That makes sense as the cost differential of the spin-offs is more than would be warranted by mere cosmetics changes. Expect to see a lot of 950s on Ebay after the spin-offs hit the market. Upgrading to the "A" version of the ICs in the analog section alone should address a good deal of the hiss issue. For the life of me, I can't understand why Outlaw didn't just pop for the higher spec'd ICs and just charge $999.00 for the unit in the first place. I bet they would have sold just as many units, and avoided all the bad press because of the hiss issue. I know that I wouldn't have thought twice about purchasing the 950 if the advertised price been closer to $1000, as it still would have represented a great bargain. Purchchasers of this kind of equipment who patronize companies like Outlaw love a good bargain, but I don't think they are are as concerned with "doing it on the cheap". People wanting a cheap unit would be more inclined to purchase a 'home theatre in-a-box" at K-mart I would think.