Outline Kanguro W15 Subwoofer Set

Kanguro is the first active (self-powered) loudspeaker system made up of two separate units, a Satellite and a Subwoofer, contained one inside the other to reduce the space occupied during transport. Its design is patented in Italy (N° 01303453) and patent pending in the most important countries in the world; Kanguro also received the award for “Design Excellence” at London’s PLASA expo in September 2001. It was designed as an all-purpose system, but is particularly suitable for high quality mobile applications.?

Two complete Kanguro systems can be loaded into an average sized station wagon, leaving plenty of space for accessories and other gear required for the gig. Kanguro is therefore ideal for use by groups and bands for applications where half-measures aren’t accepted and is perfect for use as a “front-fill” or “down-fill” system. It takes up a volume of just 0.13 mc and can push out 132 decibels (peak) of sound pressure at one metre with a linear frequency response going from 36Hz to 16.5kHz.

Kanguro is available in version “A”, active (self-powered), with two of the latest generation of PWM digital amplifiers built in (click here), electronic crossover between sub and satellite and a passive filter between the low and high sections in the satellite; the system is at the top end of the amplified enclosure class. ?

The subwoofer

The Kanguro system’s subwoofer consists in a sturdy enclosure with a trapezoidal footprint and compact dimensions (55 x 55 x 60 cm), internally braced for the utmost solidity and therefore free from unwanted sound coloration due to resonance. It’s fitted with a reflex tuned 15” woofer with Neodymium magnet, is able to handle 350W AES (1400 peak) and reaches down to 36 Hertz with remarkable control and articulation.

The cabinet has four practical integral handles to facilitate transport, a hexagonal steel mesh speaker protection grille and a socket for the satellite stand. The hatch, mounted on the bottom panel by means of sturdy hinges allowing it to be turned through 180°, is solid and completely vibration-free and enables the satellite to be removed and fitted. This hatch is opened and closed by means of a T-shaped key supplied with the system.

The satellite

The Kanguro system’s satellite is a 2-way enclosure with built-in passive filter. The mid/low frequency section has a reflex-tuned 12” woofer with Neodymium magnet and is able to handle a power of 200W AES (800 peak).

The mid-high frequency section uses an Outline OUT4 1” compression driver and has a power handling capacity of 50W AES (200 peak): this component’s diaphragm is based on that used on the exclusive patented Outline UNIMETAL model and stands out for its capacity to reproduce the “mid-high” frequencies with great accuracy; it’s utilized along with an extremely rigid fibre-glass horn which loads the emission and ensures uniform polar dispersion over an angle of 90°.

The enclosure’s frequency response is extremely linear and phase response within just ±45° from 500Hz to 16kHz. A switch located on the rear panel allows to select “full-range” or “satellite” operating mode. This enables the enclosure to also be used alone without its sub woofer, for example for the reproduction of speech with high-level intelligibility.

The cabinet is fitted with two practical integral handles for easy transport and for removing it from inside the woofer. The top panel is fitted with a “Stack Align” system (already used on top-end Outline systems), which ensure correct alignment of the acoustic centres of two stacked enclosures: it’s very useful for increasing directivity on the vertical plane and therefore covering long distances.

The Outline compression driver

The Kanguro system's mid/high frequency section includes a cutting edge component, the Outline OUT4 driver. This unit’s diaphragm is based on Unimetal – one of Outline’s famous international patents – and is capable of high-class performance thanks to a very thin aluminum/magnesium alloy membrane obtained by means of sophisticated machining procedure. The acoustic result consists in transparent extremely dynamic music reproduction, including even the very smallest sonic details and in the utmost respect of transient response speed.