Comparisons in same price range?

Hey there. Before I upgrade to a pre/pro combo (hopefully the 997 and 7125), I need to fix my weakest link - the speakers. I currently have a mix match of ancient DCM TimeFrames, a generic center channel, and old Mission 761's for the rears.

The center channel seems like the best place to start as I am mostly interested in better surround sound. I have a 1050 for now, so I know the quality the Outlaws provide. I'm very interested in an LCR for my center (and if I like it, I may get the Bookshelf speakers to replace my DCM's or maybe splurge and get two more LCR's).

Anyway, can anyone suggest some other center channels in this price range and tell me why the Outlaws beat them or why the other brand might be worth checking out?

Thanks!

I evicted some Paradigm Reference speakers to make way for my LCR and BLS's, and while I ended up giving the sound quality nod to the Outlaws (see my review for the details) I still think very highly of the old Paradigms. The current Paradigm Ref line is probably going to cost you more than the Outlaws, but there's used hardware floating around that might appeal.

There is an abundance of good speaker brands, of course, and even among the really good ones there's a certain amount of variation based on personal taste. Even if you don't see a lot of suggestions here, you might check out the "Your System Saloon" for some other Gunslingers' systems to see what brands are popular.

Thanks Gonk...I just re-read your review and KubrickFan's posts. It sounds like these Outlaw speakers are making some people happy. I'd imagine just about anything will be better than my current hodge podge...

My thoughts now are to start with a set of the BLS and an LCR. I could then add an LFM-EX, and think about moving the BLS to the rear and adding 2 LCR to the front. Can't wait!

The BLS/LCR/LFM combo (albeit with the original LFM-1 and not the big bad EX) has made me mighty pleased...

If you are looking for Internet retailers similar to Outlaw in that you get to try the product out in home, Axiom Audio also takes the same approach. Also if I am not mistaken, AV123 takes the same approach.

For what it is worth and this is only an opinion, regardless of the brand you use, I found the best results were when the front 3 were matched for movies/tv. As I use my room as a gym and tv watching area, all of my speakers needed to match. I did n't like the tonal differences with different surrounds. I have a different set up than most people, so this resulted in trying a few different brands and configurations.

Check out Aperion. They have free shipping and a 30 day in home tryout deal. The speakers are first rate construction and finish and get very good reviews as HT systems. I have one of their subs and am very happy with it.

If the Missions are in decent shape, why not upgrade the center and add the Outlaw sub and see where it takes you. Whatever you decide, try to get speakers with similar efficiencies especially across the front LCR