Two channel stereo is still the main choice for recording and listening to music. In an attempt to move stereo receivers a little bit more into the 21^st century, while still maintaining all of the form and function of past generations, Outlaw came up with the RR2150 RetroReceiver. The inclusion of bass management for subwoofer integration, a USB port, and 3.5mm aux jack make the RR2150 a boundary spanner between an older generation (of people and gear) and a younger one.

Rear Panel: Inputs, Outputs, and Switches

It’s sort of ironic to call a stereo receiver “feature rich”, but the RR2150 comes pretty close. No, it doesn’t jump head first into the world of home theater with HDMI inputs and network functionality. It doesn’t even have optical or digital coax inputs. However, it takes a step in the right direction while firmly remaining a classic stereo receiver.

The first jump ahead is the inclusion of a USB-B port on the rear of the unit. This allows for the connection of a computer directly to the RR2150 using a USB-A to USB-B cable. With this setup, the computer decodes the audio and sends a hopefully bit-for-bit perfect PCM signal to the receiver (The RR2150 will not accept DSD). One of the main advantages of having a computer do all of the processing is that a computer is able to decode any file format in existence. This configuration also allows a user to bypass the likely crap-tacular DAC (digital to analog converter) in the computer, and use the RR2150’s superior DAC. In a world of computer audio, this is an invaluable feature and one that we used quite often during listening tests.

On the back of the RR2150 you’ll also notice three stereo audio inputs and one phono input with grounding connector. The phono input does have a pre-amp with MM/MC switch, a feature that vinyl lovers will surely appreciate. A nifty “External Processor” loop supplements the typical pre-out/main-in loop. The External Processor loop can be enabled/disabled by a simple button on the front panel. This makes it easy to hook up some sort of EQ unit that you only want to use part of the time. This is a really convenient feature, because the only way to bypass an external processor hooked up to the typical pre-out/main-in loop would be to physically unplug it and reinsert the jumpers to complete the loop. The last analog input, for a grand total of six, is a 3.5mm jack on the front of the unit, which makes connection of a portable MP3 player convenient (Who are we kidding, no one still uses a dedicated MP3 player do they? That’s what a smart phone is for; right?).

Outlaw RR2150 Rear Panel

We’re not done talking about the back of the RR2150 yet quite yet. There’s standard FM and AM antenna hookups, “Tape Out” for recording, a 12v trigger, and 3.5mm IR pass-through jacks. You’ll also find four sets of binding posts, two for “Speakers A” and two for “Speakers B”.

The last feature on the rear panel, and surely the most important for some users, is an RCA subwoofer output and accompanying bass management selector switch. When stereo receivers became a household commodity, dedicated subwoofers didn’t exist. Consumers had giant, and often ugly (Cliff’s opinion), full-range speakers. As home audio technology advanced, consumers started trading out full-range speakers in favor of smaller sub/sat systems. While many of us still run full-range towers, smaller satellite or bookshelf speakers coupled with a subwoofer can sound similarly good and typically offer a much less imposing profile.

The bass management switch has four different settings: BP (Bypass), 100, 80, and 60Hz. When set on Bypass, a full range signal is sent to both the subwoofer and the main speakers. With this setup, you should use the low-pass filter built into your subwoofer. However, you can offload bass management to the RR2150 by selecting 100, 80, or 60Hz. This way, the RR2150 uses Outlaw’s ICBM-1 bass management system and engages a 2^nd order (12dB/octave) Butterworth filter.

Front Panel: Knobs, Buttons, and Lights

Although many audiophiles would like to think they can surmise everything there is to know about a product by glancing at the rear panel, the gorgeous front panel on the RR2150 demands a good look. Inspired by the art deco radios of the past, the front panel is brushed aluminum with custom tooled knobs. Little blue LED lights rest in the center of some of the buttons, adding utility as they indicate the state of a button, and a modern styling.

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Front Panel

On the front panel, you will find a ¼ headphone jack with independent volume control. You can’t always use the big speakers, and with the proliferation of high-end headphones recently, this is a nice feature to have.

There’s also the previously mentioned 3.5mm input and speaker selector with the standard four options: A, B, A+B, Off. The speaker outputs are wired in parallel which is the preferred way of connecting multiple speaker pairs.  Though this means the load impedance the amp sees is cut in half (assuming speakers with identical impedances are connected).  This will cause the double the current draw in these cases so use caution when running two pairs of speakers simultaneously. 

