If you ever doubted(as I did)the validity of those often used words used by reviewers that referred to "soundstage", "spacial", "presence", and others, I'm here to say they do indeed exist! My Marantz SR18 Receiver had the power, but I'm sad to admit how it compares (or doesn't)to what I'm hearing now - music that I knew was there before, but wasn't quite certain what it was. There it was all along, buried in the background. Anyone considering this combo should not hesitate. I can't imagine anything better for 3K. As hard as I try, no hum can be heard from anything, anywhere. The mids are engaging, the highs a bit bright but I attribute that to my speakers, and the bass is actually crisp and discernable. This is one happy Outlaw, dudes!

Anyone interested in learning more about the 9.8, there is a thread of 7000+ posts dedicated to it on avsforum.com under the amps/preamps category.