| Editorial January 2006
Home Theater & Sound's Products
of the Year for 2005
Outlaw Audio Model 990 Surround-Sound Processor
 A few years ago, Outlaw Audio’s
Model 950 surround-sound processor reshaped the home-theater market with a stunning
entry-level product at a bargain price of $899 USD. Knowing what the Outlaws achieved in
the Model 950, I would still have laughed if, a year ago, someone had told me that Outlaw
was about to produce a processor with balanced outputs, DVI switching, and a phono
input, all for only $200 more than the original. What’s even more astonishing is that
they’ve managed to create a processor that is sonically close to the best available
at any price.
The $1099 Outlaw Audio Model 990 surround-sound processor
shakes up the market once again. If the competition isn’t looking nervously over
their shoulders, they should be. And that’s why the 990 is the Home Theater &
Sound Product of the Year for 2005.
Read
the full review.
...Jeff Van Dyne
jeffd@hometheatersound.com
Axiom Audio EP500 Subwoofer
 Most of the many subwoofers I’ve
reviewed over the years have done a decent job of providing low bass -- a job critical to
enhancing the home-theater experience. As I’ve watched action-packed DVDs, many of
these subs have filled my room with explosions and rattled my walls. However, few have
kept their composure when pushed hard. Asked to play loud and low, most subwoofers
I’ve heard start to misbehave -- ports make that chuffing sound, or drivers flap
uncontrollably.
The Axiom Audio EP500 ($1150) never misbehaved. It is one
of only a handful of subwoofers that remained composed no matter what I threw at it. Even
when playing back 20Hz test tones, the EP500 produced no port noise and its driver never
flapped. And talk about deep bass -- I felt, rather than heard, the EP500’s
contributions to the sound. The quality and quantity of its bass were so good that
I often was unaware of its presence until a film’s soundtrack came up with something really
loud and low. I almost found myself outside, looking to see if something had hit my house.
On the other hand, even at low volumes, effects such as slammed car doors had a
spine-tingling realism. The Axiom Audio EP500 subwoofer is such a remarkable piece of gear
at such a reasonable price that it is a natural for Home Theater & Sound’s
Product of the Year for 2005.
Read the full
review.
...Vince Hanada
vince@hometheatersound.com |
