Another improvement that I noticed is that when using the menu, I can hit the "menu" button to go back a screen. That was not available on my last 950 and I thought it was a hassle to have to scroll down to "exit" everytime I wanted to jump back a screen.

I also agree with Bob that the new unit does indeed sound different, in a good way, at least in my system.

[This message has been edited by Jed M (edited September 20, 2002).]

Mojo, you can't know how happy I am to hear you compare the 950 favorably with the Apt Holman. Why? Because my ex-wife got the Apt Holman in the divorce seven years ago. I always missed that preamp and have often wondered how it would sound now that I've upgraded amps and speakers. Thanks to your positive comparison of the 950, I now have one less reason to curse the memory of that byatch.

If you're ever in West Los Angeles and you want to hear a hissy 950, let's set up an appointment for you to hear mine.

You folks need to quit listening to hiss and spend more time listening to music and movies. I never hear any hiss when listening to any source, unless it is present in the recording.

Will, I just want to reemphasize the first part of my statement:



I made a point of putting that statement in because I'm sure some folks ARE ABSOLUTELY still hearing something that is not acceptable. I also SUSPECT that others are examining hiss potential in microscopic detail BECAUSE of the fear of hiss. (And I have been as susceptible to this as anyone.)

[This message has been edited by bobliinds (edited September 21, 2002).]

Thanks Bob, I appreciate what you said. Thanks again!

I think the Outlaws have gone through the waiting list, which means that very soon anyone who wants to, can hear the 950 in their own home, and judge for themselves. As for myself, even though I would prefer it wouldn't hiss, I'm keeping my 950.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited September 21, 2002).]

Well, Will, I don't want you coming over to Westwood and beating the crap out of me.

Seriously, my "red dot" 950 is quieter than my original unit. More important, though, is that I think it's a friendlier music-only unit. The original 950 was a bit peaky in the high mid-range and up. This produced incredible presence but also produced some edginess.

One thing that I continue to observe with my Outlaw 950/Aragon amp combo is that I have never had a system that sounds SO MUCH different depending on what power filtering I have engaged. I have really been able to fine-tune the sound, even with my relatively simple Isobar strips.

I've also found the 950 susceptible to 60Hz hum and have moved plugs and filters around to deal with that (even though my previous H/K preamp in the exact same setup showed NO ground loop hum.)

In a few cases, my guess is that some folks may actually be experiencing low level ground loops in their systems and describing them as "hiss." But that's only a guess.

Still it's a great unit and clean enough that even subtle and fussy tweaking can yield very audible results. I guess that's one of the reasons my wife has started calling me the "Adrian Monk of Home Theater."


[This message has been edited by bobliinds (edited September 22, 2002).]

I would be interested in hearing more detail on how you have dealt with low level buzz. I have TrippLite Isobar and Furman AC isolators, but I experience a buzz when I have my phono preamp connected to th 950. The 950 does not have an external chassis ground post, which might have been helpful in such situations. I have large theatre type horns for the main LCR speakers which doesn't help any, as any system noises really hit you over the head. Do you use any ground isolator 'cheaters' anywhere?

The original beta 950 had such a prong. AND, all it did was increase the 950s ability to humm along with my cable TV... The second, non-prong unit was much improved for me and other beta testers, at least I think so? I haven't missed that humm since...?

I've been up all night trying to track down the phono preamp buzz, and I think I've found a workable solution. I moved the tonearm and motor ground wires from the external preamp to one of the screws holding the lid on the 950. Seems close enough to a chassis ground to work. I have DSS satillite TV, not cable. I've heard many horror stories about ground loops from the cable when connected to home systems, even when using so-called ground solutions.