chulonga,
Yes, before I decided to go with Lexicon I looked at the other options out there but in my opinion Lexicon was the only true upgrade choice. As others have very elegantly stated, Lexicon products are, in my estimation, the absolute best with their proprietary matrix modes and their tweakability. An additional factor which finally sealed it for me was the commitment to upgradability that Lexicon makes to its customers. What can't be upgraded by either software or firmware releases is handled by a very generous upgrade path. For example, when the MC-8 was introduced owners of the MC-1 were able to trade in their equipment at a substantial savings. It's still going to cost you some money, but it's much closer to the upgrading by throwing away the old pre/pro philosophy that some people prefer (once you've made the initial investment commitment.)

Quite frankly (and not to ruffle feathers here, but just my opinion) based on the performance and features of the 950 I consider moves to Anthems, and many others out there not really significant upgrades but lateral moves. The 950 sounds just about as good and the additional features that contribute to the higher prices of these other units still don't get you Logic 7, the same degree of tweakability and, of course, the upgrade path of the Lexicon family.

A bit cultish? Perhaps. But the more I use the MC-8 the more I'm convinced that it is a significant upgrade. I'm not the least bit (no pun intended) sorry I treated myself to this new pre/pro.

However, to bring this into focus, I fully realize that there are a lot of people who can't afford to get an MC-8 or similar so I wish to remind people of how good the 950 competes sonically for an amazing price. (That's what Gene Lockaby was saying in his beta test of the 950). About the only other thing I might suggest would be looking for some of these pre/pros on the used market once more of them appear. That's another budget path to consider.

I hope this answers your questions regarding my position on this. I was happy with the sound of my 950 and relatively pleased with its operation (as outlined elsewhere) and getting a Lexicon was the only thing that I really considered seriously.

------------------
RAF

My HT (latest update 07/27/03)
Now includes my Runco CL-710 DLP FP
and Lexicon MC-8

[This message has been edited by Robert A Fowkes (edited September 01, 2003).]