Additional information:

When you press the volume button to un-mute you also increase/decrease the volume by at least 1 db up or down from the setting you originally were listening to, thus making it more difficult and less user friendly.

The only reason that I classify the behavior as "user friendly" is that it mimics the behavior of so many other devices that users are going to be used to. Obviously, the mute button must (and does) act as an on/off toggle for the mute mode. However, if you look at many other devices with a remote volume control and a mute button (TV's, for example), the most common behavior is for a change in volume while muted to cause the mute to disengage. Is there a reason the 950 behaves this way? Yes, to the point that I would have been surprised if it had not behaved this way. Should future pre/pros retain this behavior? Not necessarily, and I would find nothing wrong with future gear separating the mute and volume control functions.

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gonk -- 950 Review | LFM-1 Review | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | Saloon Links

The pause button on the DVD player remote, for example, you press to pause the movie and then you can press the play button to un-pause it. This makes sense to me because you want to play the movie. I see the logic and agree with it under many circumstances, but the mute - volume control is not one of them. Pressing increase/decrease volume to un-mute the sound is like pressing fast forward to un-pause the video. That's pushing it, but you get my meaning, I hope.

I guess the problem really is the fact that you have no recourse. Something happens that requires you to mute, and until those external reasons no longer exist you cannot un-mute. The option to lower the volume without creating a distraction is not available. Yes, as discussed, there are work a-rounds, but a mute button that mutes and a volume button that volume's (sic) sounds better..

See, if I could adjust the volume while the mute button is on, I could consider that multi-tasking.