Thanks for the input. I did separate the rear speakers (the 950 manual also suggests this separation).

My 770/950 combo has arrived and I have been spending part of Friday putting everything together. I just started to tweak the system and have been playing around with different modes for both CD's and DVD's. The difference over my old setup (Yamaha receiver-80 watts times 5) and new 7.1 system is clearly noticeable. I played two classical CD's and they have never sounded better, I tried DD-EX with Starwars 1 (Phantom Menace) and it never sounded better.

I did run into one problem-a hum but I was able to isolate it (the manual's first suggestion) in the cable TV system. A call to Outlaw support resulted in 2 suggestions-get a ground loop isolator and call the cable company.

I called the cable company and they admitted that their installation may have been faulty and they are checking into it. They may have to send in a tech to check the outside wiring where the fault seems to lay. In the meantime I can live with the problem (either I disconnect cable when playing a movie or CD) and I did notice when sound is coming through the system (instead of silence) the hum disappears.

All in all, I am pretty happy with the result and 7.1 is a noticeable improvement over 5.1.

John