When using the headphone jack, the main speakers are still enabled unless you turn them off using the speaker selector control. There are also tone controls for bass and treble. Both offer ± 6.5dB of adjustment, with the treble adjustment at 10kHz and bass at 50Hz. I used the controls a small amount during my listening tests. Although they were unnecessary with my MartinLogan Theos, I liked the bass boost on my MartinLogan LX16 bookshelf speakers and enjoyed a few dB of attenuation in the treble on the Polk Audio LSiM703. There’s a Tone Off button to defeat the tone controls, and in between the bass and treble knobs is a balance knob. An extra bonus is that tone and balance controls work for the headphones as well.

If the ±6.5dB at 50Hz isn’t enough extra boom-boom for you, Outlaw also incorporated a Speaker EQ knob that adds a 6dB boost at 55, 65, or 80Hz. The purpose of this adjustment is to add bass around the point that a small bookshelf speaker starts to roll off. We’d caution users to be careful to not overdrive their speakers when using the Speaker EQ function. Additionally, sometimes the lack of bass at a certain frequency has little to do with a speaker, and is actually because of room modes and standing waves.

On the right hand side of the receiver you will find a few more controls. Function, Enter, and Up/Down Arrows are used to adjust the built-in AM/FM tuner. A control labeled “Record” selects what source you want output from the Tape Out RCA jacks on the rear panel. Below that is a knob for adjusting source. When flipping through the sources quickly, it’s easy to turn past the desired input because the “click” between inputs doesn’t quite lineup with the actual input change. Finally, a mute button sits right next to the motorized volume control. Yeah, the volume knob is motorized, it’s freakin’ cool.

Based on looks and specs alone, the RR2150 appears to be a nice piece of gear. But what’s under the hood?

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Build/Sound Quality and Operation

One of the main reasons consumers invest in nice gear is because they expect it to be built to a higher standard than entry level gear. Consumers with such expectations will be pleased with the RR2150.

 

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Top Removed

Even before removing the top panel, the overall feel of the unit is high-end thanks to the milled aluminum face plate and glowing blue LEDs. Even the top cover is sturdier than your general run of the mill AV receiver.

The binding posts are solid, but they look more like the binding posts on a 1970’s H/k receiver than what’s found on modern high-end receivers or amps. In fact, our oversized Monster M2.2s speaker cables wouldn’t fit with the spade lugs we normally use. Luckily, the tips on the M2.2s are swappable, so we traded out the spade lugs for banana plugs. 

              

  Power Capacitors                                             Power Supply        

Inside are two thick heatsinks with 4 output transistors per channel to allow the amp to source more current at lower impedance. A pair 10,000uf, 63v power capacitors are a healthy size for this receiver. 63V rating provides plenty of voltage margin to achieve high enough rail voltage to sustain the 100wpc rating. If you look closely, you will see that the caps are 105 deg C rated. This is great for durability and better than the standard 85 deg C parts most mass marketing companies use.

Operation and Remote Control

You might be wondering why we have a section about operation, “I mean, come on, it’s just a stereo receiver.” While it’s true that most users will just plop down a pair of speakers and call it good, the RR2150 has quite a few features to explore.

Other than a finicky source knob and slightly confusing tuner interface, front panel operation is easy and straight forward. Although, it would have been much more convenient to have the bass management switch located on the front of the receiver rather than the rear. As we played around with integrating our speakers and subwoofer, we had to continually reach over the RR2150 to access the bass management switch on the back. Not only was it a pain to reach, the angle made it difficult to see what crossover frequency we were selecting.  However, I wouldn't let this have any effect on a purchase decision. According to Outlaw, they placed the adjustment on the rear of the unit because it it supposed to be a set it and forget it feature. Once it's set properly for your speakers, the only reason to adjust it would be if you hooked up a different set of speakers.

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Controls

The input level coming over USB was also a little lower than we would have liked, which required us to turn the volume control up substantially more than if the same song was playing off our Oppo BDP-93. There were also a few times that the computer and RR2150 didn’t quite sync up over USB, or Spotify would refuse to play when we connected the USB cable, but a simple disconnect/reconnect solved those problems. Granted, these are very minor issues, and something that Outlaw doesn’t have complete control over as the PC is handling the processing.

