The Sony's list price of $1700 is presumably not the going rate these days. It seems to have gotten pretty good reviews at AudioReview, but the feature list (particular digital processing) lags a bit behind the 950.
I found a pretty good data page for the Sony
here . Pluses: a slew of digital inputs, AC-3 RF digital input for LD players, a good selection of A/V inputs, and a phono input. Minuses: the digital inputs are not addressable (they are all pre-assigned to certain inputs), no component video switching, some question about the usability of the remote (from AudioReview comments), old DD/DTS only (no DPL2, no DTS-ES or NEO6, no DD-EX, not 6.1 or 7.1 processing at all), no 5.1 analog input (?! - I can't quite believe that, but after finding
this SACD/5.1 analog bypass adapter I was able to confirm it), and somewhat limited bass management (this appears to have been mostly resolved in the 2.01 firmware upgrade).
From the specs, I'd go with the Outlaw 950 myself. There are fewer digital inputs, but you can assign each digital input to whatever input you want. There's no phono input or RF digital input on the 950, which would require the purchase of an additional piece of hardware if you use LD or a turntable. The digital decoding formats offer a lot more, and the bass management gives more flexibility. The component video switching is rated for HDTV and progressive scan DVD with bandwidth to spare. The 5.1 analog input is essential to anyone wanting to explore DVD-Audio or SACD (granted, Sony has good reason not to mention DVD-A since SACD is their baby) for the forseeable future.