Hats off to Gonk for his dignified repsonse to Mr. Pappas. His remarks were totally uncalled for. Gonk is a true gentleman and has helped many people on this board -- myself included.

I don't want this thread to veer further off topic, but as a fellow 970 owner, I cannot fathom why Art's 970 problems are so severe it has been banished to the closet. I encountered problems with my 970 that have been previously enumerated on the 970 board. But I have since had minimal issues since the firmware upgrade; and now that I understand the basis of the problem -- which seems to relate to an inability (at times) to lock onto the correct surround mode when switching sources / channels -- I have been able to mitigate it.

The unit has otherwise served me faithfully and has certainly exceeded my expectations in bypass mode as a 2-channel preamp. Is it perfect? No; but it's a darn sight easier and less expensive to maintain than my previous $2K vacuum tube preamp (1988 dollars) and a lot less noisy.

Art mentioned his audiophile friends' snub about the 970's "features." As someone who has been both a hobbyist and, at one time, a seller of high end gear, I guess I'm a bit jaded since I've been around the block a time or two. But I have to scratch my head at how a few minor issues with a budget unit like the 970 have grown to such huge proportions.

True frustration is a $40K pair of IRS Series III speakers that you can't demo because they keep blowing EMIMs and EMITs; or hoping the silicone goo in the tonearm well of a $2,000 turntable will make it to your customer's house without spilling all over the platter. The 970 --warts and all -- is a cake-walk compared to the mega-buck, finicky audiophile-grade stuff out there. Put that in your audiophile pipe and smoke it. :p

I hope Outlaw fixes the last of the 970's issues soon so we can all put them behind us; but I hope owners keep things in perspective on an otherwise great pre/pro and will enjoy the unit for something other than an expensive door stop.