Which Reciver?

I'd take the Arcam hands down over the others; it is in another class. It really is a quality unit and very, very good at stereo reproduction. Buy the Arcam and don't look back.

I concur with C123666. I also have the Arcam AVR 300 and find it to be the equal to most separates. I would recommend it highly.

I would go OutLaw first because they are seperates, Arcam second, and Nad third. I own a Denon 3805 which I'm very pleased with, if I had to do it all over again I would have started with seperated. Budget at the time and space are the only reasons I went with an all in one receiver.

Just because they are seperates, does not mean that they are automatically better.

Arcam, Rotel and NAD are reputable companies that make very nice gear, regardless of whether it comes in one box or not.

The Arcam is a very nice piece which is fully up-to-date and should serve you well for the next few years until the upgrade bug bites again.

The NAD is a nice sounding piece as well but at times has been plaqued with faulty build quality and buggy software. It sounds nice as I said, but to my ears, the Arcam is better for music and even more so for movies.

Lastly, the Outlaw seperates are really good value but considering how old the 950 pre pro is, it may not be your best value out there. It is terrific for movies but in my opinion lacks the musical quality of both the Nad and the Arcam. It also has the fewest decoding features of the bunch you listed.

I should point out that I upgraded from a Nad to the Outlaw and was quite happy with the results as I could live with the fewer processing options the 950 delivered. Since that time, I've never gone back to a receiver although the Arcam 300 is a tempting alternative but for me, is just too expensive here in Canada to justify the costs.

Best of luck on your decision.