The reviewer comments are very positive. He also pairs the 950 with the 770 and compares it to his reference Balanced Audio Technology amplifier. He mentions "when paired with my reference BAT VK-6200 the sound was warm, a bit laid-back, relatively spacious, decent if not super-detailed with pleasant overall balance" "If you audition the 950 at home, make certain that the bypass switch is engaged." "The differences in presence, tonal and textural makeup, image focus and dynamic contrast are quite large when compared to the digitally processed sound" "My reservation concerns a discrepancy in the transitional area from the upper midrange to the high frequencies, where I noted a consistent, if not gross, edginess. "Keep in mind that this was with Martin Logan's very revealing Aeon speakers" "It was immediately evident that the edginess I noticed with the Model 950 vanished when it was teamed with the Outlaw Model 770." Whether this was due to product synergy, the BAT amp's higher resolution or both, I can't say. But when you consider that manufacturers typically design pieces of their gear to be used together, it makes sense that the two Outlaw items would blossom in each other's company. I didn't just hear a smoother upper range with the Outlaw pair, but tighter focus, a greater sense of dynamic ebb and flow, and a more expressive, and hence involving, presentation. With these outlaws, the widest dynamics are not as dramatically renedered as they are with the very best, but they remain far better than I've heard with comparably priced separates and A/V receivers"

This is just a few issues I pulled from the article. I'll be interested in everyone's comments surrounding the reviewers preference for bypass mode vs. digital. Seems to me it is more an issue of the reviewers reference CD players (Arcam DVD player, BAT vkd5 CD player) having better DAC's than the Outlaw. When you use optical in, the Outlaw DAC's do the work, when you use bypass, the players DAC's do the work, right??