Speakers are a bit different from other electronics equipment, in that performance is more subjective based on our individual hearing and sound preferences. The best way to pick speakers is to listen to as many different types/brands as possible in a blind test with source material you are familiar with. Pick what sounds best to you, and make sure the size, sensitivity, etc. work for your room size/environment.

I think the outdated look is the one where the entertainment center is too big for the room. When it overwhelms everything in the room and is the center of attention. That "look" is outdated but the actual entertainment centers are not IMO. Here are a couple pics of mine. It's huge. But the room is huge and is open to the kitchen and the ceiling is 18' tall so the room isn't overwhelmed by the furniture's mass. I've included a full view of my room just to illustrate that there are other more important things to look at in the room than just the entertainment center. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

I know I'm in the minority here, but I wouldn't invest so much into a piece of furniture designed to house a TV. The more I see TVs mounted on the wall the more I am getting accustomed to them, and as the technology progresses they will become slimmer and slimmer, which will make cabinets to house them less desirable, and less necessary. TVs are part of our lives, and a nice wall mount where the cord is not visible under the TV looks good just about anywhere. A big entertainment unit takes up a LOT of space, and a lot of air, and kind of takes over your room. And, in the end, when you close the doors, the doors are so enormous that is looks kind of odd, and you're not kidding anyone; everyone knows that there is a TV inside! Smaller TVs, on the other hand, can hide in armoires and cabinets more successfully since the size of the furniture piece is more typical and the doors will be smaller. We debated over this for quite awhile, and are very happy we wall mounted the TV, placed a great looking buffet under it, (which could be used in any number of places in the house in the future) and just enjoy watching it. You can get the remotes now that go through the wooden doors; so that opens up lots of possibilities for furniture to house your DVD player, etc. Take a look at Craigs List sometime and do a search on Entertainment Centers. You'll likely see several that can't be adapted to today's TVs and are being sold for pennies on the dollar. I think you could always be vulnerable to that in the future if you buy something primarily because it works for the TV you want now. Good luck with your decision, this is just my two cents, and I'm sure you know best what will work for you.

We had a similar situation when we moved into our home, with the placement of the windows on one side and doorway on the other. We have a two-story ceiling in our family room and the proportions were a challenge for me. After looking at many consoles and media centers, we decided on a built in wall unit that we could match to the existing trim and wasn't much more than some of those modular console sets. It was nice to be able to decide on the dimensions with our taller ceiling and while it took longer to have it built and installed, we don't regret it at all. The electronic components are "hidden" in the cabinets and we got some additional lighting into the room by putting lights in the top part of the unit. I can totally relate to not being able to find the exact kind or size of cabinets you're looking for, so if you can find a cabinet maker in your area, maybe you could compare that quote to the price of some of the units you've found that would also work in your home. Good luck!