Spoonman I put you in the subject because I think you can help me most b/c we have similar gear. I see you at the Deftech Messageboard and so I know we must have the same equipment. Anyway, I am thinking about purchasing the 950/770 combo but would 1st like to ask you 2 questions..

1) Do you think the 950 is outdated? I mean, it seems it might lose all value once the 970 is released. How does the 950 compare with the Rotel Rsp-1068? Is the 1068 more up to date with its features? WHich do you prefer?

2) My second question has to do with speakers. I just purchased 2 Definitive Technology BP2004tl speaker. How should I wire them? I mean, I think deftech allows for spades/bannaplugs/interconnects/bi-wiring? Anyway, if you had these speakers what kind of wire would you use? Where would you purchase the wire? And what kind of wiring do you prefer spades/banana etc?

Thanks man, I appreciate the time - Hobo

I'm running Def Tech 7001s. I bought them through an A/V specialist that does alot of home installs for builders, as well as has a small retail outlet. They direct wired them. No ends of any kind.

As for the subs, if that is a question, they ran from the Sub Out on the 950 to a Y connector, the male end of which was plugged into the LFE In on one of 7001s. They then made another run from the Y connector to the other 7001 LFE In.

Personal opinion on the 950 is that it is close to being the deal of the century. It is one of those rare purchases that you look back on and have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. Everytime, I turn the system on I marvel at what I am hearing. Having said that, it took me awhile to get the system tweaked the way I liked it and to learn how to get the most out of it for my ear. But, you would probably have that with any prepro or highend receiver.

I read all these comments about the advantages that new propros and higher end receivers (balanced outputs, DPIIx, etc) may have and wonder what can they really add to my listening experience. Are they worth paying $500 to $5000 more for? If you are one those people (I'm not saying you are.) who just has to have the very best state-of-the-art items, even if you would not utilize all the features, wait. If not, you can always return it within 30 days if you don't like it.

I am curious to hear SpOoNmAn's thoughts on these two issues since he is both a well-informed DefTech owner and a 950 owner. As far as item #1, the 950 doesn't really seem dated to me. Instead, Outlaw's price drops have kept it competitive by slightly changing the target market: it is the least expensive pre/pro on the market (at least as far as I know), with the added bonus of having very respectable sound quality and a good general feature set. I do not expect the 950 to lose value when a successor is released, as Outlaw appears to plan to have the successor offer a broader range of capabilities. The 950 will remain a good sounding pre/pro with a solid core of features. As for comparing the 950 and the 1068, I would offer my old (but still updated) pre/pro chart . The 1068 lacks a tuner, offers two extra processing modes (Pro Logic IIx and DTS 96/24), lacks composite/s-video cross conversion, and offers component crossconversion. There are some other issues to consider, and from my own experience and that of some others outlined in this thread , the 950's sound appears to be on par with the 1068 while also offering better documentation and very good support.

Gonk already pointed you to a thread where I provided some information on the Rotel 1068. Basically my choice of the 1068 was a personal decision based upon some of the useabaility features of the 1068 such as the 6.1 bypass as well as the fact that it is a software upgradeable unit.

I do not believe the 950 is dated or I would not have considered it along side the 1068. The release of the 970 (or whatever it will be called) will not have as much impact on the resale value of the 950 as Outlaw's pricing of the 950. With the recent drop in 950 pricing I do not see them reducing it again any time soon, even after their new pre-pro is released. Since you would be paying $200 less than the initial price this seems like a great time to buy one.

The support issue is actually one you should consider. Outlaws support is pretty much a known quantity. Support for the Rotel will depend greatly on your dealer and thus can vary from great to nonexistent, so you should audition your dealer as extensively as you audition the component.