After messing with the front panel and dialing in things the way we wanted, we sat down at the listening position and grabbed the remote. At first glance, it looked like we had accidentally grabbed a remote from some mystery $50 DVD player. It was light, felt cheap, was made of plastic and had no backlight for ease of use in the dark. And the buttons didn’t look relevant to a stereo receiver either. We thought, “Guide, Menu, Exit, Play/Pause, Progressive Scan? This can’t be the remote for the RR2150.” But there, at the bottom of the remote, was a picture of a cowboy riding a horse and the name “Outlaw” printed beside it.

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Remote 

We are used to poor quality remotes, even from large manufacturers who custom design their own remotes and should know better. Most of the time we write up a paragraph or two about how much they suck, and then move on. We figure that the majority of consumers will invest in a nice universal remote, or simply use their Cable/Sat remote to control everything. Following this logic, we often recommend that manufacturers focus on making a remote that controls a single device well, rather than a slew of devices poorly. Yet again, we must give that same advice to Outlaw. But in the case of the RR2150, the remote is even more important than with a full-fledged AV receiver because we expect that most consumers will actually use the remote that comes with it. Few people would invest in a universal remote for a stereo setup.

The remote has the basic controls you would imagine, power, volume and source. It also has full tuner control, including tuning mode and preset adjustment. And all of these controls worked reliably. But, it’s missing control for all of the niche features associated with the RR2150, or stereo receivers in general. We would have liked to see a “Speaker A/B” function. This makes comparing two sets of speakers much easier by preventing one from having to walk up to the front panel to make the adjustment. The same goes for the speaker EQ, external loop, tone and balance options. However, in Outlaw's defense, they had good reason for not putting all of the a fore mentioned controls onto the remote. It simply comes down to budget. Buying a generic remote and giving it the IR codes for the RR2150 is significantly less expensive than custom designing a remote. Incorporating some of the extra functionality on the remote would also mean modifying the RR2150 itself, even making additional front panel knobs motorized (not cheap). These additional production costs would likely drive up the retail price of the unit, a topic we discussed in our article about the product design process for AV electronics. To be even more forgiving, the remote does control the essentials (volume, power, input) and can operate other sources devices. Still, the remote does not fit with the build quality or feel of the rest of the unit, and we’ve seen other companies manage to produce nice remotes for high performance/low cost products.

Sound Quality

Listening tests were performed using MartinLogan Theos floorstanding speakers, an Oppo BDP-93 Blu-ray Player, Panamax M4300-EX Power Conditioner, and Monster M2.2s speaker cables. The speakers were approximately 7’ apart and 8’ from the listening position.                         

CD - Bob Arden: Wires Rosewood & Roots

Bob Arden’s Wires Rosewood & Roots is a purely instrumental score. Arden’s Beneteau acoustic guitar is the anchor on every track and was reproduced with the utmost intricacy. At some times it sounded a little too large, like he was playing a jumbo sized guitar. This was due to improper positioning of the Theos, and with a little work the soundstage was the perfect size. At some points during the CD you could hear Arden’s shallow breathing behind the guitar work (because of close-miked recording), which made us feel like we were sitting at the recording session. An upright bass, bodhran, and cabasa accompany the acoustic guitar on track 7, “Flea’s Reel”. The upright bass sat just to the left of the guitar, and we could hear every shake and hit on the cabasa (a very cool percussion instrument if you’ve never seen/used one). Although each of these instruments was recorded separately and mixed together, we could close our eyes and picture the entire band sitting in front of us. It was a joy to listen to.

              

           Wires Rosewood & Roots                                                Beethoven                       

SACD - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: Beethoven

In an attempt to push the abilities of the RR2150 harder than Wires Rosewood & Roots is able to, due to its relatively small dynamics, we turned to an SACD of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D major. When speaking of classical music, some reviewers lose themselves in a whirl of overly pedantic and esoteric ramblings in an attempt to sound high-brow and well informed. We shall try to refrain. The exposition starts strong and powerful. The combination of the Theos and the RR2150 proved to be a winning one as the Theos pounded out the large dynamic swings in the exposition and continued to do so in the rich third movement. There was never a hint of distortion or harshness, even as the SPL grew closer and closer to reference levels. Imaging was superb as each section of the orchestra held its own unwavering spot in the soundstage. We couldn’t have wished for more out of the RR2150.

