I'm a first time Outlaw buyer with the Model 950. Generally, I'm impressed with the product, but I feel there are a few glaring errors.

First the good - no, excellent! The thing sounds beautiful! Like it's not there! That's what I wanted, and I'm thrilled with the sound. I've got it running through my Parasound HCA 1205A and 750A amps, and after I put their power cords on cheater plugs (eliminating the ground loops), it's wonderful.

Now the not-so-goods.

First, the remote has no integrated transport buttons (I know - old news). I knew this when I bought it, and purchased anyway. I just figured I'd budget in a separate learning remote that would suit my needs. But c'mon. Just to control a DVD player requires programming the buttons to something useable. If I decide to keep the 950 (see below) I'll have to draw on the remote buttons so anyone who comes along can pick it up and figure out how to use it.

Second, and this is really minor, but a 3rd component input would have been nice (HD receiver, DVD player, X-Box). I know... When they designed it, that was a really unlikely scenario... What else can you get in this price range... and so forth.

Third, and most imporantly, I experience average delays of about 4 full seconds before audio synch-up when using my DirecTivo (original Philips version). I've searched the board, and have only found the answer, "learn to live with it". That's really rough. Although I bought the Outlaw for its excellent audio and theater capabilities and sonic quality, the reality is that it is most often used for rendering TV audio from my Tivo. 4 Second delays means that every time I fast forward, rewind, or replay, I have to follow with an additional "replay" command, in order to move back far enough so that the audio will be synched up by the time I get to the part of the show I want to hear.

Yes, I could connect up the analog inputs, but that decreases useability, and while having to switch between inputs when watching a movie isn't the end of the world, it is a nuisance.

I tried locking the input to PCM, but that made no difference. I'd have to manually switch the mode when watching a movie anyway, and this method is far more inconvenient than switching inputs.

Bottom line, this isn't something I'm willing to live with. When I drop a lump of cash on something like this, I expect it to work BETTER than my $250 disposable Sony or Onkyo receiver. I'm also not ready to drop $1k on an HD DirecTivo.

However, I AM getting Comcast digital cable installed next week, along with their leased HD DVR. If this unit cures the delay problem, then I'll be a happy camper. If it has the same delay, the 950 goes back to Outlaw.

Sorry for the rant. I really admire Outlaw's products, and the company's philosophy of standing behind what they buy. I'll be very disappointed if I end up returning the 950. And despite the experience, I'll be looking forward to the release of their next pre/pro.