When I ordered my 950/7100 combo I received the 950 almost two weeks before the 7100 and since I couldn't wait :-), I hooked up the 950 to a Marantz 870 receiver until the 7100 arrived. It was definitely a step up from my old system (Denon AVR-3600), but I REALLY like the 7100 better.

Hope this helps.

Jeff