CD/FLAC - Norah Jones: Come Away With Me

After proving its chops when fed an analog signal, we wanted to see what the RR2150 was capable of when using its own DAC. We pulled up a 16bit/44.1kHz FLAC version of the Come Away With Me, which was ripped using Exact Audio Copy. In order to achieve the best sound quality possible from the computer, foobar2000 with WASAPI exclusive mode enabled was used for playback. To facilitate a direct comparison, we tossed the original CD into my Oppo, and performed some A/B testing. At Audioholics, we’ve spent a considerable amount of time discussing the validity and reliability problems with A/B and blind testing methodologies, but you’ve got to work with what you’ve got. To be honest, we didn’t expect to hear a difference between the DAC in the Oppo vs the RR2150. Although both sounded great, we felt that the Oppo sounded slightly better. There just seemed to be a little more detail. Still, outside of a visible A/B comparison, it would likely be nearly impossible to reliably pick out the two components. Just for a little fun, we also A/B tested the Polk Audio LSiM703 I recently reviewed, against the MartinLogan Theos. The Theos had a significantly smoother and slightly attenuated treble, which led to a more pronounced midrange. They just oozed lush, detailed sound.

All in all, the RR2150 breezed through the listening tests. Close miked tracks with only a few instruments, to a large orchestra, to female vocals, there was no lack of highly detailed, uncolored sound.

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Measurements & Analysis

All measurements were conducted using our Audio Precision APx585 8 Channel HDMI Audio Analyzer following our rigid Amplifier Measurement Test Protocol.

Signal to Noise Ratio

Outlaw RR2150 SNR @ 1 watt (A-weighted)

The RR2150 exhibited a low noise floor.  At 1 watt I measured 83dB (A-weighted) and 76dB with no filter engaged.  The relatively small difference between A-wt and un-weighed measurements indicates that out of band residual noise residuals are low.  At rated power, I measured 103dB (A-wt).

Frequency Response

Outlaw RR2150 Frequency Response @ 1 watt

The RR2150 exhibited ruler flat frequency response at all power levels within the audio band.  I measured a -3dB point of 60kHz from the speaker outputs. 

Power Measurements

Using our Audio Precision APx585 8-channel HDMI analyzer, I conducted a full barrage of multi-channel amplifier tests on the RR2150. We tested power using three methods all of which were taken at < 0.1% THD + N:

• Continuous Full Power Bandwidth (CFP-BW) from 20Hz to 20Khz into 8 and 4-ohm loads (up to two-channels)
• 1kHz Power Sweep vs Distortion (1kHz PSweep) - popularized by the print magazines, this is an instantaneous power vs distortion test at 1kHz. The problem with this test is it often masks slew related and or frequency response problems some amplifiers exhibit at the frequency extremes, and thus inflates the measured power results. It does provide an instant gratification # for consumers to argue over on the forums so we are now incorporating this test to please the masses.
• Dynamic PWR - 1kHz CEA-2006 Burst Method testing. This is a dynamic power measurement adopted from the car industry similar to IHF method only a bit more difficult for an amplifier and more representative of real musical content.

Keep in mind most review publications don't do continuous power measurements and they usually publish power measurements into clipping at 1% THD + N. Our measurements are very conservative as we use a dedicated 20A line with no Variac to regulate line voltage.  We constantly monitor the line to ensure it never drops more than 2Vrms from nominal which in our case was 120Vrms. 

For more info on amplifier measurements, see:  The All Channels Driven (ACD) Test

 

Outlaw RR2150 Frequency Response @ Full Rated Power (100wpc x 2, 8 ohms)

Outlaw RR2150 1kHz Power Test

Top Pic: 2CH driven, 8 ohms;  Bottom Pic: 2CH driven, 4 ohms

  

Outlaw RR2150 Dynamic Power Test (1kHz) 2CH Driven, 8 ohms

Outlaw RR2150 Power Measurement Table

Outlaw rates the RR2150 as follows:

• 100 watts x 2 continuous @ 8-ohm  from 20Hz to 20kHz < 0.03% THD + N
• 160 watts x 2 continuous @ 4-ohm from 20Hz to 20kHz < 0.03% THD +N

Most amplifier companies never give such detailed continuous full bandwidth power ratings like this, let alone receiver companies.  This type of honesty is refreshing.

