None of the beta testers heard a hiss from more than a few inches away. We'd all have remembered if they had reported an audible hiss from many feet away. Maybe the beta testers had systems that were not "hiss sensitive." As far as I know they didn't do S/N measurements like Soundhound did later on. The beta testers were volunteers who used their home systems and their judgement. The handful of beta testers did not encounter the exagerated hiss some of us hear, where the hiss can be heard from many feet from the speaker.

The onus to find S/N problems was NEVER with the beta testers. It's with Quality Control. The 950 should have been Q/C'd before it entered into production. While the Q/C responsibility may rest with Eastech, it also rests with Outlaw. Regarding who was responsibile for a subordinates actions, its ultimately the person in charge who is responsible. President Truman had a famous sign on his desk which said something like "The Buck Passing Stops Here."

It's pretty apparent now, unlike during the beta tests, that the 950 just plain isn't meeting its published S/N specs.

If this was true since the 950 first shipped, the Outlaws should have known the 950 was missing it's published S/N specs and had a noise floor problem, a while ago.

[This message has been edited by Will (edited November 05, 2002).]