Bookshelf or monitor speakers have always been a hot commodity for audiophiles, who have built many systems around such speakers. However, over time, bookshelf speakers, once the domain of budget audiophiles, have become increasingly expensive. Outlaw Audio, makers of some of the finest budget home theater and audio gear, have introduced a bookshelf loudspeaker designed to not only compete with costlier rivals, but to also bring a bit of fiscal sanity back to the market sector that desperately needs some.

Retailing for $999 a pair in gloss black and $1,099 in cherry, the BLS is a two-way, compact loudspeaker that at first glance appears very traditional, though upon closer inspection, is rather state of the art. The BLS features a single five-and-a-quarter-inch SEAS woofer mated to a one-inch custom silk dome tweeter. The BLS has a reported frequency response of 54 to 22kHz and a sensitivity of 87dB into an easy-to-drive load, giving the BLS an amplifier power rating of 50 to 200 watts. Each BLS is handmade in the good ol' U.S. of A. and is matched within half a dB of Outlaw's reference standard.

Around back, the BLS is bi-amp/bi-wireable via its gold-plated binding posts and has both a three-position Boundary Compensation switch and a High Frequency switch, each helping to integrate and aid in the BLS' placement in nearly any listening environment.

Additional Resources
• Read bookshelf speaker reviews from audiophile brands like KEF, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, PSB and many others here.