OUTLAW's Bold THX Claim!

[speakerman39]

Folks, just curious if anyone seen this yet? Outlaw has a new sub coming soon. Here is a link:

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/outlaws-big-woof#JvYiyF4kRY33OlkU.97


THX certified? Not too sure what that really means, but it is supposed to be priced at $1500 a pop! Sure looks interesting. Is the THX claim impressive? Thoughts anyone?

Cheers,

Phil

 

[shadyJ]

The THX thing probably means the subwoofer is able to hit THX Reference levels in either a Select or Ultra2 room size. I am not sure what level of THX certification this has. If it is THX Select Certified, it will be capable of 115 dB peaks in a 2,000 cubic foot room. If it is Ultra2 Certified, it will be able to hit 115 dB peaks in a 3,000 cubic foot room. This is from 20 Hz to above 80 Hz.

 

[speakerman39]

The THX thing probably means the subwoofer is able to hit THX Reference levels in either a Select or Ultra2 room size. I am not sure what level of THX certification this has. If it is THX Select Certified, it will be capable of 115 dB peaks in a 2,000 cubic foot room. If it is Ultra2 Certified, it will be able to hit 115 dB peaks in a 3,000 cubic foot room. This is from 20 Hz to above 80 Hz.

Yeah, I just seen this over at Sound & Vision. It looked interesting. I later went to the Outlaw web page, but did not find anything regarding their new sub. I don't post on their forums, but there may be some info there. Thanks for the info Shady!

Cheers,

Phil

 

[its phillip]

Outlaw principal Peter Tribeman (and of Atlantic Technology as well—though the sub will be strictly a factory-direct Outlaw product) was adamant that it could match or exceed any of its competitors, even those commanding much higher prices.

Doubtful in my opinion. I'm sure it will be a fine product though

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

As for thx. Not sure if this means anything anymore : http://noaudiophile.com/Logitech_z623/

 

[lovinthehd]

Even more interesting than the sub was the connection between Outlaw and Atlantic Technologies, didn't know that....

 

[speakerman39]

Even more interesting than the sub was the connection between Outlaw and Atlantic Technologies, didn't know that....

Same here Chris. But, I have heard of the name Peter Tribeman. Hope that I spelled that right.......LOL!!! Very interesting bit of info!

Cheers,

Phil

 

[its phillip]

Even more interesting than the sub was the connection between Outlaw and Atlantic Technologies, didn't know that....

The sub isn't the only connection. Peter Tribeman is the president of both Atlantic Technology and Outlaw Audio.

 

[lovinthehd]

The sub isn't the only connection. Peter Tribeman is the president of both Atlantic Technology and Outlaw Audio.

The connection I referred to was Peter Tribeman heading both firms....but do wonder if the sub was from the AT labs (if there are any) or another outsourced design (IIRC their first sub was a Hsu design).

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

As for thx. Not sure if this means anything anymore : http://noaudiophile.com/Logitech_z623/

Just to clear - I meant nothing negative towards this subs actual performance, just stating that THX spec has been watered down to mean very little nowadays.

 

[its phillip]

The connection I referred to was Peter Tribeman heading both firms....but do wonder if the sub was from the AT labs (if there are any) or another outsourced design (IIRC their first sub was a Hsu design).

I'm sorry, I'm dumb. I read it as "interesting that the sub was the connection between the two."

 

[KEW]

Outlaw principal Peter Tribeman (and of Atlantic Technology as well—though the sub will be strictly a factory-direct Outlaw product) was adamant that it could match or exceed any of its competitors, even those commanding much higher prices.

Doubtful in my opinion. I'm sure it will be a fine product though

Ridiculously doubtful since, if taken literally, it is claiming this sub will meet or beat any competitor at any price!

But as you say, it is likely a fine product. Outlaw seems pretty good at verifying they have a good product before starting production.

 

[shadyJ]

The connection I referred to was Peter Tribeman heading both firms....but do wonder if the sub was from the AT labs (if there are any) or another outsourced design (IIRC their first sub was a Hsu design).

