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this is the type of comparison david s is talking about, and i agree with him. sorry charlie, but comparing a decades old stereo preamp to the 950 is like comparing a bi-plane to the space shuttle.

the only excuse in my post ( 'some' noise is not a bad thing if...) was not to excuse the 950, but all prepros. the rest of the post is purely generalized conjecture. where are the engineers when you need them? identifying the problem is half the solution.

there is one helluva lotta traffic routed through that little box, but surely someone could say: [blank] is the cause of hiss which is more apparent if you route [blank] component with [blank] component because [blank]. of course, if i were outlaw, i wouldn't say a word until i knew the answer, which i am sure they work at every day.

i don't know how close my unit comes to meeting spec (all specs published, not just s/n), but do you really think the spec should read " this specification may vary depending on your particular configuration of the infinite combinations of components, their relative quality, interconnects, the particular order of path selection and format"? or..."this spec is a worst case scenario and will not be correct for the vast majority of owners"?

in a similarly complex routing system of pro sound, there may be a ground loop noise that can't be lived with. i never remember anyone focusing on the published s/n specs in the manuals. though tracking, finding and eliminating the offending component, cable or part is always a nightmare...it remains as the only way to solve the problem.