I have searched this site for comparisons of these 2 units, but have come up empty. Has anyone here compared these against each other? For power I am using a Parasound 2205AT with Klipsch speakers all around.

Gonk has a great comparison chart that includes the Ref 30. His link is in his signature but I will also include it here.
http://www.prillaman.net/950_chart.html

Sorry for the copyright infringment Gonk

[This message has been edited by desperado (edited November 27, 2002).]

Heh-heh. I think I can let it slide this time.

Also, while comparing the Ref30 to the 950, it is worth noting that one beta tester -- Merc -- actually had a Ref30 when he first received his beta 950. I don't recall the specifics of his experiences with the two, but I know he preferred the 950. Maybe later this morning I'll poke around the archives for some of his comments...

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thanks for the link, but I have seen the page before. I was interested in the sound similarities or differences in the 2 pre's. I found the Ref 30 for $1600, but that's $700 more than the 950. I was wondering if I am paying the 7 bills for the snob factor? I would gladly take the 30 back and get the 950 if the sound was of equal quality.

Now that Outlaw has aggressively fixed the 950 noise problems it is IMO a real contender.

The 30 has features the 950 lacks, but sonicly I suspect it would have a great deal less influence than other factors, such as whether your window curtains are drawn and speaker placement.

Of all devices in the signal chain speakers have orders of magnitude more variation in sound than anything else. Basically a low distortion (compared to the rest of the signal chain) speaker/room combo is almost impossible to attain.

They both look to be good units. The 950 is still kind of ugly, but that is a secondary concern I guess.

Just FYI, IMO and YMMV.

The real question, I think, is the 950 versus the ref. 50.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Gonk, did you reformat the table in your page recently? It used to line up fine for me but now it looks all screwy... as though a proportional font was used where a fixed font was required.

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Matthew J. Hill
matt@idsi.net

Haven't messed with it in a while. What browser are you using? It still displays fine for me in IE6, but I have noticed some quirks in Mozilla (actually Phoenix) just today. [Edit: as soon as I say that, the column spacing in Phoenix works fine... think I'll double-check the code anyway...]

Without having used/heard a Ref 30, I would say that based on some comments from other people (none of which I seem to be able to find this morning, alas), the 950 would be very competitive or outright superior. The features are very comparable in general, although the 950's newer formats (ES, EX, Cirrus Exta Surround, Pro Logic II) give it a slight edge. The Ref 50, however, may be a whole other story. Of course, I'm not sure what the availability or cost of the Ref 50 are. (It's on B&K's site now, but is it on shelves?)

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

[This message has been edited by gonk (edited November 27, 2002).]

The 'soundhound' version of the noise fixed units are not available and while I hope it won't be long, Outlaw doesn't yet have a date of when they will be available.

"The 950 is still kind of ugly ..."

Yes, but it ugly in an endearing way.

Some equipment is designed to be "impressive" in a way that attempts to intimidate the viewer/user along the line of "I am the Bombast model 1X mkII and you are lucky that I am here."

Paul

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the 1derful1