Mr. Prillaman here. It may still be too early to tell a lot about the benefits of the 950/770 over an AVR307 or Ref30/6125, but we do at least have some input now. The feedback from the 950 beta testers includes one Ref30 user, who indicated that the 950 had a noticeably lower sound floor (seeing as the 950 was sonically close to a Lexicon MC-12 according to beta testers, that's not surprising -- the 950 seems to be turning out to be a first-rate performer). That's the sort of info that couldn't be included in my chart , and it makes the 950/770 even more appealing (at least in my opinion).

Can the 950 out-perform a Ref30 or an AVR307? The best information we have now suggests that the 950 can match or beat the Ref30's performance. The AVR307 is possibly even easier -- the 950 offers the benefits of separates, which the AVR307 can't: upgradability (9.1 surround format appears next year? -- keep your amps, pick up another amp, and sell the 950 to buy a new pre/pro) and isolation of components (the bulky, power-hungry amp channels are completely removed with a pre/pro).

Can the 950 "out-feature" the AVR307/Ref30? I think the answer to that is probably yes. The Ref30 offers two more S-Video inputs, but overall two fewer audio inputs. It offers more digital inputs, but they are not assignable like the 950's (so they have to have more). The Ref30 offers IEEE 1394 input (something that many people felt should have been included on the 950), but there's not much or anything you can do with it. The 950 offers digital decoding modes that the Ref30 lacks (Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS-ES, DTS NEO:6, 5.1/7.1 stereo modes), although the Ref30 does have THX (no THX-EX or Ultra, though, and by all reports the 950's CES processing may more than make up for that). The 950 offers much more flexible bass management (triple-crossover, adjustable crossover points, an analog 80Hz crossover circuit on the 5.1 analog input that can be enabled if needed). The 950 has 192/24 DAC's, compared to the Ref30's 96/24. The 950 has an analog bypass mode available for any stereo analog input.

One thing you may not be aware of, which may direct you toward B&K: while the Ref 30, AVR307, and 6125 are all made in the USA, the 950 is made in Malaysia. The 770 is made in the USA, and both are of course designed in the USA, although they used consultants from all over the world for the 950. Just wanted to make sure we were all clear on that point.

------------------
Gonk