Emotiva vs. Outlaw - opinions?

[Big Orange Jeff]

Does anyone have experience with both/either of these companies? I need to pick up a decent, budget (<$400) amp to drive a pair of passive subs. All things being equal, which would you recommend?

Is there another brand of amp I should consider? I'm not opposed to buying a used amp.

Thanks,
Jeff

[rdgrimes]

Power ratings being equal, most any decent amp will run a sub just fine. Since they will be running at higher output than they might normally do, suggest going with whatever has the best reliability ratings. I'd be looking at used amps in order to get more power for my money.

[Titanium Dome]

I have experience with Outlaw but not Emotiva. I own a 990 pre/pro and found it to be reliable, complete, and great sounding. By complete I mean there are no obvious short cuts or missing features, and everything works well. In many ways it outperforms my Synthesis SDP-5.

As for the amps, I nearly bought one, but got a better deal elsewhere. I do know a guy who has one (multichannel) and he thinks it's incredible. Since he's running it through some unimpressive speakers, I can't comment beyond the amp seems reliable, powerful, and loud.