Very interesting! I have a feeling that when Outlaw put this reciever together they did an extremely good job of quality parts at the price point (being as this was their first foray into the reciever market; couldn't afford to start with an inferior product). My son was over tonight and we listened to some of his cd's. He has the same speakers and player as I do, but a Sony amp and sub (I have a diy Tempest sub and the Outlaw 1050). We listened to some Nine Inch Nails (my first experience to that band and thought it quite good). He commented that my system killed his system for sound quality. So at this time I'm wondering at what price point I would have to reach in order to improve my sound via player. How about the combo of the 950 and an amp? At 5 times the cost. Does it equal 5 times the listening experience?