I bought a 950 off eBay about 3 months ago and have been extremely happy with the unit.
I have been looking over the specs for the new 970, but the only main difference I see is the DVI inputs.
I do not need DVI or HDMI because my Panasonic CT-37HX41 HDTV does not have those inputs (only component).

Are there any other differences that I am missing?
I downloaded the PDF Manual for the 970 and it reads basically the same as the 950 manual.

One thing that would be nice (that I whish the 950 did) was when using the CD Analog Bypass input, you have to select Bypass each time.
It would be great if you could have Bypass as the Default.
I have a Cal Audio Labs Sigma-2 DAC for CD decoding.

Thanks.

One thing I forgot, my 950 still has 3 years left on the 5 year warranty.
The new 970 only had a 2 year warranty. What's with that?

Just a quick FYI, the manual on the site incorrectly lists the warranty as two years. The actual warranty is 3 years.

Ok. Three years is better than two, but wonder why it's no longer five year warranty.

There's a pretty good list going in another thread here in the forum, looking at the differences between the 950 and the 970. There are actually quite a few of them.

• Pro Logic IIx processing
• Dolby Headphone processing (and a headphone jack)
• a third component video input
• transcoding of s-video and composite video to the component vidoe output
• discrete speaker distance settings for all eight channels (seven full range and the sub)
• options for digital bass management, analog bass management, or pure pass-through on the 7.1 analog input
• quadruple crossover instead of triple
• RS232 port for firmware updates
• AV sync delay setting, individually adjustable for each input

That may help you make you compare the two. Also, the 990 interface does allow you to define an input as "bypass" automatically; I think the 1070 and 970 share this trait (it was a common request from 950 owners).

This unit looks too good to be true. Does the 970 upconvert component to DVI? Also, if both the componet andthe DVI are connected is it possible to use a component input on the TV at the same time the DVI is connected? I would like to do a comparison without having to remove the DVI cable.

This is the processor I have been waiting for! I prefer to use a MC/MM phonograph preamp (Parasound). I have never desired balanced inputs, and don't need and would not use a second zone. I will be happy to allow a higher end Universal DVD player instead of relying on up conversion. What great stop gap before the next real standardizations of HDMI and HD sources! Thank you Outlaws!

The 970 does not convert analog (s-video, composite, component) video to digital (DVI). I'm not sure how the switching in the 1070/970 works (my 990 works somewhat differently), but since it is pre-defined you may be able to hook both DVI and component cables from a source that allows both outputs at once (which is not universally true - my HD cable box is finicky about it) and run both component and DVI monitor outputs to your display. A 1070 owner may be able to tell you more about that.

Ok, thanks for the info. I didn't know it had that many improvements.
I'm not sure what a "quadruple crossover" is.
I do hope that the Bypass mode can be selected as a defualt.

"Quadruple crossover" refers to the way the unit's digital bass management is structured. Basically, there are four separate digital crossovers - one for the mains, one for the center, one for the side surrounds, and one for the rear surrounds. Each can be adjusted independently to match up with the speakers used in that position. The 950 has a "triple crossover" (mains, center, and surrounds).

Somebody with a 1070 may be able to tell you how the bypass mode works - the 970 manual indicates that it's a little different than the 990.

Ok Thanks.
Now that the 970s are shipping, I hope we can get some reviews of it in the next week or so.

So now that some people have the 970, can "Bypass" be selected as the CD Analog Defualt, or do you have to press the bypass button each time the unit is turned on?

Sorry to jump into this so late, but what's the consensus on whether its worth it to upgrade from the 950 to the 970?

I figure that I can get around $500 for my mint condition 950 on E-bay, so the final cost will be about $250 to upgrade units (including e-bay fees and shipping costs).

I don't currently have a TV that is capable of accepting a DVI input in my family room, so DVI connections aren't a big deal for me right now (I'll probably upgrade my TV in a year or two once the 1080P TV's come down in cost).

I do like the idea of having an On Screen Display with the component video output as well as the front panel A/V and headphone jacks but I'm not sure those are really enough to justify the upgrade.

I've read the manual for the 970 to note the differences but now I'm still trying to decide if the video and audio performance of the 970 are improved enough over the 950 to spend the additional $250 to upgrade.

Any thoughts and comments from previous owners of the 950 and now the 970 would be welcomed.

Mick

I'd say significantly improved.

Depending on your video setup, the lip sync delay is a very valuable feature, as is the improved bass management, more precise delay settings, additional surround modes and other features. The ability to do software upgrades is also a major plus.

Sound? Most here seem to think it's a great improvement, but that's something you'll have to determine for yourself.

I would chime in and say that it is a great unit. It has integrated very well into my system and I like the ability to tailer the Crossover frequencies of my individual groups of speakers.

One thing to note about the on screen display; it is not active (on the component output) if you are using a HD signal. In my setup I am using a Cable Box which upcnverts everything to HD so I do not get the OSD when watching cable. I like this feature, in fact I would have turned off the OSD on the cable input.

Regards,

Charlie

Thanks for your opinions. Sounds like its worth the extra money to upgrade.