This sub is being designed in-house for them... (a little birdy flew by and told me this).

 

[shadyJ]

Just to clear - I meant nothing negative towards this subs actual performance, just stating that THX spec has been watered down to mean very little nowadays.

The THX specs still have their original meaning, as far as I know. Stuff like PM3, Select, Ultra2. I don't think they can change that much. There is a lot about those specs that isn't public knowledge though.

What Creative (and now Razer) will do is add a bunch of lowered-bar certifications so their products can bear the "THX" logo. I don't think they would mess with the established THX certifications (or at least I hope).

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

The THX specs still have their original meaning, as far as I know. Stuff like PM3, Select, Ultra2. I don't think they can change that much. There is a lot about those specs that isn't public knowledge though.

What Creative (and now Razer) will do is add a bunch of lowered-bar certifications so their products can bear the "THX" logo. I don't think they would mess with the established THX certifications (or at least I hope).

Since Logitech is not in rush to publicize which exactly THX cert they have (it's clearly multimedia), but they specify only THX cert.

http://blog.logitech.com/2015/04/23/wondering-what-thx-certification-is-all-about/

L: What are some of the performance characteristics of a THX Certified multimedia speaker system?

M: One of the most important factors is the speaker system’s ability to reproduce a wide range of frequencies. Given the compact physical size of multimedia speakers a smooth frequency response ranging from the lowest contrabass note to the highest cymbal can be very difficult to accomplish. THX mandates that all certified multimedia systems play down to a frequency of 35 hertz and up to 20,000 hertz ensuring an accurate reproduction of the audio mix.

Another very important performance characteristic is the speaker’s ability to deliver THX Reference Level volume without any audible distortion. THX Reference Level is the volume at which audio content is mixed in THX Certified studios. THX Certified multimedia speakers must play at 85 dB output plus another 20 dB of headroom (105 dB) at a listening distance of less than one meter. This stringent specification guarantees a full impact experience during even the most intense action scenes and explosions.

(highlights and strikes are mine)

So 35hz F3 with 85db continuous output - I could hardly call it stringent or full impact experience. Like NoAudiophile said - any junk could do that. By slapping THX on their speakers, Logitech knowingly dilutes what THX (original THX) stood for.

 

[lovinthehd]

THX is simply about sales these days, it doesn't even occur to me to look for such certification nor care if they have it....especially under the current ownership.

 

[shadyJ]

So 35hz F3 with 85db continuous output - I could hardly call it stringent or full impact experience. Like NoAudiophile said - any junk could do that. By slapping THX on their speakers, Logitech knowingly dilutes what THX (original THX) stood for.

I agree that Logitech is diluting and exploiting THX as a brand. If the multimedia certification for their desktop systems were sincere, that is a flat response from 35 Hz to 20 kHz with 85 dB continuous and 105 dB peaks with a flat response, low noise, and low distortion, well that isn't that bad for a desktop system. The problem is I don't know if I can trust that is genuine. I don't know how much pliability there is within those guide posts, ie how much distortion is permitted? How loose can the frequency response be within say, a +/- 2 dB window? and so on.

Also, I don't see anything that says the f3 is 35 Hz, only that the system can play down to 35 Hz. It could be a f6, or could just be the fs. Who knows. And that is part of the problem.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I agree that Logitech is diluting and exploiting THX as a brand. If the multimedia certification for their desktop systems were sincere, that is a flat response from 35 Hz to 20 kHz with 85 dB continuous and 105 dB peaks with a flat response, low noise, and low distortion, well that isn't that bad for a desktop system. The problem is I don't know if I can trust that is genuine. I don't know how much pliability there is within those guide posts, ie how much distortion is permitted? How loose can the frequency response be within say, a +/- 2 dB window? and so on.

Also, I don't see anything that says the f3 is 35 Hz, only that the system can play down to 35 Hz. It could be a f6, or could just be the fs. Who knows. And that is part of the problem.

Also Flat from 35 to 20k is at question - the logitech system I linked to is clearly far from flat 35 to 20, but it "plays" 35 to 20k, yet it's thx certified