Ok,I was just about to make the plunge and purchase the 950 (budget ya know!!) and then a friend of mine has suggested the Onkyo tx-sr702 a/v reciever.,He suggested that the onkyo 702 has superior DAC's and the processing is more direct?? also, said the sound is 10 times better, and more features??and 7.1 surround.??Im currently running a Klipsch RF7 system (speakers) which granted are bright to begin with, he said the Onkyo would warm things up a bit I listen to 80% movies and 20% music. Recently i aquired B&K amps, so i would be connecting them to whatever i purchase.so with all that in mind, all of your infinate wisdom is needed in which way i should proceed.( im taking consideration that he, my friend is a salesman, and may just want to get his numbers up!) is all hes telling me TRUTH or FICTION? can anyone advise me properly? thanks for the help.

i run an older b&k 6ch amp(vmr654) and the sound is MUCH warmer and natural than my 1050(w/b&w 601s)
my 1050 does all the necessary processing(for 5.1 movies), i need except my cal sigma2 d/a(music) and i do 80% music.
granted,your friend is a salesman so he wants you to buy what he sells,there are a great many people here quite happy with the 950 doing the processing,so you need to look at options between the 950 and 702,prices,etc.
if you already have outboard amps,why buy a receiver?unless you need extra channels of amplification,or you really want the 7.1...questions you have to ask yourself.
but the b&k amps are definite ++s!

I don't have RF-7s but am listening to the excellent sounds of Diana Krall on my Heresys and LOVING it (with my 950/7100/LFM-1 combo, natch!
Good hunting!
Bill

I read the specs on the Onyko, looks good. I don't know how they got all that in 33.5 lbs.

I have to agree with painttoad. If you've already got the amps, why buy a receiver?

What kind of demo period do you get with the Onkyo? You know with Outlaw you get a thirty day test drive, maybe you can get both in your room and compare.

I'm curious if your friend has had the opportunity to hear both operating as pre-amps with the same amp setup, or if he is basing his suggestions purely on specs. The 702 has 192kHz/24-bit DAC's, as does the 950. I'm not at all sure what he means by the processing being more direct - the 950 offers analog bypass on all input, so you can skip all digital processing on signals that you want to keep analog, and on analog signals that you process digitally or digital signals the signal path for the two units would be essentially identical. As for features, the Onkyo offers only a couple of processing modes that the 950 lacks. The Onkyo does offer Pro Logic IIx, which will generate discrete left and right surround back channels rather than the mono surround back signal produced by Dolby EX, DTS ES, and the 950's Cirrus Extra Surround. The 950 does include Pro Logic II, however.

If your friend is a salesman and is basing his suggestions on specs and experience with the Onkyo alone, I'd be a little wary. The 950 has continued to sell well in part because it offers very clean sound, which makes me suspicious of the assertion that the Onkyo would sound 10 times better. Owl's_Warder has a good idea - if your friend can arrange for a loaner sample of the Onkyo, you can use the Outlaw's 30-day return policy to compare the two side-by-side in your setup to see which one is best for you.

Depending on the price difference I would go for the Prologic IIx unless it is a lot more expensive in which case I would hold out for the 990 since you already have an amp. The PLIIx is way worth it .

I have owned the Onkyo 701, Outlaw 950 , and now I have a Sherwood Newcastle P-965( which the 990 suspiciously resembles ). So hold out and save a little extra $$$.

How did the Onkyo 701 compare to the 950 as far as just general sound is concerned?

all points well taken. I think what ill do is wait and look at the 990 when it becomes available, and give that the test drive. However,......Sherwood Newcastle huh????? hmmmmm this is gonna be a long hot summer!!

From what we've learned so far, the Sherwood P-965 is produced at the same factory as the 990. From what we can tell, the two are related designs. The P-965 has a list price of $1500. The 990 adds balanced outputs and DVI switching to the 965's feature list, will sell for $1100, and should be available in the next month or so. Both of these units offer all of the processing modes available on the Onkyo except for THX, and I don't think THX is much of a loss. If your budget will stretch to $1100, I would strongly suggest keeping an eye on the 990.

I plan on doing a 990 v Emotiva UL showdown when it comes out. Sure, the 990 is almost double the price but I have faith in both of these companies so I will need to hear each of them for myself.

That will be an interesting showdown - I'll be curious to hear how it turns out once both are available. Of course, to flip the scales, I'd also be curious to see a 990 v Emotiva DMC-1 comparison.

Me too, I just don't want to plunk down that much money to do a comparison, but I sure hope somebody does.

The 950 was a definite step up from the 701 and if PLIIx did not exist the 950 would be the winner hands down. The 950 had a more fluid soundstage for movies and was much better musically although I found it to be a tad bright in my system whereas the Onkyo was not. I just toned down the treble a step.

i, too, would think that the outlaw would be superior to the onkyo in re: to sound quality, though I do not know this for sure... as far as features, the onkyo probably has the advantage over the 950.

onkyo used to be quite a bit better than they are now a days...

no,onkyo used to be A LOT better than now a days

In the world of home theater, there isn't likely to be any properly functioning preamp/processor that is "10 times" better than another. Dolby Labs tests everything that bears their trademark to insure that it operates within specifications, and only a few decoding chip sets are available anyway. The results will be more similar than different in most instances. The 950 has gone up against some rather expensive competition in my home theater, and the differences fall into the category of insignificant with Dolby and DTS material. For Redbook CD there have been greater differences, but the 950 has more than held the line against some far more expensive components. It sounds quite clean and smooth. The 990 has big shoes to fill, and I certainly hope it does.