I'm in the market for a new A/V receiver, and I'm considering the 950 paired with the 7100 amplifier.

I really wish I could listen to the Outlaw A/B'd against other equipment. I have been amazed at the sound difference that I have heard between different equipment. Yesterday in an A/B comparison between the current high-end Denon receiver, the current B&K separates and a Primare unit, the Denon sounded downright awful, the B&K was OK, and the $4000 Primare sounded quite good. I didn't expect differences to be so dramatic, particularly given that Denon has a fairly good sonic reputation.

Has anyone A/B'd the Outlaw 950 against Denon, B&K or (yeah right) Primare? My hope is that Outlaw would be at least as good as B&K.

FYI, I am replacing a B&K 307 receiver, and am running self-amplified Bang and Olufsen speakers in the front, and Gallos in the rear.

The B&K AVR-307 is the receiver brother to the B&K Reference 30, and back when the 950 was being beta tested there was one beta tester (merc) who used both a beta 950 and a Ref 30. As I recall, Merc preferred the 950 to the Ref 30 on sound.

There are a couple of methods allowing you to demo the 950. As you may already know, Outlaw offers a no-questions-asked 30-day return policy - you'd have to pay return shipping, but that's all. This is the most sure-fire approach. Another possibility that could be of use is the existence of the 950 "clones." Both Atlantic Tech and Sherbourn offer pre/pros that are from the same design and factory as the 950 - the AT P-2000 and the Sherbourn PT-7000. If either brand is locally repped and they have a demo unit, you should be able to get a good idea of what the 950 is like. There may not be demo units available in your area, though - I don't know if there is a local AT dealer in my area with a show room, and the local Sherbourn rep doesn't keep any PT-7000's around (I think they've only sold one of them total).

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