I'm much happier with the sound from my CD player using the analog inputs with the Stereo Bypass mode enabled rather than using the digital input. However, when I set up the input, I can only select one of the digital ports or the analog port (but not bypass).

So, on the remote, I have to press the CD button, the AUD button and finally the BYPASS button. However, if I then press the CD button so that I can change the track, etc., it switches out of Bypass mode.

Am I missing something?

I noticed the same behavior when I first got my "red-dot" 950 and was testing different modes. Like you, I couldn't find a way to set the input to retain the "analog bypass" mode. What I have done is create a macro that sends the AUD device "BYPASS" signal, so I can switch to CD and then hit that macro (I actually use this for the 6-channel bypass with my DVD-Audio player rather than the stereo bypass, but it's the same situation). There may be another solution, but that's what I've been doing.

------------------
gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Gonk, thanks for the reply. It's hard to believe that the Outlaws think this is acceptable.

I guess I kind of expected it to remember if you'd set it to bypass, and return to bypass when you select that input -- similarly to the way it remembers the digital setting. I, too, was surprised when I realized it was resetting to non-bypass mode whenever i switch inputs or turn off the 950.

The Outlaws have managed to create a product that sounds great, but they really REALLY need to hire a good UI consultant.

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

A UI problem I encounter is switching from DPLII-M to NEO:6-M. I use the DD and DTS buttons, respectively. But have to press the button sometimes two times, sometimes three times, to switch successfully between the two modes. Unless I see the screen I won't know for sure if it's switched to, for example, DPLII-M or DPLII-C...

Matthew, I agree with you. However, there are quite a few of these usability issues that I've run into that really should have been obvious to the Outlaws. It makes me wonder how many of them actually use the 950 themselves.

It sure would be nice if the Outlaws had a solid plan in place for doing firmware upgrades to resolve some of these issues. Changing the eprom really isn't that hard.

Apparently the Atlantic Tech and Sherbourn clones inheret the obvious UI issues.

Jason, I guess I just chalked it up to what a bunch of engineers considers to be "usable." No offense to you engineer types out there in the audience, but anyone who shows up to work with socks that are different colors (hey, I've done it too) may not find problems like this to be obvious.

I would happily swap an EEPROM myself if it fixed even some of these issues -- even if it did not add functionally to the unit in any way.

------------------
Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net