Analog circuits are a mature technology, so I'm not surprised that a quality 20 or 30 year old amp can sound plenty good. After all, our ears are not improving, we're still using the model '1' ear system.

It is unfortunate, if true, that analog designs are actually getting worse from neglect though.

The only reason I 'retired' my Hafler/Carver etc. 2 channel system was to take advantage of x.1 formats. It still sounds fine on 2 channel stuff.

If it sounds good and measures well, it's good. If it measures poorly or sounds bad it's not good. Just IMO and YMMV, of course.

My point of view is simply that instruments and ears both have strengths and weaknesses, so to ferret out issues with equipment one, IMO, should use both.

'If your only tool is a hammer all your problems look like nails'.

My post was "tongue in cheek"- only to show that a certain amount of hiss can be found in even very expensive equipment. As Keven pointed out- you will probably not hear much complaining about it at this price level.

And what's the cost for this feature versus what I paid for my 950?
I'm not complaining. The AVM-20 is a really nice unit, but I'm happy with being "stuck" with my 950. By the way, the Outlaws have mentioned in the past that the 950 could be upgraded, but have not said how- only that they might, or might not, make something available if they felt it necessary. Hope you are enjoying your Rotel 1066- what number software fix, er..., upgrade, have they issued recently?

I don't mean to badmouth the 950 - it's worth what it costs, no argument here. I'm just not certain I can be comfortable with that level of compromise. I'm going to wait and see how it all shakes out as the product matures.

Of all the things missing on it, upgradeable firmware (without using a soldering iron) is a huge deal to me. I don't beleive Rotel is alone in needing to upgrade, but Outlaw is nearly alone in not being able to field update.

But once it matures and bugs are eliminated it may prove a contender for my $$$.

The AVM-20 has a lot of other features besides upgradablity that contribute to the cost of the unit.

Hey, for the price the 950 is a good deal for some people. I ordered mine, tried it for a week and ended up sending it back. Too many compromises for me.


Might. Might not. Maybe. If necessary. Not exactly a commitment. Besides, you'll need a soldering iron if it ever happens.

Do you mean fix as opposed to refering to problems as "features"? 8) I ended up selling my 1066 and sticking with my Marantz AV9000 for now. My point was and remains, however, that many of the issues affecting processors like the Rotel and the Anthem can be corrected because they're upgradable. Any problem you may have with your 950 is there for good.

Am I dense…..what needs upgrading?

At this point there are just some usability issues, like odd selections of processing modes while switching inputs and the DSP always doing BM on the 6 channel inputs. Nothing huge I'm aware of.

The point is there will be issues, almost certainly. And the 950 will require, at minimum, a chip extracter/inserter to update the firmware.

charlie, I don't ever remember you "badmouthing" the 950. You may have- or have had- questions and/or issues with the pre/pro, but you are always very reasonable in explaining your likes or dislikes. And that's what this board is here for- right?

dpippel:I wasn't aware you sold your 1066. I thought you had cancelled your 950 order before it arrived and purchased the Rotel. Did you order a 950 after you received the Rotel?

….I should not be posting today as I am in one of those ‘fey’ moods of mine.
Allrighty then …But….my point being most issues center on the remote interface software, and I never met a remote yet, that it was not an issue of myself adjusting to it. The day they can produce a remote which ‘knows what I’m thinking’ and what I want…. and reacts …I’ll be the first to buy it…(and I think my husband might try using a gismo that could do this to some other nefarious purposes)
What I seem to notice is that several of the other competitors had ‘issues’ immediately after there own release (in a shorter timeframe than the 950 has been out for now) during that time running into one (or more)‘issues’ requiring fixes immediately. Other than hiss, documented to be a problem in some systems while not factoring in most, and an issue not at all uncommon across the board in other brands/other setups the 950 has had no real ‘issues’. I (and many others) have had adequate time to run it through its various paces in our various systems whether we are into 2-channel/HT/SACD/DVD-A’s/ ICBM’s etc.. Why should I suddenly expect it to develop issues at this point? The are far too many unsettled variables coming up in the industry right now for me to care whether or not the Outlaw is ‘upgradable’ it does exactly what I want it to do now. Particularly when you factor the cost of many proposed or offered upgrades on the market and the fact that NO ONE knows for sure if any pre-pro/receiver, is by any stretch of the imagination truly future proofed.

By the time the Outlaw needs an upgrade…the next latest leap forward in SP mode, something which really has a net quality advantage over currently marketed technology (DP11 as compared to DPL). I will be in a MUCH better position to jump on it, if I feel I just have to have it…because I have less invested in the Outlaw.