I've had my 1050 for about four months now and I am VERY happy with the sound. There is however one little thing that would make it that much better. The fact that you have to toggle through the sources to get the one you want is annoying. I have modified my 1050 in the pixel world the way I would like to see it in its next incarnation. I was hoping the 950 would have included this functionality, but it is not the case. Let me know what you all think. Does this bother you also?

Wouldn't mind. I actually did a quick scan for something like this just the other day. But it's a pretty rare instance that I'm sitting next to it. I normally use the remote so hardly need this type of alteration. While I wouldn't mind, it's not much of an annoyance for me either.

It's definitely one of the things that has bothered me. I was surprised, actually, that the 1050 (&950) doesn't have this, as the majority of receivers do. I actually find myself walking over to the couch and picking up the remote to change input sources, even when I'm right next to the thing, because it's quicker than hitting the up/down buttons. Annoying. Even a knob for input selection would have been better.

OTOH, it's been made very clear that the Outlaws spend far more time on the sonic quality of their products than they do on UI design. This is a Good Thing, but it'd be nice if the put a tad more effort into the interface, though.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Another annoyance in the same way is having to go through all of the surround/dsp modes. There is no direct access to them in any way.

I agree.

Oddly enough, there is, on the front panel, a button that takes you directly to stereo mode ("surr off") but the remote lacks this. Putting that button on the remote would be something, at least.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

The input access thing hasn't really bothered me when I change input at the unit (which I actually do probably once or twice a week at least). I have always been impressed by the fact that you can -- if you so desire -- do effectively everything with the unit from the face of the unit, without ever touching the remote. How many other pieces of gear can claim that (remember when you could set the clock on your VCR without the remote )? I've assumed that the input up/down was an attempt to achieve that absolute control without overcrowding the faceplate (a faceplate that even as is has gotten negative comments from a reviewer or two for being "busy" -- an issue that they've addressed with the 950's far cleaner face, albeit at the price of less direct control over things like input and surround mode). The lack of a way to directly go to stereo or directly to surround decoding from the remote is one aspect of the interface that I've occasionally been bugged by, too, though. On the bright side, the 950 remote appears to have tried to address that issue, since there are separate buttons for DD and DTS on there (and I think some others, but I don't remember for certain at the moment).

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart

I expect, as a matter of course, a piece of electronics equipment to be fully operatable if the remote control gets lost or runs out of juice. One of the major things I look for when planning a purchase is the utility (and aesthetics) of the front panel. In the case of the 950 and the 1050, the price and performance of the units overwhelmingly outweighed almost every other consideration.

I don't think the picture of the 1050 posted above is excessively busy. In fact, I think it even enhances the look of the front panel just a bit.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net