DOJ also bought his second Emo used, and I'm not sure what he paid for it - if he got a good deal on the used unit, that may have been a factor in his decision to move back to the Emo.

The Emotiva is at a significantly different price point than the 990, and the two offer different things. The only reason the two are likely to be deemed "competitors" is that both are sold from online-only companies. With the general parity of feature sets (a comparison method where the 990 actually has the advantage), the Emotiva needs to bring something extra to the table sonically. How much of an extra something is there I can't say - although as good as the 990 is, we are already moving into the domain of diminishing returns.