i've been a fan of bob carver for 30 years and have owned (and still own) phase linear and carver pieces, and also like the sunfire line.

at the CES show, the sunfire listening room was, to me, one of the most impressive sound-wise. (though, those 'rooms' are all sound treated and rigged with the best of everything to insure the best performance of the pieces shown.)

yes...i'm unusually fanatic about the low end of sound reproduction. i designed and commisioned my own bass guitar and waited 15 months for it to be built to exacting specifications due to years of hearing my work be butchered live and in the studio. i've heard many, many playback systems over the years.

this is what i like most about my 950. the low end is warm, full, accurate and CLEAN. i tweak a very sophisticated discrete LFE discrete RB system i designed and had built, but, any given system only has the ability to tweak what it receives.

also, the midrange is nuetral and the highs are remarkably detailed. it has all formats. it's simple enough to operate (and if any part of the 950's navigation quirks confound you, you have this forum...a BIG plus). it's cost is truly amazing. it's warranty (which is fanatically backed by outlaw, and, therefore MEANS something) is one of the best.

after 35 years of stereo (vinyl and tape) and 20 years of cd, i'm way past ready to move on, so, i practically never listen to it. i therefore, have no opinion about the 950's abilities in this area.

however, when it comes to multi-channel (dts-cd, dts, dd, sacd, dvd-a), i can't say enough good about the outlaw 950. i hesitate to recommend any product or company because it can erode your credibility for zero profit, but i highly recommend the 950 to anyone...often!

preamp/amp is better than receiver and amps are getting smaller, better and cheaper every minute, which makes this more true each year, to me.

finally, in my posts, i use the word 'system' often. the entire chain from source to speaker and placement, calibration and room are all equally important to multi-channel listening enjoyment.

from production to engineering to software to placement to calibration to fanatical tweaks of every kind (heck, we even have a world-class conductor around here, someplace), the saloon will help you maximize your purchase in every way.

bob carver is a very cool guy and sunfire makes great products...but...the 950/770, all things considered, is the winner...buy it.