Not that buying the 990/770 combo is a bad thing or anything but when the the 790 comes out all of you all will be trying to unload those 770 for a shinny new 790. The thing that really drew my attention was the fact that the 990 literature really pushes the XLR balanced out puts, yet the 770 does not have balanced inputs. Only guessing I would say we will see balanced inputs besides more power (Tim Allen)!

The 790 will include balanced inputs as well as the rather loony 300W/channel, which would make it the only balanced amp in their line-up (assuming they don't change anything else up). Sadly for the folks watching Audiogon and other sites (always excluding the forum, of course, since we're not allowed to sell used gear in the forum), power amps generally hold their value very well. Even the discontinued Model 750 looks to get 70% of its original retail price, and it's been discontinued for close to 3.5 years. (By the way, the Model 750 in my equipment rack isn't going anywhere any time soon. ) I doubt that the 790 will create a noticeable increase in the volume of used 770's available, and the price of those units that are being sold will probably not change much from where they are now.

Hey Gonk looks like you are in the know! Is that 300W into 8 ohms? Holy shoot out!!! If so that means like 500w into 4 ohms. I am using Polk LSi speakers with a max rating of 250W into 4 ohms. The Polks are very inefficient but I think 500W would be too much. I really want to get the Outlaw 990 and an amp with balanced inputs to go with it.

The 790 will probably not arrive for a while - the indication I got from folks who made it to the HE Show in New York was that it was undergoing some redesign to reduce heat production. Yes, it will be 300Wx7 at 8 ohms. No word on the output at 4 ohms.

The new 790 will not be arriving till this fall. This is what I was just recently told. Actually I would be surprised if the 790 made it out before January or February of 2006. I was not told this... it has only been my experience with new electronic units being released into the market.
I was also told the new 790 will have a new look to match the 990.
I was also told the 790 and the new replacement of the 770 will have balanced inputs.
Another note I just found out is the 790 will also have two... yes that is right two power cords that will require two dedicated circuits. Wow!! This thing sounds like it is going to be one power hungry beast.
My big question is, as a current owner of the 770, will the increased price of several hundred dollars over the current price of the 770 be worth it?

Craig

Pat Sklenar came back from the 2004 HE Show in New York with some good pictures of the original Model 790 design (which was apparently sent back to the drawing board due to heat generation issues). The rear panel photo shows both the 790's balanced inputs and the two power cords. Since the Model 790 is to be rated at around 300Wx7, basic math dictates two circuits to provide enough power - a single 15A circuit in a 120V system will only give you a maximum of 1800W of power (which actually ends up being less due to the nature of a 15A circuit breaker). Figure in the inevitable inefficiencies of an amplifier, and that leaves you a long way short of 2100W of audio power output.

Personally, I can't imagine electing to move up to 300W per channels, so for me the Model 790 is just a curiousity. As for the difference between the Model 770 and its balanced replacement, I wouldn't choose to replace the original with the new solely because of the faceplate or the balanced input - but that's just me...

I am with Gonk on this one. I have no plans to upgrade my 770 for the 770's replacement. The front of the 770 is a nice black amp which will match pretty much any component I upgrade to in the future, so I have no issues.