system recomendations

I am new to much of this so bear with me if the questions seem a bit on the dumb side. I want to put together a system that will be used for both home theater and for listening to music. I went to crutchfield and they demoed some lsi9s. I know that they were being pushed by an amp and preamp but I don't know the specifics. At any rate the sound was great. Crutchfield tried to say that the speakers would work with one of their Denon receivers that cost around $1,000. When they hooked up the Denon to the speakers, it just was not the same sound. It was not even close. Based on my research that followed I found the Outlaw site. I am now convinced that at least part of my system will consist of some outlaw products. I know that everyone has different tastes in terms of what works for their ear. With that having been said, I can only say that the original LSi9s with the amp and preamp had a very clean crystal clear sound to them. When they used the Denon reciever the sound became more dull. I am looking for a system that when playing music will have that clear sounding feel to it. For two speakers and an outlaw receiver or (amp and preamp), can this be done for less than $3,000?? I want the system to work for home theater so I know that I will need more than the two speakers that I mentioned. I am simply tryihg use the two speakers as a base line starting point. The music not the home theater would be my primary interest. If this can't be done for $3,000, does anybody have any suggestions as to speakers and the specific Outlaw product to push the speakers. Feel free to make suggestions at a higher price if you feel that a significantly better sound can be had with $500 more or even $1,000 more. I am obviously not an audiophile but I want something that is a bit more than the sound coming out of the $800 - $1,200 systems at crutchfield and circuit city. I would be grateful for all suggestions.

Axiom Audio

Their M22 would be like the Polk LSi9. Try the HT wizard.

The 990/7125 Outlaw combo gets the thumbs up from many users.

For one thing, the Polk LSi's are notoriously difficult to drive - particularly the LSi15 and LSi25, but the LSi9 is very similar (4-ohm, 88dB efficient load). It's not surprising that a receiver (even a mid-level Denon) had a hard time with the LSi9's. Something like the Axiom M22 is going to be quite a bit easier to drive, and will achieve more of its potential when paired with a receiver (like a Denon 3806 or an Outlaw Model 1070).

You can get a very good core setup with a budget of $3000 - that budget could get a 990, a 7125, and possibly even the whole front three speakers. The Model 990 is a really great piece of gear (listening to mine as I type this) that can serve as the anchor for a system that will offer clear benefits over those systems at Crutchfield and Circuit City, and any of Outlaw's amps are good investments. First-rate speaker makers that offer a lot of value for the dollar have become fairly numerous online: Axiom's already been mentioned, but there's also Aperion, AV123, and a number of others that could fit comfortably within that budget. For that matter, Outlaw's about to start shipping speakers of their own, and $1000 could get you a pair of those ($1100 for the cherry veneer). There are also a number of good speaker makers that operate through the more traditional distribution channels (local dealers) that may be worth your attention. I've had my Paradigm Reference Studio's for almost six years now and still really like them.

Here's a complete $3000 system, all returnable after trying them in your home:

Outlaw 970/7125 - $1598
Outlaw LFM-2 - $299
2 pair of Magnepan MGM-W - $600
1 Magnepan MGM-C - $300
Oppo OPDV971H - $199

Comes in at $2996 + shipping + cables.

Upgrades/changes:
$50 less gets the Oppo 970-HD
$30 more gets the Oppo 981-HD
$250 more - change front pair of MGM-Ws to MMGs
$300 more - upgrade to the Outlaw 990

The Oppo player you choose depends mostly on your TV.