Sorry for not stating that clearer. I also have never heard the Lexicon, or the 950 for that matter, but I would be pretty sure the Lexicon would have the better overall sound quality. I'm also pretty sure that the Outlaw sounds great for its price range. I just feel that for someone who is building a current system, factoring out direct inputs, which are what would be used with SACD or DVD-Audio, is not a smart move. That one choice really handicaps the preamp. The ability to bypass processing is a big factor when considering preamps, at least in my experience.

With the "next best thing," I meant the different surround formats that opieie would want to try out. Sorry again for any confusion.