Outlaw Audio 7140 7CH Amplifier Preview

Outlaw Audio had lofty goals when designing their 7140. How do you take a great amplifier and give it increased power, improved performance, greater reliability, AND an enhanced user experience for only $100 more than the original price of their 7125? Read on to find out.

Ten year ago Outlaw Audio introduced their iconic Model 7125 amplifier.  With 7x125 watts per channel the 7125 became Outlaw Audio’s best-selling product. There’s a great discussion of the Outlaw Audio 7125 in our forums section. Unfortunately, all great things must come to an end and so we say goodbye to the 7125 and hello to the new 7140, Outlaw Audio’s new and improved 7x140 watts per channel multi-channel amplifier.

With RCAs and XLRs (utilizing a balanced input stage), this amplifier offers high performance at an affordable price. With most amplifier companies switching to class D amplifiers you might wonder if investing in “old technology” is worth it. 

Outlaw Audio released this statement in regards to that concerning question:

Tried and true Class AB amplification has been at the heart of every Outlaw multi-channel amplifier for almost 20 years. With the Model 7140, we've managed to increase the power, improve the performance, and provide even greater reliability, all in the same chassis size as our previous Model 7125. Unlike some manufacturers who have made the switch to Class D amplifiers, we have chosen to remain with Class AB amplifier designs for our multi-channel power amps.

Indeed, we have auditioned a number of fairly good Class-D designs. While they offer some advantages, such as size and shipping weight, after several prolonged listening sessions we all concluded that to our ears, there is still something that remains intangibly smoother when audio is reproduced with Class AB amplification.

We really like that Outlaw has bumped the power up on their  7140 to 7 x 140 watts per channel into 8 ohms (all-channels driven), and 7 x 225 watts into 4 ohms. It's also great to see the inclusion of balanced inputs which is rare for a multi-channel amplifier of this price class. The XLR inputs utilize special IC's offered by THAT Corporation Audio Technology, which is said to allow for a better performance from a balanced input stage.

Despite the higher power rating of the 7140, it shares resides in the same chassis size of the 7125. To accomplish this, Outlaw Audio integrated a new power supply.  The 7140 has a recently developed Class F transformer that utilizes professional grade insulation while also having a greater thermal efficiency. Like the 7125, Outlaw Audio uses thermistors to delay amplifier turn-on and reduce any side-effects caused by an in-rush of current.  This is particularly useful for those plugging their amplifiers into power conditioners or shared outlets. We've actually seen some power conditioners trip their fault circuits when plugged into an amplifier that produced large in-rush currents during power up.  It's nice to see Outlaw has addressed this issue to prevent such occurrences.

Outlaw Audio also redesigned the amplifier modules with output devices that have higher voltage and current for increased power and reduced distortion. Each of the amplifier modules has three pairs of newly designed output devices which should result in lower distortion and smoother operation.

The Outlaw Audio 7140 is available now for $1099, but supplies in the first few months will be tight so make sure you reserve yours ASAP.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.