Looks like there is another Outlaw 950 knock off coming out. I read this at smr.com CES 2002 review. It looks just like the 950 and AT model. They said that it will sell for $2,000. It also sounds like there could be more knock offs coming out.

Website for the article- http://www.smr-home-theatre.org/ces2002/home_theater/page_02.shtml

Great catch Dennis!

According to the report, more knock-offs are definitely coming. It'll be interesting to see the various faceplates, prices and features (assuming other manufacturers decide to turn some of them "off") that the clones will have. From what Outlaw has suggested, they'll have every feature (that can possibly be enabled) in this design turned "on".

_______
Sanjay

Definitely interesting, but it begs the question of why someone would want the AT or Sherbourn version of the 950 if it'll cost that much more and have only aesthetic differences. Even if you can get a "deal" from a retailer and knock 30% or 40% off the retail price, you're still looking at paying $1140-$1290 for the AT and $1200-$1400 for the Sherbourne P7/1000. Plus tax. If you can get that good a price. If it's like a lot of other pre/pros, typical "street" price will be anywhere from 15% to 25% below list price.

------------------
Gonk

Wow! No wonder they're under pressure. It's not 'cause of us though. How many more clones are coming from this design? That should be a good sign for us. More support if we ever need it.

gonk, I would hazard a guess that anyone buying these other units (if indeed they are the knockoffs they appear to be) would be someone not familiar with the Outlaw Audio name.

It's a great sign; one that says that the Outlaws have a winning design on their hands. While we haven't had a chance to see specs or listen to the 950, the fact that at least 2 other companies (so far!) are using this design is a very, very good indication that it is a competent piece.

As for how many more clones we'll see; who knows. It won't make the 950 any better or worse (though years from it might make the market for used 950s a little less lucrative).

Anyway, if I were Eastech, I would be shopping this design really hard. You never know when something this popular will land in your (corporate) lap again; not to mention having to make up for that killer price you gave your first customer (Outlaw).

_______
Sanjay


[This message has been edited by sdurani (edited February 11, 2002).]

Or someone who prefers to buy at a B&M store rather than by mail order/internet.


------------------
Nigel Pond
SMR Home Theatre
SMR Forums
SMR Group
HighFidelityReview

It's actually not clear to me that Outlaw will have to have the best feature set among them. While the hardware is cast in stone, so to speak, the removable EPROM could be independently designed/modified by these other companies to suit their own needs. For example, if the hardware is capable, it seems reasonable for one of these other companies with April or beyond release dates to incorporate DSP code for DTS 24/96 or other forthcoming formats/modes into their products.

I actually email Sherbourn about their pre amp before I found out it was a Outlaw knock off and there pre amp isn't coming out til april. Below is the response I got from the owner of the company Ron Fone:

Dear Mr. Georgatos:

Thanks for your interest in Sherbourn. Yes...we hope to have our new two zone 7.1 Pre/Pro/Tuner available in mid April. It will have all the latest signal processing capabilities including Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Pro Logic 2, and DTS/ES. It will include the very latest 96 mHz high bandwidth video chip for compatibility with HDTV and progressive scan DVD. Naturally it will cosmetically match our 5/500A amplifier.

We have set the retail price at $2000.00 and it will be available through any of our franchised dealers. It will carry a three year parts and labor warranty.

Best regards,

Ron Fone