I have to agree that the 950 is basically bright, forward, and yes often harsh. Using an old Rotel Prologic Pre/Pro as a reference, it can mute some details, but basically has a very smooth and rich presentation.

Since the rest of my system is on the revealing side (ES9000, B&W Matrix 804's, etc.) the 1066 may be what I need to get a fuller smoother sound if its similar in character to the 960AX pre/pro the 950 replaced for me.

As much as being revealing, detailed and "accurate" was touted by the beta testers, the reality of that is that much of your material (music and movies not optimally recorded) is not going to sound as good as with a smoother warmer and ultimately more forgiving component.

My question is, does the Rotel 1066 carry on the basic Rotel tradition of being smoother and warmer, if somewhat less revealing than the 950?

For those who've spent lots of time with both, how would you characterize the differences in sound quality for 2 channel and HT?

For my system, the 950 is still too harsh and bright for my tastes, and yes I'm approaching 30 days (plenty of time to burn in).

I'm considering holding out for the AVM-20, but maybe the 1066 is enough of a step in the right direction. Unfortunately no local Rotel dealers will let me audition the unit in home..