Hawk-
While I liked the Esprit, I preferred the Phantoms. I owned Titans and Atoms before upgrading to the Studio line, but really like the sound of the Performance series, especially for the money. However, if these are speakers you're going to keep for a while, I would think about getting something in one of their better lines that you could incorporate into a future system. I would suggest looking at some of the Monitor series and picking up a pair of Monitor 3's or 5's. They're stand-mounted, but could be moved to the surrounds when you save up enough coin to get a decent pair of fronts. I used Titans up front for a while and then moved them back when I picked up new fronts. Plan ahead and you won't outgrow your speakers, you'll just move them around.
Jason