Hello everyone,
I was wondering who has downsized from large tower speakers to the Outlaw LCR's. I currently have the Definitive Technology BP7000SC's with the CLR3000. It might sound crazy but I am thinking of selling those off and going with the Outlaw LCR's up front and Outlaw surround's for rears. Also, Outlaw subs for the low end. I also am not sure whether to go with the Outlaw bookshelfs or LCR's. One of the main reasons for the change is my current tower speakers are HUGE. While I do love the "full" sound of the bipolar speakers, I sometimes question their imaging and accuracy since they fire rear as well. It sounds great but the sound coming off the wall behind the speakers sometimes sounds muddy. Another reason for switching is these speakers need a lot of breathing room. Anyways, just curious if it would be stupid for me to downsize from a speaker that sells for $2800 to a speaker that sells for $650. The reviews and feedback on the Outlaw speakers has been through the roof positive. I almost want to get back to simple and the Outlaw product seems to do that. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

I downsized from towers (Paradigm Reference Studio 60 v2's) to BLS's, actually. My review (in my sig) gives details, but the short answer is that I found the move to be an upgrade (especially after I got them onto stands of the correct height).

My story of making the change is already documented in this forum where I went from tower ESS, Fortura Soveriegns to Outlaw LCRs. I think one of the big items we worry about is loosing the large bottom end the towers provide. Including a high quality sub with the change (like I did with a LFM-1EX) makes it not only possible but an improvement. Trying to replace towers without a good sub would sound like a downgrade. With a good sub, it can make you wonder why you waited so long. I have both the LCRs and the Bookshelfs. I tested both in front and found the LCRs to have better high/mid end that I was looking for and let the sub provide the rest.

Gonk & Kubrickfan,
have either of you mounted the LCR's on the wall? I would like to mount them but with the ability to toe them in so they are angled toward the listener. I have a 12x20 space where my home theater is. Three sides walls. The fourth side opens up to a 18x20 space. All with 8' celings. Which sub and how many do you recommend? Thanks

Also, would the 7125 amp be enough for what I'm doing? Thanks

Vangor,
I have my LCRs mounted flat against the wall using the Outlaw mounts. My space is 35' x 15' and I'm sitting about 20' from my fronts. I also only have three walls in the front. I hear good full sound from all three LCRs across the front without any angle in toward the listener. My surround LCRs are also mounted flat on side walls and provide a good wide sound stage while only being about 6' away (just above and behind the listener.) The Bookshelf rear surrounds are angled in and away from the wall to give their rear ports the required breathing room.

I can only answer on the LFM-1EX sub I have that is filling my larger space wonderfully. I have considered a second sub but only as an overkill type of enhancement whim. I love the perfectly defined bass I now get with the 1EX and have the curiosity of what a second, in the rear would add (or not).

I'm running a 770 with 200 per channel but I have heard the 7125 will give you the power the speakers can provide. Trust me, these LCRs will give you the 'rock the house' volume whenever you want it. I have never found myself wanting or needing more out of them.

My LCR is not wall-mounted. As I understand it, the standard bracket doesn't include a swivel. You would need a third-party bracket (I'm using Axiom FMB for my side surrounds and plan to retain those brackets for my SL's when I install them soon) to allow some sort of toe-in adjustment.

My space is about 17'x23' with 8' ceilings, but the openings onto other spaces are limited (standard doorway into the kitchen and another into the hall). I use an LFM-1 with very good results. Some folks would probably go for an extra sub.

I'm using a 7500 with my BLS's and LCR, but I also think the 7125 would do a very good job with them.

Appreciate the good info. I am currently selling my M&K S-150 THX monitors because I just cant come to like these
speakers. I have tried and tried bit they
just sound cold and hollow to me... No warmth. I'll give the LCR's a try and post my results here. I will be running them on my onkyo 805 receiver for now. I will eventually get an outlaw amp which will be my first separate amp ever. I have always had receivers; the 805 being the nicest. I'll post some results when I get the LCR's. Thanks again.

vangor:

M&K certainly received criticism their speakers were bright. As you can tell from my signature I'm one of the folks that likes their sound but my opinion comes with a caveat. I originally was using a Pioneer Elite receiver and when I went to the 990/ATI 2005 (virtual clone of the Outlaw 7500) I was very pleasantly surprised at how much better my M&Ks sounded. They lost that hollow sound you describe. I went by old advice to spend my money on speakers and sources because the electronics in the middle played a lesser role in the overall sound. But in my case the separates provided significant improvement. So the caveat is M&Ks need some power to sound their best. You may want to consider how a 990/7500 or 990/7125 sounds with your M&Ks.

But back to speakers...Are there better speakers than M&K? You bet! Are the Outlaw speakers in that category? Quite possibly and Outlaw's 30 day return policy allows you to find out in your home and make direct comparisons to the S-150s. I'd be particularly interested in your opinion between the LCR and S-150. Regardless, if you sell the S-150s you will be able to offset most of the cost of the LCRs based upon what S-150s are selling for on ebay and Audiogon.

AvFan,
your right. I probably should have ran my M&K's off of a dedicated amp. My buddy has the same speakers and runs them off a Sherbourn 110x7 amp and they don't sound any better to me. Don't get me wrong, those speakers will drive hard (which he does, probably way too hard) but I always compared them to my Definitive Technology BP7000SC tower speakers which are very inviting. They are harsh to me... might be due to having 3 tweeters, I'm not sure. I have always had good speakers but never dedicated amps. When I moved from my Yamaha receiver to the Onkyo 805, there was a HUGE improvement in sound. I will never buy another Yamaha receiver again (plus they are way to hard to configure, especially if you lose the remote). I already have my M&K's sold. Next are my definitive towers because I don't have the room I used to have. Trying to place towers that are 52" tall is a pain and these speakers need to breathe due to the bipolar array. I just want to simplify... get back to basics. I have never owned an Outlaw product but that seems to be what they offer... plus value. Just waiting to sell my BP7000SC's towers and then I'll put the order in for the LCR's. I will definitely post my results here. Thanks for your help.