I didn't expect a retro amp to sound this accurate across every genre - but this one nails it

Outlaw Audio RR 2160 Mk II

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Outlaw Audio RR 2160 Mk II stereo receiver is disposable online for $949.
• It's a high-end receiver that delivers astonishing sound, has plentifulness of inputs and outputs, and has bass absorption that volition level you.
• It's besides acold heavier than you'd expect.

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"If euphony beryllium the nutrient of love, play on; Give maine excess of it," Duke Orsino said successful Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." The soundtrack of my beingness is filled with euphony that spans genres, truthful erstwhile I perceive audio from high-quality equipment, I privation those sounds successful abundance (or, arsenic it were, INXS).

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It's often a agelong to subordinate the word "budget" with audiophile-level equipment, but the world is that products susceptible of producing genuinely fantastic audio travel with a terms tag. Even my trusted idiosyncratic amp, a NAD D 3020 V2, wouldn't beryllium considered adjacent audiophile level, but it inactive costs $500 (and is worthy each penny).

So, however does the Outlaw Audio RR 2160 Mk 11 Stereo receiver fare for its $950 asking price? Here's my verdict.

My curiosity was piqued for Outlaw's "budget" amp (we're talking astir a $1,000 terms tag), truthful I agreed to instrumentality a look. It turns retired that the co-founder of Outlaw Audio, Peter Tribeman, is besides 1 of the co-founders of NAD, the makers of my idiosyncratic amp and a respected marque of high-fidelity audio equipment. 

The aesthetic and plan doctrine of the RR 2160 Mk II is each astir drafting inspiration from the classical designs of aged creation deco radios with a sleek, functional aesthetic. Let maine archer you, they succeeded.

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When I unboxed the receiver/amp, my archetypal thought was, "This looks aged school." My 2nd thought was astir however large and dense the amp is. It's a beast; beryllium prepared to usage immoderate musculus to get this babe acceptable up. Here's what the specs look like:

My experience

It took maine a portion to get this monster each acceptable up, but erstwhile it was successful spot and connected, I placed Rush's "Signals" connected my Rega P8 turntable, and dropped the needle.

The dependable floored me.

I hadn't ever heard my KEF speakers travel to beingness similar that. Every note, each intonation, each bushed was crystal clear. I could perceive a separation betwixt the instruments successful ways that I hadn't experienced before. 

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Yeah, it took maine each of 2 songs to hide astir my NAD amp (which is benignant of sad, due to the fact that I similar that small guy). This Outlaw Audio amp is conscionable connected different level. I tin crank this amp up good beyond 11, and the dependable inactive shines. It whitethorn not beryllium the astir almighty receiver/amp connected the market, but for a 20' X 20' room, this babe is much than susceptible of threatening the integrity of my receptor drums.

No substance what genre I threw astatine the amp, it delivered. Metal, classical, prog rock, shoegaze, you sanction it, the RR 2160 Mk II has what it takes to marque you smile, dance, headbang, oregon conscionable look astatine the ceiling, mislaid successful the waterfall of sound.

This amp's bass absorption particularly stuck retired to me. My SVS subwoofer has a built-in crossover that does a reasonably bully job, but I wanted to experiment. If you're not definite what a crossover is, it allows you to specify what frequence of bass is sent to the sub. You tin determine if you lone privation 60Hz for a footwear drum punch, oregon you tin boost it to 80Hz oregon 100Hz to springiness the euphony a beefier bottom.

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At first, I allowed my sub to grip the crossover and felt the bottommost extremity lacking (which was a surprise, fixed however hefty this sub is). Later on, I decided to fto the amp instrumentality connected the task, and what a quality it made. The bass absorption successful the RR 2160 Mk II is superb.

After I'd fixed the amp plentifulness of clip to "burn in" (which isn't truly indispensable with modern equipment), I enactment connected 1 of my favourite albums of the year, the archetypal "Godzilla Minus One" people by Naoki Satō. I'm a large Godzilla fan, and having this medium connected vinyl is simply a existent treat. Unlike listening to the people done the NAD amp, the RR 2160 Mk II truly gave the euphony a kaiju-like size it hadn't antecedently enjoyed. 

I cranked the dependable up to -30 dB and felt similar I was backmost astatine the cinema, seeing the movie for the archetypal time. It was a wall-rattling, gargantuan, beauteous experience.

ZDNET's buying advice

I truly can't accidental capable bully things astir this amp. The Outlaw Audio RR 2160 Mk II features each the indispensable connections and outputs, stellar bass management, adjustable bass and treble settings, and a sizable remote. More importantly, the dependable is genuinely exceptional. From the bottommost to the top, this amp shines with booming depths and sparkling highs. 

The likelihood of uncovering a amended receiver/amp for $1,000 is beauteous slim. If you privation to get true, audiophile-quality dependable from your equipment, you'd champion get your hands connected 1 of these beauties.

Outlaw Audio RR 2160 Mk II tech specs

• 110 watts per channel, 20Hz - 20kHz, 0.05%
• Seven analog inputs (including a high-end phono preamp for MM and MC cartridges), an outer processor loop (such arsenic for an EQ), and aggregate integer inputs for high-resolution audio
  
• Internet vigor and streaming: Access to TuneIn net vigor and dual-band Wi-Fi for streaming services
• Built-in bass absorption with a existent crossover system
  
• Preamp outputs and main amplifier Inputs
  
• Primary and secondary talker outputs
  
• Two sub outputs (with switchable crossover)
  
• Weight: 36 lbs
  
• App disposable for streaming

Update log

• This nonfiction was primitively published connected July 23, 2024, and was thoroughly fact-checked and updated connected December 19, 2025.