Atlantic Tech (outlaw 950 clone) prepro review now out (1 Viewer)

[Brian Corr]

Philip,
I don't think they designed it. I think they had the idea for the ICBM and brought that idea and/or rough design to a manufacturer. The manufacturer probably did the engineering and everything after that to create the product that Outlaw was asking for.
I don't think that coming up with an idea and providing input on making it real qualifies as "designing" it, because there is simply so much more to the process than the initial idea and providing input while a third party puts it together.
It's kind of splitting hairs, I guess. For example,If you have an idea for a house and make some notes, draw some sketches, etc. and then bring it to an architect, he is going to draw it up. He is going to have the engineering done so the house can be built. He is actually designing the house from a technical or engineering standpoint, but getting your input on what you want along the way.
Of course, your going to tell all your friends you "designed" the house.
So is "design" the engineering of a product from start to finish or simply the beginning idea of a product with input along the way? (oh, this could be better than the cable debates)
Next week, tune in for my theory on how Tribeman pulled off the Kennedy assasination.

 

[RobertW]

Brian, you really think that the ICBM was not designed by Outlaw? That's pretty far-fetched if you ask me. There's absolutely nothing like it on the market.

perhaps not in the u.s. or european markets, but maybe such a piece already exists in asia. and outlaw simply contracted with that builder to sell it here in the u.s. a bit like mark levinson and his amp.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I know that Outlaw did the design for the 750 amp. ATI manufactured it, but it wasn't a "rebadged" ATI. It was an Outlaw design. Don't forget that a lot of the Outlaws came from NAD. I'm sure NAD doesn't "design" any of their equipment either.
And if a comparable unit to the ICBM existed in Asia or somewhere else before here, why wouldn't that company have sold it here? It's a small world, we would know about it anyway. And, there is certainly a market for it. And we don't see any other companies selling ICBM clones either. Seems to me, it is an Outlaw design that they specifically didn't allow to be licensed to anyone else.
Regardless of where the 950 was designed, I do like Brian's extrapolation of the marketing. The 950 for DIY'ers and more knowledgeable users, but the Sherbourn and AT units for the more traditional "dealer-in-a-brick-and-morter-store" crowd.

 

[Philip Hamm]

And we don't see any other companies selling ICBM clones either. Seems to me, it is an Outlaw design that they specifically didn't allow to be licensed to anyone else.

Except maybe Magnepan perhaps?

 

[Harris_M]

Except maybe Magnepan perhaps?

Perhaps, but if that's the case, wouldn't Magnepan have gone to the "designers" and bought their own unit so that they could sell it themselves? The fact that the only place you can buy the ICBM from is Outlaw, even in the Magnepan version, would seem to indicate that it is their product, and their's alone.

 

[Claude M]

Chriss, please do report back on your side by side test. I too hate the looks of the 950 but I can't do the 1066 (cash wise). Perhaps the AT would be for me too.

 

[Lewis Besze]

The "Magnepan Edition" is an Outlaw product[ICBM].
The crossovers are simply can be set at higher levels,then the regular ICBM's.It is not licensed.

 

[Chriss M]

Claude,
I've got it all hooked up. I don't use it for music at all (have a dedicated 2 channel preamp) so it's home theater only. Can't really say i've noticed anything different from the outlaw sonically, but then again i really wasn't expecting too. The differences in the design (if any) should be pretty minor. AT states that they used higher grade parts, resulting in a lower noise floor and higher component bandwidth, among other things. It certainly does look better though
It's probably worth noting that i've also owned a Rotel 1066. I ended up selling it due to bass managment issues and got tired of waiting for a fix. For most setups this shouldnt be THAT big of an issue but for some (like mine, specifically "large" speakers + sub) it was not tolerable.