While "runs both companies" might be a bit of an exagerration the same person is associated with both AT and Outlaw.

Speaking of differences...

The true test would be to open both units to make sure. I ran into a similar situation many years ago when purchasing my Pioneer Elite Pro-45 Rear Projection Monitor (still going strong after 13 years as my non-HDTV set). I paid considerably more for the Elite over the "standard" Pioneer RPM and the cost was supposedly justified by a couple of things - higher quality parts (closer tolerances), twice the warranty length, and, of course, that glorious ebony piano-like finish.

In the case of the RPM comparison I got the service manual and there were actual part number differences between the two units. Whether these differences reflected different parts or just closer tolerance parts is hard to say. But the Elite has served me well and has paid for itself many times over.

In the case of the "clones" versus 950 discussion, are there any such verifiable differences? I would suspect not, and the reason you can get the 950 more cheaply is because of the way it's sold. No "salon fees" and other matters to pay for.

Incidentally, I would assume that once everything falls into place the net prices of all these apparently identical units will be very close to each other. The 950 only offers any discounts that Outlaw chooses to promote whereas the clones are more subject to the world of supply and demand.

Speaking of falling into place, I'm reminded that today (1/31/03) marks the anniversary of my first exposure to the 950 as Beta Tester #1. (Think I'll start a separate thread on this not to clog things here.)

One year later and I still think it's a lot of bang for the buck. In fact, if I were in the market for a pre/pro today it still would be my first choice - all things considered.

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RAF

My HT (latest update 04/17/02) Now includes Outlaw 950 and Outlaw 755