Mike,

I didn't take your post as a flame, and please don't take this one as a flame, either. However, I feel compelled to respond.

Quote:
Cliff, I normally don't get into the negative threads, but you seem to be an intelligent, educated guy who got off on a tangent.


I don't think thoroughly researching, probing, discussing, and ultimately pointing out the shortcomings of the zone 2 feature of the Outlaw 950 is a tangent. That said, I do realize that I place a higher than average importance on this feature set due to my own whole house audio set-up and those that I install for other people.

Quote:
Maybe for a few $ more and more delays, that could have been more thoroughly designed, along with some other features, but then we might have an Anthem or the like for >$2K. I'm not sure what you expect for this price. This isn't really intended as a flame, just trying to put things in perspective.


I definetly understand the importance of perspective. But as some of my earlier posts in this thread discuss, I'm not comparing the 950's feature set with the 2k+ pre/pros out there, but rather with $900 - $1,500 receivers (including my own 3 year old one). There is a bevy of receivers out there in this price range now that do a much better job with zone 2 than the Outlaw 950. How did these companies manage to do it? And these comapies' products are actually availabe now. Didn't cause them any delays. Didn't make their price go up. We're not talking about a new technology, nor a complicated one.

In today's home theater and audio environment, the importance of mult-zone/room functionality is growing more important, not less. I've heard it said that in 10 years, trying to sell a home without structured wiring will be like trying to sell a home without plumbing. While I think this is an exageration (especially for those of us here in Miss.), it does highlight the increasing importance of distributed a/v. The pre/pro or receiver is, of course, the centerpiece of any a/v system.

So to have what I think everyone would agree is a lower end product (Yamaha RX-V2095) than the 950 include a better feature set on zone 2 three years ago is really inexusable IMO.

Take care,
Cliff