While the various philosophies of use applied to interconnects and speaker cable have been bantered about the campfire here quite a bit, I had a similar question that I asked of Outlaw before I made my first Outlaw equipment purchase. I asked which they thought was better, mono amps at near each speaker (long interconnects, short speaker cable) or all amplification near the pre/pro (short interconnects, long speaker cable). Their answer was the latter. I think the reasoning is that electromagnetic interference, if present, would work its evil more easily on long interconnects than on long speaker cables. This would seem to bode well with regard to your intention of keeping most of the electronics in the closet intended for them.

Extra thought: will heat build up in the closet?

As far as speaker cable goes, many people are trying many things, my personal philosophy runs toward the technically verifiable. As a result, I would go for cable that is permissible in-wall, if you are running cable in-wall, and which will have a maximum round-trip resistance of 5% of the loudspeaker impedance, less than half that if such cable would be reasonable. Assuming 6-ohm nominal speakers, 5% resistance would be 0.3 ohms. Going 50 ft. out and back with 14-gauge copper yields 0.297 ohms, 12-gauge 0.187 ohms and 10-gauge 0.118 ohms. Less than 50 ft. would mean even fewer ohms. Speakers with higher ohm ratings could use lighter gauge wire, 4-ohm speakers would require slightly lower gauge wire. Perhaps, with the equipment at the rear of your room, you would use the heavier gauge for your fronts and center, lighter gauge for your surrounds/rear. Because the lighter gauge would run a shorter distance, the nearby speakers would see no more cable resistance than the more distant speakers. You could also use heavy not-so-flexible wiring inside the walls and more flexible and attractive cable between walls and equipment or speakers.

If you would like to read more on speaker cable ‘honesty,’ you might try these sites:

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#gordongow

http://www.epanorama.net/documents/wiring/wire_resistance.html - discusses skin effect near the end of the page.

http://sound.westhost.com/cables.htm

Wow, that'll teach me to screw up a post and not check it for several days.....

I was trying to echo this sentiment...

"I've said this many times and will repeat it here...with the purchase comes this forum, Scott and the gang, and the Mighty Gonk (not to mention a bunch more very cool folks who pop in frequently). If there is a problem, you barely blink and solutions are on the table...for 5 years after purchase.

That's worth a lot more than any review I've read ever mentions. Good luck finding that with Onk and the others (I tried that route before I purchased the 950, so I know 1st hand what a drag lack of service and help, tips, etc. can be). "

By all rights I should be one of the Outlaws biggest detractors. I'm on my fourth 950. The first three had various issues that can only be described as statistical anamolies as far as I can tell. The third one was replaced with no questions asked even though it was 6 months since the last replacement (well past the 30 day return period). Technically they didn't have to do what they did, but they did what was right without even flinching. Try that with a major electronics company!

We all agree that the product is a hands down deal regarding the sonic attributes compared to higher priced stuff. Take that and combine it with the service this company provides and I say you don't have anything to loose.

I think that if another 950 experiences trouble in aej09's setup, it's time to install about 250K worth of test gear and track every possible electromagnetic signal that might exist in his environment.

I also think aej09 has earned an award for perseverance!

Yeah, an award! I'll take a LFM-1

Like others, I was hesitant to pull the trigger on the 950, but since I did (about 8 months ago along w/ a 7100), I could not be more satisfied. I've never had trouble assigning the digital inputs, no detectable hiss whatsoever, the slow digital lock is only noticeable when changing SD-HD TV stations (and I can live with 1-2 sec delay). In fact, the only problems I've had is when my inner idiot comes out. It has all the flexibilty I need (and then some), and the sound is exquisite. The 950 is one piece of equipment that certainly lives up to its rep. And the information, assistance and plain old knowledge (without attitude) found in this forum is not duplicated anywhere else. When you add it all up and factor in the price, the 950 is a steal.

Does anyone suppose the replacement for the 950 will have *DVI* switching? I read a lot of requests for component switching...

Oops...I forgot to thank you, bestbang, for the cable links and comments. I'd visited Roger Russell's site previously, but the last link was good also. And re heat in the closet - minor problem, but I turn off electronics when not in use and have a small fan on the floor to circulate air when they're on.

The 950 replacement is still a ways off (not announced yet and all that), but the 1070 should offer us some clues. The 1070 adds a third component video input as well as video upconversion from composite/s-video to component, so it would be likely that the 950's successor will at least offer the same. The 1070 also has DVI switching (two inputs), so a 950 replacement will likely at very least offer similar DVI switching. It's also possible that a 950 successor will have HDMI switching in place of DVI. All if this is guesswork, however, since there hasn't even been a new Outlaw pre/pro announced yet, and we're not likely to hear such an announcement until at least the middle of next year.