As an avid supporter of Outlaw and owner of 950/7100 combo and the LFM I have been impressed with the value (good performance, great price) of the products and the customer service. When I read about the new Outlaw loudspeakers I see a nice speaker but do not see the value that Outlaw has always provided on their products. There are many, many outstanding speakers to be had for $500 each. Unless these speakers sound exceptional, this Outlaw product will simply blend in with all the other speakers that are available. Also, I have noticed the minimal posting (support) for these speakers and wonder with the new free shipping if Outlaw has ventured into an area that is different from its previous strategies of very good value. Hmmm

It's worth looking at Outlaw's stated intent for these speakers. They acknowledge the huge number of good speakers to be had at a broad assortment of price points - it's a market with a truly massive array of options. They received so many requests for speakers that they decided to build a small line of speakers that would be what they would want to own, built domestically in small quantities with tight tolerances on the manufacturing quality. They aren't trying to become a dominant player in the speaker market (something that would be an unreasonably goal at any price point).

As for traffic in the speaker forum, I doubt this will ever see the sort of activity level that the processor and receiver forums get because there are going to be far fewer setup questions to generate discussion.

Ouch!
I perceive Outlaw as an Internet-seller of tried & tested audio/video technology...all at a great value with unbelievable support & a little something in the attitude....the marketing...
if it's gimmick...color me silly...
I'm in...
and as far their speakers go...
I'm still on the fence with the correction switches...
but sincerely what do I really know....
I'm still an unconditional Mirage guy...but should my sub choke one day...bang ! LFM here I come....

BTW...I'm still hopin'...
for that gunsmokin' digital transport....

Well, it's kinda easy to see why Outlaw would offer its customers a promotional break on the loudspeakers. They're building their product line pretty strategically (the 7900 notwithstanding), and since online commerce/marketing is all about buzz, who better to test the speakers than folks already comfortable with the company?

Admittedly, my curiosity is piqued. When I entered the forum late last year I was looking for speakers to go with my pre-ordered RR 2150, and because back then I didn't own a subwoofer (or have plans to acquire one), one key concern then was that whatever I chose had bass extension down into the 40-ish Hz area. Really wondering what, if any, sonic bump the Outlaw loudspeakers might offer, but of course, it won't be easy convincing the wife that more trials aren't just folly. She's quite happy with the NHTs currently paired with RR 2150.

Here's some more thoughts on this subject. Outlaw's goal has always been to find opportunities to do something that solves a unique problem or fills a unique position in the market. The 950 happened to include a unique price point as part of that (one of the first sub-$1000 surround processors, if not the first), but the 1050 wasn't the least expensive receiver of its day (it focused on 6.1 and adjustable bass management, both of which were very rare at the time). The Model 1070 and RR2150 are both far from the least expensive receivers in their respective categories - you can get a surround receiver with a higher power spec for $300 or $400 and a stereo receiver for maybe $100 or $200 - but they both offer unique features such as DVI switching, quad crossover, and stout amp in the 1070 or analog bass management in the RR2150. The also perform very well (the RR2150 made the cover of Stereophile, for example). Heck, the ol' ICBM-1 wasn't exactly cheap at $250, but it developed a huge following that still exists today because it was the only product on the market that addressed a unique and difficult problem.

Outlaw admitted in their original speaker announcement (and again when the announced the LCR, as mentioned here ) that they could have partnered with any number of manufacturers (mostly overseas) to build something less expensive than the Bookshelf and LCR speakers. They chose not to, and I think a significant factor in that decision was the fact that such a product would not have been unique - it would have been a very good speaker, just like the dozens of other good speakers already on the market. Instead, they tried something unique again: US-made, individually tuned, and with capabilities such as boundary compensation that are extremely rare (especially at the price). As for the actual "rubber meets the road" performance, some of the initial feedback has been very positive. I've been curious to hear these speakers - even to the point of toying around with the idea of three bookshelves or two bookshelves and an LCR across the front of my system - and may actually give them a whirl later this year.

Outlaw specifically stated that they are aiming for VERY high performance from their speaker line (comparable to some VERY well respected speaker companies).

If they can achieve that, $1,000 for a pair of such high quality bookshelves, is not a lot of money...

The proof is in the pudding...

Gonk has made some good points and as a big supporter of Outlaw with my purchases and my experiences I will wait to see if these speakers provide the very high performsnce their price would indicate. Gonk, I know you are a Paradigm supporter. Are you going to compare these agianst your speakers to see if Outlaw has provided an excellent speaker for the price? Also, has Outlaw indicted what other speakers they plan to launch? Floorstanding, etc?

