Hi,
I got my 970 last week after a full week of periodically hitting the refresh button at the fedex site. It was replacing the Marantz 4400, which I was using as a preprocessor for the NAD S250 Amp. What a difference!!
With the 4400, I had done a lot of tweaks to bring the 60Hz hum from the pre-outs to a manageable level. Even then I had to use the trim levels on S250 to keep the noise down.
For 970, I have the trim levels turned all the way up. Then, I can hear a tiny hum when I put my ear next to the speaker.
The sound is way more dynamic and the quiet passages are extremely quiet. I had some trouble setting it up. Steve came through (Thanks Steve) and even sent me mails on the weekend. For some reason the CD that I was using (KFOG live from the archives Vol 12) would refuse to play in Stereo. It would play in other modes. Other CDs seem to work well. I will keep poking.
Here is a summary of my experience so far:
Sound Quality seems exceptional! Don't know what else to add here. Bass is well defined and there seems to be almost no bleed between the channels. The imaging seems really good. I had not realized how bad the situation was with my 4400.
Setup is simple. I can go in and out on the fly.
No issues there.
Can't think of anything else to add.
The reason for this mail: If you have any questions, I can try things out with my unit and post responses here. This way, I too will get to learn how to set it up correctly. Keep in mind that I may be limited by my equipment:
1. 970
2. NAD S250
3. Rocket 750, 200, 330, UFW10
4. Cambridge Audio 540D
5. Airport Express.

-Sandeep

Just also purchased a 970, but not set up yet. Are you using digital or analog input from your DVD player? I plan to use analog.

sandeep,
I am the proud owner of a 1070, same platform as the 970. I have a "Live From the Archives" and it becomes "locked" as well. That is, when starting out in stereo, the 1070 won't toggle to other formats, like 5 stereo. I have a very few other CDs that exhibit this behavior as well.
Ragnar