Well, the wife has OK'd the deal, and I just ordered the 990. I've owned a 950 (paired with a 770) for about 2 years, and have been very happy with it. But the reviews and specs were too much for a weak-willed old guy to resist. Am looking for remote codes to plug into my Pronto TSU 7000 (I assume the 950 codes will not work). Have Mirages speakers all around and am really anxious to see how they sound with the 990 at the controls.

Saw the upgrade referenced, and the instructions reference the RS-232 port. Can the USB port be used as well?

Thanks to all for the great discussions about the 990, as they helped make the decision an easy one.

Mike

Yep - the USB port can be used to install firmware updates.

Thanks, Gonk. Hope to get to try it soon. Wonder of the shipment arrived this week as they anticipated? Guess I'll find out soon.

Mike

Got the 990 in and set it up in the "rough" (will tweak this weekend). A major problem developed - was watching King Kong as the break-in movie (I am amazed at the clarity of the sound at even "very" loud volumes). At the scene where the planes are shooting at Kong on top the ESB, we heard a thundering CRASH! We all looked around and realized that a plate on display on the mantlepiece in the HT room had vibrated off the shelf and crashed on an exposed piece of the terrazo floor. Have calmed wife down and removed all breakables (for more than one reason!). Is this covered under the warranty ? Seriously, this is one hell of a deal on this piece. Will experiment some more and muse here later. Thanks to all for convincing me to take the 990 plunge.

Mike

Set-up: Outlaw 990 pre-pro; Outlaw 770 amp; Mirage OM-5s in front; Mirage HTD-F as center channel; 4 Mirage HTD-Rs for surround and effects channels; Mirage BPS 400 LF channel subwoofer and Velodyne powered sub (150 watts); Denon DVD-5900; Phillips Pronto Pro 7000; DISH 811 HD satellite receiver; Mitsubishi 65611 65" WS Rear Projection TV

Mike, congrats on your new 990 pre. it's quite impressive. I've only had mine a month now.. and every movie i watch.. even after having seen some of them over and over again. it's a whole new experience again.

Tonight I was watching A History Of Violence.. and my friend could pick out crickets chirping coming out of the surrounds. MY hearing isn't that good. but i beleive him.

Thanks! I am learning more about its capabilities every day. Your comment about the crickets chirping mirrors the comment of my daughter (a LOTR fanatic). She told me that she heard things in the movie that she had never heard before!

Mike