I'm still not sure when/if I'll actually try that - just something that's been percolating in the back of my mind for a bit. If I did, I'd be comparing them to Paradigm Ref. Studio/60 v2 ($1200/pair circa 2001) and Studio/CC v2 ($600 circa 2001).

We know about the bookshelf and center/LCR. We also know that two more speakers were originally planned - general concensus is that those two would be a floorstander and a surround.

Glad that I stumbled on to this thread. I had done some research before Ideceided which processor and amplifier to purchase. After loooking at Anthem,Rotel,and Emotiva i made a greatchoice Outlaw 990/7700 combo. Never regreted the choice.
Spoke to Gonk a number of times thru this site and private e-mail which cleared up a lot of my indecesiveness and fear especially from buying on line.
This was after I had seen Outlaw at the Home Theater shows for some eight years.
I am looking to upgrade my home theater system by replacing my Definitive speakers. I am looking at the Paradigm Studio 60 towers along with the cc690 center,ADP 590 surrounds and two Rel 305 subwoofers.
I guess what I am trying to say is that if Outlaw had a 5.1,6.1 system I would not hesitate to at least auditioning them.

Gonk, or anyone interested your thoughts on my selection from Paradigm.

I'm still very fond of my Paradigms. Haven't heard the current generation (they've revamped the line twice since I got mine). As with any speaker, give them a listen if you can before you commit.

If Outlaw does come out with a surround speaker, I wonder if will be a bipole/dipole, or something completely different. I would hope that Outlaw would NOT produce a 'me too' product. One design that caught my interest was this one: http://www.gr-research.com/kits/av1rs.shtm.
(probably a patent on this though...)

Opps, that link won't work directly since GR-Research has something screwy with their web site. Go to their home page and navigate to kits, and then av1rs.

It was just the period at the end of your link (try this to get there directly). M&K did something similar with an up-firing surround. At first glance, they look best suited for the case of systems with no space behind the listening positions to allow locating rear surrounds - without digging deeper into them, I'm not sure that I'd want to use them for side surrounds.

Since my family room has seating up against the back wall, the up-firing design probably would work well for me. In a 5.1 setup, I'd put them on the back wall about 2' from the corners of the room.

I don't really have a good spot to put side surround speakers due to lack of wall space (fireplace and brick finish wall on one side, windows on the other side). Also the centerline of the room has to be at the 1/3 position into the room due to the location of the entry door near the only wall the tv can be located on.

I have read postings from people using the up-firing design on side walls (7.1 setup with 4 such speakers) and they spoke well of them. Guess it all depends on your room layout.

BTW I've taken to looking at the speaker setups at various local movie theaters and there are many different designs used here for surrounds. Some up-firing mounted low down, some down-firing mounted near ceiling level. I wonder what the THX spec's call for?

Have you looked at the Magneplanar wall-mounted surround speakers (www.Magnepan.com)? A pair of MMG-W's are $300, direct from Magnepan, with a 60-day return policy. You risk only freight and they're not heavy.
Whether they're THX-compatible I neither know nor care since I wouldn't be listening in a theater.

I had problems with my sidewall placements, as well (fireplace on one side and french doors on the other) and ended up using small bookshelves (Axiom M3's) and some adjustable wall brackets (Axiom's FMB). The left surround ended up being a bit creative, as I mounted to the side of the cabinet instead of the back as originally intended. You can see the left surround here and the right surround here (on the left side of the picture).

Well I could put one side surround on the mantle, and the other on the wall between the windows, but it would have to be almost touching the ceiling to be above a hanging picture. One surround would then be closer to the room centerline than the other. The surround on the far wall would also have to be an MTM or mounted sideways since there wouldn't be enough room between the picture and the ceiling. Running wires though my ceiling isn't easy since the room is under a flat roof with NO crawl space. It could take a day and 1000 tries to get a wire through with a snake.

It sounds like you've got an even more challenging a space than I do - at least I have an attic to run wire through (even if it does start to taper away to nothing around the midline of the room) and a little wall to work with.

Part of my problem is also WAF (wife approval factor) in such matters as not being able to drill speaker mounting holes in the wall with the fireplace (I'd ruin the fake brick surface) or relocating hanging pictures (though I might get away with lowering them by an inch or two).