Quote:
"If anyone has read Mark Knight's review at the HTF it should make you feel pretty secure in the 950 as long as they fix the hiss problem. In his opinion the main difference is upgradeability, not really the sound."

Yep, the 950 is one great sounding piece of HT gear and believe me, I would be keeping the 950 in my system had I not stumbled onto a 1066 for only a couple dollars more then the 950 as I am unemployed and have to really make my HT dollar stretch these days until I get my own business started and have money coming in again.

My 950 did not have a big problem with hiss but it was on the same level as my Sherwood Newcastle R945 and both had a higher hiss level then the 1066… but again you had to be up at the speaker to hear the hiss and I could not here any hiss once I moved away from the speaker. I did speak with the Outlaws today (nice bunch of guys) and it does seem like they have fixed the “hiss” problem. It would be nice to compare another 950 with the fix applied to the 1066 but alas my 30 days are up and shipping the unit back to the Outlaws cost money… which, like I said I have to watch closely these days.

Quote:
“My sacrilegious opinion is that *some* people prefer the Rotel simply because it's more expensive, and that's how they justify the higher cost to themselves...”

Since my 1066 was only a few dollars more then the 950, I can say for sure I was not swayed but this theory at all. As my review over at the HTF states”,

“Sound:..... OK then, onto the most important part, the sound: Both units sound very, very good and sound almost identical, with the Outlaw sounding a bit “brighter” then the 1066. The 950 might also have a bit more detail (my guess would be because of the DAC’s) but after switching back and for between the two units in 2-channel stereo using the digital output from the CD changer, I could not discern much difference if any. With 5.1/7.1, I also could not tell between the two units except with Gladiator in DTS-EX mode, it seemed a little “brighter” with the 950. Both units blow me away when watching all my favorite demo scenes from the best DVD’s. I can tell you it is not much fun switching cables back and fourth between them and trying to listen very closely to each unit while remembering the previous ones sound. I like the sound of both units and I think just about anyone would agree they both sound very good.”

I really do not think I could tell the two units apart in a double blind test with most source material. And I put the “brighter” in “” because I am not convinced myself that it is really brighter… it could just be that the unit is more accurate and passes the source signal more accurately making it sound to some ears “brighter” and/or the DAC's could be playing apart in this also.

Bottom line… You just can not go wrong with the 950 for the price the Outlaws are offering it for…. period.

That said… I really do love the Rotel 1066 (I will have both reviews and the comparison review of them on my web site once it is back up and running) and I must say, it is very cool of the Outlaws to let threads like this thrive on there own site. My glass (filled with beer of course) is lifted to them!

------------------
-Mark
**** Digital Vortex ****
The Digital Electronic Site
www.digitalvortex.com