Some people here in the forum have found the Marantz receivers to be pretty good competition for the 1050, and there have been a number of posts on the subject - try this one first , then maybe this one , and this one (some stuff that may interest you starting a little way down the thread, looking specifically at Marantz).

The best bet for setting the 1050 up without a center rear speaker is to tell the 1050 that you have one but never enable the "Surround 6.1" mode so that it is never used (there are a few discs -- Pearl Harbor, Jurassic Park III, and Atlantis -- that have some bad flag coding that upsets many receivers, but the 1050 will work fine if it thinks it has a center rear speaker).

Dipole speakers are intended to simulate the multiple sidewall surround speakers in a movie theater. They aren't essential, and some people prefer regular speakers for surround duty. I have been very pleased with my Paradigm surrounds (Studio/ADP's). May want to try to do a little listening test -- your Paradigm dealer should be able to set something up, although it may take some coaxing depending on the dealer.

Like Desperado, I've heard a little about laser and lens problems with some players. There are not a lot of players that I would invest $150 of repairs in, since good new players have gotten so inexpensive -- especially if you are like me and have a standard-definition TV, making progressive scan pointless.

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