That's the impression I got - in an AB comparison you could tell that you were listening to two different processors, but it was a close contest. Keep in mind that we're talking about the 990 and the "big dog" in this case, too - and the DMC-1 is basically a re-badged Sunfire Theater Grand 4. The "UL" LMC-1 has been a more elusive target, since it has been backordered for some time after filling the pre-orders. At least one LMC-1 owner compared it favorably to the 990, but the LMC-1 has had a really hard time with firmware problems that has made it difficult for me to get a clear picture of its capabilities. It's also worth noting that the LMC-1 uses almost exactly the same DAC as the 970 (a DAC that Outlaw has said is not as strong a DAC as the chip used in the 990).