The VSX-54TX has a nice array of features, and in spite of the $1500 MSRP I'm sure that some online shopping can turn one up for around the 950's new price, but I would be dubious of the suggestion that the 54TX would sonically be an improvement over the 950. It is of course possible that some people have tried both briefly and preferred the 54TX, but there are also cases routinely where the first impression with a new pre/pro is negative due to configuration mistakes. (For example, I have a co-worker who bought a Rotel RSP-1068 pre/pro and Rotel amp last summer, and spent the first weekend with it miserable because there was no low end to speak of - because the speakers defaulted to "small" with an 80Hz or 100Hz crossover to the sub and his system didn't have a sub to reproduce that low frequency material.) With Outlaw's 30-day return policy, you could always let your ears decide for you. Having owned a 950 for a while, I can comfortably say that the 950 would certainly work very well for you - not to mention the superior customer service you'll get from Outlaw (five year warranty rather than two, real people answering the customer support phones and able to give real support, and a group here in the forum with a wealth of knowledge).