Sorry to hear about your mishap, Jack - do let us know how the Arcam works out.

The 965 uses a Home Theater Master MX-500 remote, which is a great remote that would probably add $75 or more to the 990's price. I was one of many people who voted for the MX-500 as the standard remote for the Model 950's successor, but apparently economics prevented it. Since a number of different good universal remotes have gained widespread acceptance in the market (including the MX-500), it made a certain sense to let consumers decide which brand and model of "super-remote" they want to invest their money in rather than raise the price and lock folks into getting an MX-500. I still would have liked having another MX-500 around the house, of course...