Ok, after quickly swapping my Yamaha out for the Model 950 it was off to testing.

Results:
1. Audible hiss from listening area 10 feet from main speakers (still did not read above 50db on the SPL meter but it is definitely more noticeable than the Yamaha was). The hiss was independent of source as well as volume level. The surrounds and center did seem to be a little less audible, but maybe that is due to their lower sensitivity?

2. A feature I was missing on the Yamaha that proved to be worth its hype was the 7 and 5 channel stereo. This sounded great. I had tried to modify the room parameters on the party DSP mode on my Yamaha to have no reverb or delay but never got it to sound as good as the Outlaw did. The overall tone did seem a bit warmer than the Yamaha, which I have heard can be overly bright especially with the Klipsh speakers.

3. Video was the same if not maybe a bit better than the Yamaha. I have all S-Video connections and noticed that there was something I liked better about the picture, not sure what but at least the quality was as good if not better.

So far so good, with the exception of the audible hiss..........well next came the HT testing.

4. I picked out a few of my favorite scenes for sound effects and music detail in U571 and Sheryl Crow Rockin' the Globe, both DTS of course. First in U571 in chapter 14 when the submarine fires its deck gun on the destroyer and then proceeds to dive beneath the ship. I was looking for the detailed bullet fire strafing the deck of the sub and the firing of the ships guns. It wasn't there, actually the whole dialog and on screen effects from the center channel did not seem to jump to life as they did on the Yamaha, even at near reference level. The sound, as my wife put it, was very boxy sounding. I varied the crossover from 80 to 100 and even boosted the trim above the calibration point and never could get it right.

On the Sheryl Crow disc, the vocals seemed a bit warmer and blended better with the mains than on the Yamaha. I could here much more detail in the background instruments, like in All I Want to Do track 11 when he is scraping the stick across whatever that wooden thing is. Overall, I can't really tell what setup I like better on this disc, more time listening is needed.

Overall I must say I am not overjoyed with the performance of the model 950. The other quirks like the UI issue are not that big of a deal.

I am however VERY dissapointed that when I put the model 950 on my equipment rack I found that the four feet are not level. There is at least an 1/8" difference in one of the feet that cause it to rock like a uneven fast food table. Where is the QC on that!!!!

I still will give it a fair chance and enjoy it for the trial period, but I also will be auditioning other pieces to get another benchmark against my standard, the Yamaha.