The "source" is not some overpriced piece of consumer electronics, it is the original recording! Virtually all equipment reviewers consistently miss the point -- a component in the reproducing chain cannot be evaluated with any credibility unless the test instrument is calibrated against a known standard. The "signal generator" here is the original recording, and unless you know all the production details of the recording and mastering sessions, your test results are not reliable. The microphones alone will add far more coloration than any 950 ever will.

In my experience, well-recorded-and-mastered discs (in all formats) sound very realistic through the 950. Most discs, however, are not produced with quality as the prime directive; the mass market wants them to sound good over your car radio. A master recording that is overly bright (or picked up some harshness in the A-to-D conversion) will sound just that way through the 950. It simply requires judicious use of the tone controls. You don't need to buy a new house just because the tap water is too cold!

There is absolutely no difference in the requirements of a high-quality home "music" vs. "theatre" sound reproduction system. All of my recordings (in all formats) sound more "involving" in 5.1 than in stereo, and even moreso with rear center and height channels. I hope that some day the industry will standardize on an 8.1-channel system (with the primary speakers on the corners of an imaginary cube) so that a virtual sound source can be located anywhere in the 3-dimensional space that surrounds the listener.

By the way, the only reason I waste my time posting here is to try to help the neophytes recognize hype, myth, and nonsense. Those who wish to keep their vacuum tubes and Victrolas are, of course, entitled to do so.