The RR2150 not only met the specified manufacturer power figures, it beat them.  For continuous power, I measured 110wpc x 2, 8 ohms and 165 wpc x 2, 4 ohms at below 0.1% THD+N.  Using the typical 1kHz Psweep tests, you can see the RR2150 produced above its continuous ratings for 8 ohm and 4 ohm loads, both channels driven.  Dynamic power was an impressive 168 watts into 8 ohms and almost 300 watts into 4 ohms with one channel driven.  I did measure one channel to be slightly more powerful than the other by a few watts, so my figures always reflect the lower power ratings. 

That being said, the RR2150 exhibited 2.3dB of dynamic headroom based on the comparison of the continuous power ratings to what I measured dynamically.  It’s clear that the power supply in this amp section, coupled with high current output devices provides plenty of real world power to drive a wide variety of speakers, even those rated down to 4 ohms.  Not once in any of my power torture tests was I able to cause the power protection circuits to kick in.  This is one ballsy amp section for a receiver!

Distortion Analysis

FFT Distortion

 

Outlaw RR2150 FFT Distortion Analysis @ 1 watt

I ran FFT distortion plots at 1 watt and full rated power to determine how clean this amplifier really is.  At 1 watt, the spectral distortion pretty clean with the 2^nd order harmonic down 90dB from the fundamental.  At rated power, things got a bit less sterile as expected with the 3^rd order products dominating but still -85dB below the fundamental. 

Intermodulation Distortion

We just started including SMPTE IMD distortion tests to see how amplifiers react to non-harmonically related signals.  The test signal consists of a 60Hz and 7kHz test signal summed together at a 4:1 amplitude ratio.

 

Outlaw RR2150 SMPTE IMD Distortion Test

This test was conducted at 25 watts with both channels driven.  The RR2150 exhibited good results in this test.  No residuals were present for 60Hz (which is important for power supply noise rejection) and the harmonics at 7kHz were -80dB or lower than the fundamental. 

Crosstalk

Low channel to channel crosstalk ensures good stereo separation.  I consider anything less than -40dB @ 10kHz acceptable and anything less than -80dB to be superb.  The Outlaw RR2150 exhibited good, though not stellar crosstalk performance with about -50dB at 10kHz of isolation between the channels.

 

Outlaw RR2150 Crosstalk Measurement at Rated Power

Outlaw Audio RR2150 Suggestions For Improvement & Conclusion

We don’t have much to say in way of improvements for the RR2150. Its operation, sound quality, and measurements were all splendid. However, if we must nit-pick, there are three areas we would comment on. First, as previously mentioned, the remote doesn’t fit with the rest of the unit. We would like to see a remote with a more high-end feel and a button layout focused on 2ch. stereo systems, not video related equipment. Second, the inclusion of digital coax and digital optical inputs would be a bonus. Since the RR2150 relies on the DAC inside the source equipment (other than for the USB input), consumers need to invest in a good transport. If the RR2150 had digital inputs, then consumers wouldn’t have to worry as much about having a nice transport. Finally, crosstalk measurements were good, but not as stellar as we’ve seen in comparable products. The Harman Kardon 3490 we reviewed ($499) measured considerably lower here.  However the RR2150 amp section is more meaty than the HK 3490.  In fact it has one of the best amp sections we’ve seen in a two-channel receiver.

Conclusion

In a marketplace full of “modern” black receivers with flimsy faceplates and minimalist designs, the RR2150 is a breath of fresh air. It doesn’t look “old” or “cutting-edge”. Rather, it strikes a nice balance between retro and modern. That theme of blending past and present weaves its way into the feature set as well, with the presence of USB and Subwoofer connections. At the same time, the RR2150 remains a classic stereo receiver with tons of power and enough analog inputs and control knobs to make vintage gear blush. In fact, it's the most powerful two channel receiver we have ever measured! Great looks, features, build quality and power at an affordable price, we're not sure what else you could ask for. Whether your speakers are just released limited edition or were made before Jimmy Hendrix picked up a guitar, the RR2150 would make a great piece of gear in any stereo system.

 

 

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Frequency Response Linearity
SNR
Measured Power (8-ohms)
Measured Power (4-ohms)
Two-channel Audio Performance
Bass Management
Build Quality
Fit and Finish
Ergonomics & Usability
Remote Control
Performance
Value