I still don't think this forum is the appropriate place for Ricky's comparison style; however, I don't think AGAssarsson
has identified a correct issue.

I have NHT speakers all the way around in my 950-based system and they sound just fine, thank you very much. (I also happen to have an Aragon amp in that system which sounds great.) So you just lay off insulting my speakers, AGAssarsson!!! (Glad you like your B&W's. They are nice, aren't they?)

More to the point, IMHO, is that Ricky's review is stylistically biased (like so much TV news, for instance). We don't have any standard here, just fatter/thinner, bigger/smaller etc. with the negative adjectives consistently applied to the Outlaw. It makes the Outlaw look like a loser throughout the review. Then, at the end, the writer "bails out" with a nod to the price/performance value of the 950. Unfortunately, that "nod" is impotent after the litany of negative-connotation adjectives that preceded it. (Even there, however, he can't help but assert that the 950 NEW remains inferior to another product that STILL costs $1000 more USED. See what I mean about his biased style of writing?)

Even more unfortunately, the price/performance ratio IS The Story where the Outlaw 950 is concerned. The 950 isn't the greatest pre/pro ever made; but for the money it's the best ride in the business and I'm glad I own one.

THAT'S the point, not some arbitrary comparison with another pre/pro that pretty damn well better sound superior at 4x the price.

I also object to the assertion -- in a subsequent post -- that Outlaw owners think Outlaw is the alpha and omega of HT hardware. I don't think even the Outlaws, themselves, believe that. We're not lemmings. Even so, Ricky's comments suggest that he's on a holy bubble-bursting mission. Sorry, my friend, but it's an unnecessary mission and, based on the comments here, an unwanted mission as well.

I AM interested in Ricky's thoughts, but I prefer to explore them on another site -- which is happening, by the way.

[This message has been edited by boblinds (edited April 08, 2003).]