The 950 is very comparable to the similarly priced pre/pros (such as the Adcom, Rotel, Sherbourn, and other pre/pros in the $1000-$1400 or so price range). Likewise, the 770 and the other Outlaw amps are a great value in amps. A $2500 receiver would probably not top the 950/770 combo, and it's also important to consider the other reasons people have historically chosen between receivers and separates. The receiver can minimize the space required to get everything in your equipment rack, but by going with separates you can easily upgrade the pre/pro in a few years and keep the amp -- making that upgrade much less expensive than replacing an entire receiver. Of course, you also need an extra handful of interconnects to go with separates.
Speakers are a subjective matter. I'd recommend demo'ing the Klipsch's if you haven't already (disregarding associated equipment). If you like them, they should work fine with the 950. A search through Outlaw to Outlaw, You System Saloon, and Model 950 areas of the forum may turn up some other RF5/RF7 users. Also, some people have elected to use the 7100 with Klipsch speakers in lieu of the 770 because the horn speaker design is so efficient. The 770 will certainly work very well and would offer flexibility in the future if you decided to upgrade to less efficient speakers, so I wouldn't necessarily rule the 770 out.
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gonk -- Saloon Links |
Pre/Pro Comparison Chart |
950 Review