Topic: Outlaw LFM-1 Plus half-ass review

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

First thing, this thing is HUGE  , but it can sound huge. 

With a 30-day money back thingy I figured I'd at least give it a try, I'm going to let those 30 days lapse with a smile on my face. 

I tried 3 different 10" subs, various types sealed, downfiring ported and rear ported, 2 out of the 3 sounded pretty good but they just didn't make the cut.

Mirage S10: good fill at lower volumes, but not smooth and lacking power at higher volumes.
Tannoy TS 10: GREAT at low volumes, it just didn't have enough output even at very moderate listening levels, turned up, forget it.
Klipsch RSW-10: same negatives as the Mirage, but not as lacking, it was a bit too punchy.

Now I have this huge black box sitting in the room, you could probably seat a family of 4 at it for dinner time, but I don't care now that I've heard it.

I thought it might be overkill and perhaps a bit too large (driver wise) to blend with my B&W 705's.  It might be overkill (not always a bad thing), but it blends great, after a little fumbling with placement and adjustments it sounds great. One thing that annoyed me, especially with the Tannoy at moderate volumes is that I could close my eyes and point out the sub no matter where I placed it, this one just disappears and the bass is just there.  I opted for the "Plus" to get the additional low end 25Hz vs. 18Hz, if you want the lower output you do sacrafice 4db of output, but you can also remove the plug/flip a switch and you have the standard LMF-1. 

I've thrown everything in from Shankar to Tool, soft to loud it plays with a pretty flat response. I threw in Pink Floyd's Pulse disc 1 and started with SOYCD and couldn't turn it off (except when the phone ringing made me take a short break) and got to Sorrow, I knew the song had some low bass notes, but I've never heard them as clearly, and smooooth like butter and without effort.

If you've been looking for a super-sub, this thing might be it, just be prepared to buy the wife roses before the Fed-Ex driver shows up with a Yugo size box.

LFM-1 and it's little brother the LFM-2 (the LFM-1 Plus is the same size as the L-FM1 with a slightly larger amp and porting for lower output)



http://www.outlawaudio.com/


 

[jbraveman]

Looks nice.

How do you properly set the volume for the sub to mix in with ones speakers?

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

Looks nice.

How do you properly set the volume for the sub to mix in with ones speakers?

I just dial the gain and crossover in by ear.  With the difference in rooms, placement, there's not really any other way.  This is one reason to own Michael Jackson's "Bad" album.    Use well recorded albums, I like Pink Floyd's "Pulse" and "Bad" for dialing in a sub, there are some decent demo/setup cd's out there as well.

This toy could help with tuning the sub to the room: Velodyne SMS-1 "Digital Room Correction Device"

[jpschust]

Looks nice.

How do you properly set the volume for the sub to mix in with ones speakers?

I just dial the gain and crossover in by ear.  With the difference in rooms, placement, there's not really any other way.  This is one reason to own Michael Jackson's "Bad" album.    Use well recorded albums, I like Pink Floyd's "Pulse" and "Bad" for dialing in a sub, there are some decent demo/setup cd's out there as well.

This toy could help with tuning the sub to the room: Velodyne SMS-1 "Digital Room Correction Device"

that is built into the velodyne dd subs.

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

that is built into the velodyne dd subs.

It better be for $3000.

 

[pfife]

so, you gonna keep  it gengis?  Personally, I love having a sub.  I have a velodyne vlf510 (I think?) with one woofer facing down, and another out - it's a nice peice.   I also can't determine where its located in the room setup.  I love the sound.

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

so, you gonna keep  it gengis?  Personally, I love having a sub.  I have a velodyne vlf510 (I think?) with one woofer facing down, and another out - it's a nice peice.   I also can't determine where its located in the room setup.  I love the sound.

She's a keeper for sure! 

The LFM-1 is a 12" and the LFM-2 is 8", I'd REALLY like to hear what a 10" sub with the same setup would sound like in comparison.

Is your sub a 10" downfiring and 8" side firing sub?  If so it might be the VLF-810, I had that on my list of "subs to check out", but it was a past model so used was the only route. The 30 day trial thing was too appealing. 

I'm not sure if Poh Ser Hsu designed the LFM-1 but it's at least based upon his one of his designs.  His VTF and STF subs recieve great reviews, they're worth looking into if you're ever in the market for a sub again.