Joe,

I purchased a 950b/770 combination in early October of ths year. I was hesitant to purchase a 950 because I too was thinking that perhaps it was a little long in the tooth, and I was thinking of waiting until newer features were available. I have not been disappointed in the least with my purchase, especially the performance that I get with the 950. My only regret is that I did not purchase this sooner. I upgraded from a Yamaha RX-V2200 reciever, which I'd augmented with a pair of Outlaw 200 monoblocks. The increased clarity and soundstage that I get from the 950 are far better than I was expecting. (Here's a link to my original thoughts: http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=15;t=001384 )

If you truly wish to step into the world of separates to see what it is all about, I don't think that you could go wrong with a 950. And as Gonk pointed out previously, you get a 5-year warranty from Outlaw. And I doubt if you could put a price on the excellent support from the good people in the Outlaw Forums.

Jeff