Home Entertainment 2006

It's probably still early (only mid-afternoon out there), but it's sort of an annual tradition for the saloon and I've seen at least one report from the show so I may as well start a thread for it...

Have any west coast gunslingers made it out to the HE Show in Los Angeles? If so, did you learn anything interesting or take any cool pictures in Outlaw's room? (If needed, I can host pictures on my site - just PM me if you have pictures and need help getting them posted.)

I think I got the first demo of the day: the space shuttle landing scene from the movie 'The Core'. Peter was his usual fun self. Said hi to Scott. Got a pack of Outlaw playing cards. Nice.

Image looked great on a 2.35:1 screen. They were using a woven material so that the centre speaker (identical tower to the L/R mains) could be placed behind the screen without penalty.

Sound was pretty good too, with seamless LCR imaging. Best part was the bass: they were using 4 subs and a SMS-1 to get smooth low frequency response across the seating area. Worked very well. The other thing about the low frequency response was that it wasn't overpowering. So many demos overwhelm you pounding bass in an attempt to impress. The Outlaw demo had the low frequencies well balanced with the rest of the sound, which really helped keep even the softest dialogue audible.

Only distraction was some rattling, but that's the hotel room not Outlaw's set-up. Room treatments were well used. With the three identical towers up front and the realistic bass balance, the system seemed ideally configured for multi-channel music listening. Unfortunately I forgot to ask them if they had any music to demo. Maybe when I go back on Saturday.

Cool, Sanjay - thanks for the report. Integrating all those subs through an SMS-1 was a smart move on their part (not that the choice should have surprised us, since I know from past conversations that Scott is particularly fond of his own SMS-1).

Heck, if you go back Saturday just take some music with you.

Which subs were they using? LFM-1 or LFM-2?

I'm pretty sure it was the LFM-2 because Peter talked about the bass volume vs bass extension switch.

A bass volume vs. bass extension switch? Neither sub has that currently. It sounds like they've got a new sub in the line-up.

Wups, my mistake. I forgot that the LFM-2 was the smaller sub and not some new version of the LFM-1. So yes, I think they were debuting a new variant of the LFM-1. The sub actually looked a little bigger than I remember the LFM-1 looking (a friend has two), but take that with a grain of salt since I was paying more attention to Peter than the hardware in the room.

Ahhhh... An updated LFM-1 with a bass extension switch? That's definitely interesting.

Right, it's similar to the bass-extension / max-output switch on the Hsu Research VTF-3 MK2. (It's no secret who helped design the Outlaw subs.)

Speaking of Hsu: his room was one of my favourites at the show. He was demoing new speakers (looked like Klipsch, right down to the square horn). The imaging was stunning; excellent dynamics too. Best part: only $125 each. He isn't sure if he is going to do a dedicated centre speaker or not (I encouraged him not to).

Between the Outlaw and Hsu demos, it was refreshing seeing set-ups with three identical speakers up front, all placed at exactly the same height. Wish more people were doing that.

Yeah, the LFM-1 and LFM-2's family ties to the Hsu subs have always been public knowledge. I'll be curious to see the specs on the update to the LFM-1. Hsu's new speakers also are an interesting bit of news.

OK, my friend with the two LFM-1s just called me with some more info on the new sub: a little more powerful amp (maybe 50 watts more), slightly different enclosure, called LFM-1 Plus, priced around $700, comes with port plug, bass extension switch bring it down to 20Hz.

What separates from the Hsu version is that Outlaw's believe in downfiring ports, which will usually fire into a nearby carpet/floor, cutting down on chuffing compared to a back firing port that fires into the air. For listeners, it basically means less port noise complaint (as Philip Roth would say).

My friend is tempted to buy two of the Plus subs at the show (to go with the two LFM-1s he already has). Peter said he would sell them to him Sunday evening.

Beyond the UltimateAV blog on the show, its sister publication Stereophile also has one going: http://blog.stereophile.com/he2006/

Tom Norton posted a brief blog entry on teh Outlaw demo room, but no details yet about special deals or new product announcements.

Was at HE 2006 (Pictures) and had a real good time. The Outlaw demo was very good. 4 LFM-1 Plus' in the room. Also got the deck of cards and was sworn not to sell them on eBay. I put my entry in the hat in hopes of winning an LFM, no call yet. I also liked the demo from Earthquake audio, they had some speakers that really had a kick. I still can't believe how much sound they can get out of a 6.5 inch driver, it's was amazing.

Did they say if the LFM-1 Plus was a replacement for the LFM-1 or an addition to the subwoofer line? Were there any other new goodies announced or any mention of show specials?

