Item One: I can confirm the 17.25 width dimension (faceplace and cabinet sides are the same, and you can see my measurements here . As psyprof1 points out, there are a lot of ventilation slots on the bottom. There are also a few on the rear top, but none on the side. My 990 is in a cabinet that sounds similar to yours, and it has no problems with heat rejection.

Second Item: I believe that Outlaw is a bit more layered than you are guessing. Scott and Steve take the brunt of the tech support calls (hence Scott being busy if Steve's on vacation - especially since I suspect based on the recent increase in site traffic that they may be seeing an increased call volume from people with technical questions before they buy), but that doesn't mean they'd be the ones to pull the cover off a problem unit and make repairs. I don't have any sort of company org chart to refer to, but I think I can be pretty accurate as far as that goes.

As for the reason that Lexicon, Parasound, or Anthem charge 3x or 5x or _x more than the 990 for a processor, I doubt much of it at all has to do with the number of service techs on staff. The bigger driving forces are manufacturing, distribution channel issues, and R&D. A used Lexigon DC-2 may be comparable in cost, but it comes without a score of features that most people expect today (no 5.1 analog input, just to name one, not to mention all the newer processing modes) and as BloggingITGuy points out it's warranty will be long gone. Outlaw minimizes manufacturing by teaming up with the most reliable and cost effective factory for a given project (Anthem, at the opposite end of the scale, owns their own factory and even machines their own faceplates in-house). They take the distribution channel issues such as dealer mark-up out of the picture. Product development still costs them, but they are very selective about features to include and again work to find partnerships that will help with that cost (such as building on the highly-regarded P-965 platform for the 990 or, going back a few years, granting the manufacturer of the 950 - Eastech - the right to offer the 950's platform as a basis for other companies to produce "clones" of the unit, which led to clones and cousins of the 950 from Atlantic Tech, Sherbourn, and Fosgate Audionics).

Stepping back and looking at your question in more general terms, your concern is whether you'll be able to get support for your 990 down the road. There's a five year warranty (transferrable, I might add) and nearly seven years of company history in which they've made a name for themselves as a company with excellent customer service.