Just buy the 950.

Ditto

I understand your dilemna. HK's high current amp section is something like +/- 35 amps. It's what HK is known for. But this is not the same Harman/Kardon that existed years ago. I stopped buying HK after the purchase of the AVR 65, I could not believe how much quality had been sacrificed for the sake of features. Yes, the HK you have is loaded with features that most of us would like to have in the 950, but check out the construction of the unit, (what do you think of those heatsinks?). Features come and go quickly, next year it will be a new model. Companies that make seperates, make their products with quality that is built to hold up for years, not months, both for sonics and reliability. I would seriously consider trying out the 950/770 combo if you can afford it.

Ok - I think you guys have made up my mind to go with the 950/770 or the 950/7100. I have one more question. My current equipment is on a 20 amp line which also feeds the kitchen wall outlets and refrigerator. Would there be a problem to temporarily power the 770 or 7100 amp with this 20 amp line until I can get a seperate line run?

Joel,...
Not sure where you live, but in my area, code is a fridge is on it's own 20 amp dedicated circuit, and outlets in the kitchen are carefully regulated and attached via grounfault systems. Either at the panel, or in the chain via a groundfault outlet. Running your equipment very hard, while anything else, mainly the fridge is running would be a prety good load.
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On commercial work, I do see refrigerators on their own circuits (typically with 20A breakers and 15A receptacles). Newer homes probably get similar treatment, but there are also a lot of older homes where the fridge is on a shared receptacle circuit with plenty of other stuff. I've done it before -- our old house originally had one receptacle circuit that served the entire kitchen (including microwave and fridge, but of course not the stove) and the living room (including the TV, an Outlaw 750 amp, and all of the home theater gear). It worked, but I did notice a significant reduction in ground loop problems and noise when I put in a dedicated circuit for the home theater.

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