Joe,

I got my fiance an entry-level Harman Kardon and its remote has the same problem. And I agree, it's extremely annoying. Especially if, say, you turn off the 950 first, forgetting to turn off some other device; so you need to switch modes to turn off the device and the 950 comes back on.

Unfortunately, I think it's a limitation of the remote and there's little you can do except upgrade to a third-party remote. Frankly, while the 950's remote should serve well enough in the short term, eventually you'd probably be better making the upgrade.

As I've mentioned before, a very good bargain is the Marantz RC2000 MK II (not the Mk I). This was my remote of choice before I got my Lexicon 700t, and I still use my old Marantz in my bedroom with no complaints.

Perhaps in a few months, once your finances have recovered from this investment of yours ( ), you should invest in a new remote.

BTW, welcome to the world of quality separates. Unfortunately, the assumption with separates is that you've spent the money on nice components, so you'll probably be spending the money on a nice remote, and why drive up the costs making a good remote when you're not going to use it, anyway.

I mean, look at my MC-12. Fantastic surround processor: quite possibly the best you can get at any price. And yet, it has one of the worst remote controls I've ever used. I can't stand to use it, and it was the first remote I memorized with my Marantz: just so I could stop using it.

Or putting it another way: the crummy Outlaw remote isn't a bug, it's a feature.

Jeff