Hi all:

So I've been lurking here for several months. I've been real interested in pursuing the internet direct options out there for home theater audio to build my home theater dreams.

I saw this post on the Aperion Audio blog (scroll down if you click the link):

"At half the price of comparable electronics, the Outlaw should, at the very least, be on your short list. Need a little incentive? Well, we might just have one for you. Stay tuned, because mating your new Aperion Audio system with Outlaw Audio electronics may be an even better value than you think [wink wink]"

Aperion Audio Blog

What do you think? Maybe a cool package deal with next gen Outlaw pre/pro + amp + Aperion Audio 533T system?

Very interesting find. I don't think anybody around here has heard any such rumors before. An Aperion speaker package would certainly land at a different price point than an Outlaw speaker package, so I guess there could be a case made for a package deal of some sort without stepping on Outlaw's own speakers.

Just for future reference (in case additional blog entries push it down the page too far), here is a direct link to the blog entry in question.

Gonk - thoughts on the success of the Outlaw bookshelf speaker (from a sales point of view)? I've heard good things but from a very limited number of posts.

I'm not trying to go off topic - but I would wonder if this is something similar to the Velodyne relationship where instead of being a maker, Outlaw starts bundling things instead.

Gonk and RedSIinPA:

Thanks for the replies. (Heck I feel special just having Gonk say "Very interesting find".

I don't know about the commercial success of the Outlaw bookshelf - but it seems to me that a package or bundle deal could work with Aperion's tower speakers.

I would like to see more about Outlaw's speakers (in part because my wife and I have discussed them as a possible substitute for our Paradigms, as the idea of bookshelves in place of floorstanders appeals to her), but part of me suspects that we will continue to see only limited discussion of them until Outlaw expands the line to include at least the (reportedly soon to arrive) LCR and possibly also a surround speaker. At that point, their main audience (home theater) will be more likely to try them out. Even then, it may not be something that generates the traffic, forum chatter, and sales of some of their other products. My impression from the original Bookshelf announcement is that Outlaw hasn't taken on a speaker line in hopes of making it a principle line - that instead the idea was to do something that they were really proud of and felt distinguished itself somehow. The limited production volume and relatively high price (compared to a lot of internet-direct speaker brands, not so much to traditional brick & mortar offerings) bear that out. I don't think they intend for the speakers to sell in the sorts of numbers that the processors, amps, and subs sell. It's sort of like the RR2150, which will never sell at the same level as a surround receiver but performs really well and can settle into a niche that they're proud of.

Back to the Aperion idea... If I had to guess, I'd suspect that you wouldn't see Aperion products in Outlaw's online store. It'd be more likely to see at least some limited Outlaw electronics offerings on Aperion's store as part of a total package (pick one of their speaker systems at a certain level in their line-up and add an Outlaw electronics package from a couple or three specific offerings). The arrangement might even be handled from Outlaw warehouses, such that Aperion didn't keep any Outlaw stock and didn't have any sense of being a support channel for the Outlaw gear.

Interesting observation…especially given the number of folks entering the forum who seem to be purchasing the RR 2150 as a second system—as a second system for their bedroom or garage or whatever. Of course, that probably explains why Outlaw seemed so caught off guard by the demand that reviews created for the RR 2150.

That said, I've also been pretty curious to hear more about the Outlaw speakers. Really love the speakers I have, but as I get more interested in what hi-fi/mid-fi truly means, I know I'd be less cautious about splashing on Outlaw's offerings, just because I'm so satisfied with the RR 2150.

The demand generated by the Stereophile review most likely did exceed their expectations, but the first factory used to manufacture them also couldn't get product built in a timely manner, leading them to suspend production and move the whole operation elsewhere. I would not expect us to ever see sales figures presented publicly by Outlaw, but I think it's safe to guess that they sell a lot more 990's and 7125's than they do RR2150's - much like they would seem to be selling a lot more LFM's than Bookshelves. In both cases, I suspect that this is exactly what they expected for sales of both the 2150's and the Bookshelves.

I hear you, Gonk. Bottom line: The demand for primary systems will always exceed the one for secondaries.