I suspect the Plus is a new model, not sure. I think there was another amp, but I forgot to read the information on it (they all look similar).

The specials were 3 different packages. I believe they were all receiver and sub packages.

The other specials were that they were selling everything at the show at low prices so they wouldn't have to bring them back.

I agree, I thought the Hsu speakers (like Klipsch Ref bookshelf) sounded very good. I think I liked them better than most of the stuff there. I guess it's something about the horn for treble, and they don't cost as much as a car. The Totem speakers were also nice. They used a long thin speaker for the home theater stuff and just turned the speaker 90 deg for the center channel.

Here are the HE show specials:

1. Ultimate Subwoofer Package:
LFM-1 Plus & SMS-1 for $999.98
2. Ultimate Apartment Package:
Model 970 & 7075 & LFM-2 for $1,499.97
3. Ultimate Bedroom Package:
Model 1070 & LFM-2 for $1,099.98

Offers good thru midnight June 30, 2006

New products:

1. LFM-1 Plus ($679) with 350 watt BASH amplifier, port terminator and switchable frequency response.
2. There is a new Model 7200, 7 Channel X 200 Watts amplifier with out balanced input, however price is not yet determined.

Thanks, unl1983 - that sub package (LFM-1 Plus and SMS-1) in particular is a pretty sweet deal! It sounds like the 7200 is a descendent of the 770 (7x200W, unbalanced only) with the new faceplate style.

Well....I happen to be the friend with the "BASS ADDICTION"
Gonk..the LFM-1Plus will be an addition to the LFM line...not a replacement for the LFM-1....this came direct from Peters mouth.
Hope this helps.

Later
RayJr

When will all of these "Show Specials" and new products (sub and amp) be on the Outlaw site for
those of us that weren't there?

I think all you need to do is call them about the Show Specials .

They'll probably post information when they get back to Massachusetts next week.

Yep - according to this newsletter , they'll be updating the order page this afternoon with the show specials or you can call how to place an order for one. I suspect that product pages for the LFM-1 Plus and Model 7200 will follow shortly afterward.

Yes, that is nice news.
Now instead of buying 990/7125/LFM-1 combo, I'd like to see if there will be a 990/7200/LFM-1 Plus combo.
I wonder how much more that would be.

That could be a slick package, FAUguy - and one that will likely appear pretty soon. It'd probably be worth a call in the next day or so if that exact combination doesn't show up on the order page later this afternoon.

Priced by themself, the 990 is $1099, 7125 is $999, and LFM-1 is $579 = $2677.
The 990/7125/LFM-1 Combo is $2297, which is a differnce of $380 (or 14.19%).

So we might say...
The price of the 990 is $1099, 7200 is $1849, and LFM-1+ is $679 = $3627.
If you then apply a 14.19% discount off that, it is $3113; which would be $816 more than the 990/7125/LFM-1 combo.

However, $3113 for a 990/7200/LFM1+ combo is almost the same price as the current 990/7700/LFM-1 $3297.

After looking at all of this, for me, I'd be interested in seeing a 990/7125/LFM-1+ combo.
It would probably only be $100 more than the current combo, since the LFM-1+ is $100 more than the standard LFM-1.

I see they now have the 3 Show Specials listed.
Nothing about the 7200 or buying the LFM-1Plus without the SMS.

I suspect we'll see the 7200 and LFM-1 Plus showing up soon as well - they're probably waiting to add them until they've added product pages for them.

Here\'s a good summary of Outlaw's setup at the show.

If you get the LFM-1 or new LFM-1+, how do you know if you really need the SMS-1?

I called Outlaw today and was told the LFM-1+ should be added to the other combo prices in a few days.
The 7200 might be a week or so, but was told it would be might better to get the 7700 because of the better sound quality.

Check out Outlaw's SMS-1 Guide - it may help you understand how it could benefit you, whatever sub you have. Basically, it is a way to help resolve problems with room acoustics that no amount of extra subwoofer power could fix.

I would like to see an explanation of why the 7700 has better sound quality than the 7200.

They're likely referring to the balanced design. From what I've seen here on the forum, that's really the only difference between the old 770 (from which the 7200 seems to be directly descended) and the 7700.

The LFM-1 Plus has arrived . Exact same cabinet dimensions and weight as the LFM-1, but 25W of extra amp power and the ability to drop down to 18Hz at -2dB. It's also on the order page now.

Yeah, I was just taking a look at that, but there is still no Combo for the LFM-1Plus with the 990/7125, 990/7700, 990,7500.
I'd think it would just be $100 more.

Wow! Someone at Outlaw must of been listening!
There are more combo's listed.
http://www.outlawaudio.com/mofcart/combos.html