Don't be too disappointed if Outlaw is not chasing a 'genuine' movie theater 'sound.' I find that the majority of movie theater sound is actually, as a total system, quite disappointing – rather dreadful for ‘close your eyes and listen to the details of those musical instruments.’ There are exceptions of course. I find that a home system that is exceptional with music in a surround mode, such as 5.1 SACD, will, for the most part, also be exceptional for acoustic reproduction, on a reduced scale, that meets or exceeds many wonderful movie theaters at 5.1 or better soundtrack playback. (Assuming that environmental concerns are properly addressed.)

Yes, there are fine speakers that are at least partially horn-based. I think the Outlaw designers know this and probably considered one or more horn drivers. I also trust that Outlaw made some rather wise choices in regard to their loudspeaker design. If a horn-based driver would have been truly better in their bookshelf system, I don’t think Outlaw would have shied away from the concept.

PodBoy makes an excellent point about theater speakers. Something that is equally important to consider is the application (EDIT: as pointed out by bestbang4thebuck) - a home theater is a very different environment from a commercial movie theater, with different design goals and acoustical issues. Horns tend to be more efficient (thus taking less power to drive), but I don't see any reason to find a horn design essential to good sound.

The only horn bookshelf I can think of is the HSU Research HB-1 - proof that horns can find a place in applications like this, but their novelty as a horn-loaded design just reinforces the fact that the absence of horns does not a bad home theater speaker make.

This new offering falls in-line with where I thought Outlaw would go once they got into speakers: they offer subs already, a sat/sub system limits their market to HT and they want something to match the 2150 and they may also want to test the waters with a smaller speaker before jumping into a full range that would take more resources to develop.

I'm positive that the new speaker will sound great. I am the happy owner of a pair of M200's. I went through three other amps (Arcam, Adcom and T&A) before I could find an amp that would drive my speakers to a level and clarity to my liking. I also own a 1070. True, it has had a few bugs. However, they have mostly been taken care of and I know all of the problems with it will be fixed. The 1070 is hands down the best receiver I have ever owned, and I've owned many many with price tags far exceeding the 1070.

I believe in Outlaw and their business model - great products with on-line pricing/value and outstanding customer service. I'm sure the new speaker will not disappoint. However, I'll be holding out for the full range model.

While horns are high efficiency, they also are generally high distortion. Actually the speakers used in many theaters are JBL Pro products. A horn is also not a great Hi-Fi stereo speaker for this same reason. The tweeter they have chosen, "modified", is one of the lowest distortion tweeters made today. So there decision on drivers is IMHO excellent. Good driver do not add up to good design though. It's all in the crossover!

Tim

Unlike some others here, I think the appearance of the speakers is fine, and will probably be more impressive in reality than in pictures. They are very similar to the KEF RDM2's that currently reside in my bookshelf and nearly disappear from notice. These are something to listen to, not look at. If they could be designed with the appearance of an actual book so much the better for actual bookshelf placement. Heresy to some, but it actually works well and fits in with the aesthetics of many rooms very easily.

Dave

Hello to all again,

I just read all the way thru and also am looking forward to reading the reviews on these speakers. I too am disappointed in pappas attack on Gonk. It was removed before I read it but I get the picture. Myself like many others on this forum have been helped out many time by Gonk.

Thanks again to you Gonk for all your help.

Dbissett, as someone who is still looking for a place to add bookshelves to the house to make room for all of my books, your idea of a "book" speaker gave me a really fun mental picture - made me grin in the midst of a crazy-hectic day. And for what it's worth, the idea of a simple, traditional bookshelf-sized speaker seemed to appeal to my wife quite a bit.

Thanks for the kind words, vp8000.

Very interesting, even to this Magneplanar owner. I wonder if these speakers might be compared to the nOrh units - also 2-way but with Scanspeak drivers, and very unusual enclosures (see www.nOrh.com) that might have both stand and spouse acceptance problems. As for why not horns, Klipsch or otherwise, their 95+ db sensitivity would be the worst possible match for Outlaw's current amplifiers. Now if Outlaw wanted to make a multichannel 10-watt tube amp, or even (dream big) a musically impeccable low-wattage Class D digital amp at a <$1K price, and then turn toward high-sensitivity, crossoverless Lowther-type speakers that could deliver down to, say, 60Hz AND mate well with their subs - !!
Like I said, dream big.

The release says Seas parts on the tweeter it does not say a Seas tweeter. What the heck does Seas parts mean? That could be just the dome or something. That woofer is one of the cheapest woofers Seas makes. It is availible for DIY for around $40 so figure the wholesale price is between 25-33% of that. This speaker is going to have a whole lot of competiton at the $1K mark.

BTW- The Taylo Mini Svet mentions is $1350 on sale presently for $1200. The Seas woofers in those would run you around $140 retail for the DIY market.

What speakers would you put on a short list of the best competition at this price point?