[[WARNING: Blathering, pointless post alert]]

Aaaaah, the glory of Florida power. When I lived there (just east of Disneyworld on the inland waterway), one afternoon during a lightning storm, a strike near my condo actually lit up the lamp on my bedside table!!! Lost a computer modem but, fortunately, that was all.

We don't have lightning strikes like that in Los Angeles, but the power brown- and black-outs occur more frequently here than anywhere I've ever lived. I also swear by a little power protection (better than swearing at the lack of it.)

My sympathies on the death of your 950. A WONDERFUL preamp. The Outlaws are getting jerked around IMO on the development of the 997, which leaves us Outlaw Loyalists in a tough spot. I'm currently eyeing the Onkyo Pro 5507 (even though I have a prejudice against the company because of their notoriously poor customer service) and the Denon 4810 (a receiver, which would slightly take me out of SeperatesLand, even though I'd still use my Aragon amp to power the front channels.)

It's a tough situation.