hello guys,

my first time here in the saloon. for a while i've been a fence sitter sifting and reading through all the interesting stuff that are highly informative. several months ago, i bought an onkyo home theater in a box coz at that moment it 's the only thing i can afford, and to get my feet wet in the home theater field coming from a dpl past. i have been seriously considering the outlaw 950/770 combo for months but kept holding back to be sure i don't regret any wrong decision. i also tried reading on anthem avm20, aragon stage one, sunfire tg3, just to name a few. but honestly, these are all in "dream on..." list which may not really see the light of day in my room. well, who knows, right? miracles do happen. but i'm a very pragmatic person. why do i have to part with so much $$ to gain minimal gain in the process. i'm referring to the 950 vs. high-end/high-cost pre/pro. at any rate, if any one can share his/her thoughts on the best possible upgrade to my existing setup, i would greatly appreciate the advise.

i listen to music (70%) and watch movies (30%). for music, i have jazz, rock, pop, dvd-audio.

existing system:
onkyo receiver ht-r510 (100w x 6, 8 ohms, 20hz - 20khz)
paradigm studio 40 v.3 mains (amp power range:180w; max input power: 140w); 92dB sensitivity)
paradigm studio cc/470 v.3 center (amp power range:180w; max input power: 130w); 90dB sensitivity)
onkyo surrounds (RL, RR, BS)
onkyo sub (150w)
panasonic dvd-f85 player w/ dvd-audio
room dimension: 12x15x8 ft, carpeted floors w/ couches

questions:
1. is upgrading from onkyo htr510 to 950/7100 oceans apart, worth every penny?
actually, i'm happy with the present setup considering but not that wowed. i think the paradigms are not getting the proper feedings they deserve. they could do much better. it took me a lot of convincing after months or research before i splurge on the paradigms.

2. what about 950 vs aragon stage one?
i already read the review of 950 vs anthem avm20 and the cost/benefit ratio closes my doors on the anthem.

3. will my paradigms sing better with 7100 or 770?
i've learned from what i read that having more amp power vis-a-vis speaker wattage range is preferred. besides, it will be years/decades before i ever purchase or upgrade to another amp.

4. i'm bothered by the review on hometheaterhifi.com regarding 950's SSP capabilities. brian florian of secrets (q&a 374 - december 4, 2003) made a review and noted a number of hiccups and gave it to outlaw. his best ssp is the anthem avm20. any comments.

5. has anyone compared onkyo tx-sr800 (or tx-sr701 which replaced tx-sr800) with 950? this model is recommended by hometheaterhifi.com. this onkyo has THX certification and the price is about to 950. it's even lower right now at crutchfield.com ($650).

thanks for any help.

ronald