Personally I think waiting for good things can be worth the time and the 950 looks like it will be well worth the wait. Yes it's been almost six months since the Outlaws started offering up delivery projections on the 950 and it's been delayed with some reasonable explanations given. Six months is a relatively small bit of time in the life of a piece of equipment that you may own for the next 10-20 years. I'm glad that the Outlaws have taken the time to get it right and deliver the usuall combination of a well engineered product and current features in the price that they set for this unit while correcting known issues before releasing it to us. If you are just starting to build a HT I can understand the frustration of waiting for the 950 but having been through the upgrade rounds a few times DPL - DD - DTS - ES/EX/etc. I would like to make this purchase a fairly long term investment and know that I've gotten a lot of bang for my bucks. My current rig will just have to do for a bit longer

I would really like to see some product reviews first anyway, by that time I might be able to get a B-stock unit and save some dinero !

You predict you'll be using your 950 for 10-20 years??

And you say you upgraded from prologic to DD, to DTS, to EX/ES, and you actually think now you'll be done?? Wow.

Pre/pro technology's gonna keep changing as fast as computer chips change, which makes about a 6 month delay a BIG deal. 6 moths ago, almost nothing could do what the 950 can anywhere near the price, now it's looking more like just a really great price (which is plenty good -don't get me wrong)

The two biggest delays seemed to have been with Outlaw trying to actually catch up to the technology with code for the latest multi speaker set-ups. And they can't add firewire which has been offically called for w/ DVD-A digital outputs. I'm sure their next processor in the works will have it though.

Nothing against Outlaw, but it shows how fast things change, and how the latest thing gets old fast.

That's true, six "moths" is a long time for new technologies! But I would like to think most things, even computers, have at least a 3 - 4 year lifespan. I'd prefer it if my HT stuff lasted a bit longer.

A solid State component should last around 10 years with average use, perhaps longer.
Of course adding the 950 is going to be my ex/es upgrade. Some people are going to have the absolute latest new thing therefore more frequent replacements for some consumers. I would like to see SACD -vs- DVD-A format shake out some before I make that type of investment in equipment and software. That is part of the reason I have not bothered to research DVD-A or SACD and it is not anywhere in my plans for the moment. I would find it hard to imagine that mfrs would offer only firewire as a connection for future DVD-A units and bypass the opportunity to sell new equipment to people that could take advantage of their existing equipment. I'm sure firewire must have it's benefits, go ahead and call me ignorant, but it's not an issue for me now. My primary concern is being able to enjoy the current HT formats offered on DVD. There just is not enough audio material available to make me want to invest in a format that may yet fade away. Can you say BETA-MAX.

[This message has been edited by Steve_C (edited March 03, 2002).]

Well made solid state electronics can easily outlast their intended uses, and can outlive a lot of people too. I sort of collect older gear and have found that solid state electronics are almost permanent if not subjected to poor conditions (power surges, vibration, liquids) or abused. Most of the time electro-mechanical parts, the switches and pots are the items that show age (although good cleaner/lubes solve most ailments). As electronic components age some of the values can change but most designers build in some adjustability, a trip to the shop every 5 years or so keeps 'em fresh. I've got late 70's and early 80's stuff like a Pioneer SX-1250 receiver, Sansui G-8000 receiver, Yamaha R-1000 receiver, Sony SQR-8750 quad receiver, Yamaha B-6 amp (pyramid shaped), Rotel RX-1603 receiver and numerous other items that all work like the day they were made. The only problem is that certain features such as Dolby FM decoding is no longer utilized, and on home theater components features will get obsolescent even faster as more computerized processes are added.

I'm on the list for a 950 and I wouldn't buy it if I didn't think it would last at least 10 years, even if it gets sold or relegated to bedroom use after 3-4 years. When you buy good electronics your only problem is to figure out what to do with them once the features are no longer current, if you buy cheap junk with more plastic than metal its only a matter of time before it breaks anyway. Usually the people who buy cheap electronics junk and think they're saving money are the same ones that don't own a business but think leasing cars saves them money over an outright purchase. If this is you your car dealer just loves to see you every 3 years!

As for DVD-A and SACD, I'm also on the fence until a format winner emerges. Hopefully the best sounding one will win but I'm not willing to gamble on anything that entertainment lawyers are involved in since its unlikely the outcome will be in the consumers best interest.

Note: The previously offered curmudgeonly opinions are just opinions, any offended entertainment lawyers should just thicken up their already reptilian skin.