I have the 990 - 7.1 input - BDP-83 combination, and I am nothing short of amazed at the sound and picture quality. With adding the BDP I feel like I a jumped a whole another level, and I didn't really think that was possible (so to speak). I hope Outlaw does great with the 997, but I think they may have to rely on some new customers because right now I can't see upgrading to a 997 until I'm really looking for places to spend money (and maybe not even then at that point...how much longer is non-DVD video upconversion really going to be relevant?...and I remain a skeptic on room correction).

Re the original post - Nostalgia even if you end up doing other things, perhaps for the potential benefit of future readers I'll pile on and say folks should really consider a 990/BDP-83. You get to enjoy them immediately, and I think are likely contenders to last in anybody's setup for a long time.

Can someone comment on the important differences between the various 900 series models? Correct me if I'm wrong, but are the primary differences between the 950 and the 970 mostly in video connectivity? They both seem to offer the same surround modes (actually the 970 and 990 dropped one). Component bandwidth is more than double in the 990 and the 990 offers both phono input and 7.1 discrete (vs 5.1 discrete in the 970 and 950). It seems that if I switch video outside the processor and only need 5.1 vs 7.1 (I don't really have a way to truly setup a 7.1 system in my family room and 5.1 sounds good enough) and use an external phono preamp the 970 or even 950 (used ones show up on ebay now and then) might still be good enough.

Model 950 : Outlaw's first surround processor, introduced in 2002. Offered two component inputs but no video transcoding from composite/s-video to component. Offered Pro Logic II, but released before Pro Logic IIx existed (had a Cirrus mode that offered similar function). Used Cirrus 49300 processor, had a triple crossover, and 5.1 analog input had analog bass management.

Model 970: Processor version of the the Model 1070 receiver, introduced right around the end of 2005. The feature set is comparable to the 950, but updated by three years or so. Uses a Cirrus 49400, which adds Pro Logic IIx, a quad crossover, and some more discrete setup controls (separate distances for each speaker). Three component inputs, with transcoding from composite/s-video to component, and two DVI inputs. The 950's 5.1 analog input got upgraded to 7.1 analog, and the analog bass management switch was expanded - it also offers an option for digital bass management.

Model 990 : introduced in mid-2005, based on the Sherwood R-965/P-965 platform. Uses a Cirrus 49400, so the processing mode options are similar to the 970. As with the 970, there are three component inputs (with transcoding from composite/s-video) and two DVI inputs. There are also balanced outputs. Because Outlaw didn't develop the platform in-house, the analog bass management switch is missing, but the 7.1 analog input gets digital bass management. There's also the phono input. DAC's and sound quality on the 990 are a step up from the 950 and 970.

Thanks, that's a good summary. It looks like the 950 has the ability to select from 9 different sources (10 if you count the built in tuner). The 970 has only 8 sources (9 with tuner), and the 990 has 10 input sources (11 with tuner). The 950 does NOT put one of the inputs on the front panel, the other two do.

Compared to my Onkyo '702 receiver the 990 is still the best upgrade (though the Onkyo is 'THX' certified to some degree which the 990 isn't). However the '702 has problems routing video (limited BW maybe) so I route video using the TV to switch (it has 4 hdmi, 2 component, and 2 standard video inputs). I suspect a handful of gainclone amps might sound better than the 702's built in power amps, which IS something I can do to improve upon it.

The 990's front input can be assigned to rear connections (any of the digital audio connections and either component or DVI video), so it can be used without having something connected to the front. I used that ability. The 990 also allows you to edit input names, something that we really liked.

When comparing products like this, you also need to consider more than purely specs. For example, how good is the analog section? (The 950 and 970 are quite respectable, and the 990 is even better.) I would not be a bit surprised if a 950 paired with an amp like the 7125 would sound better than an Onkyo 702 paired with the same amp. (The receiver by itself would not be a fair fight.)

Is the HDMI audio capabilit similar to 7.1 analog in sound quality or does it compare more along the lines of Toslink

HDMI audio is a digital interface. It supports multichannel lossless audio in various formats, which optical and coaxial cannot do, but the sound quality is also dependent on the hardware around it.

So would I lose SQ through HDMI or is it comparable to the Analog input. My reasoning is that if the SQ is the same between HDMI and Analog using the BDP-83 for instance am I better off getting the 990 and using analog from the BDP-83 or using the 997 with HDMI

HDMI offers support for the new high-res audio formats - it's the best choice for digital audio with Blu-ray. Sound quality also depends on the equipment being used, though. We haven't heard the 997 yet, so it's real hard to say how it's analog performance will match up to the BDP-83's analog performance through the 990. You will have access to Trinnov with an HDMI connection to the 997.

I saw a post this morning on AVS from someone with a Yamaha receiver (a recently mid-level model with HDMI) and a BDP-83. He'd been using HDMI for a week or two and been very pleased, but based on some ongoing discussion about the BDP-83's analog section he hooked that up as well and tried it. He found that the sound quality via analog was clearly better than via HDMI, which is because the BDP-83's analog section is better than his receiver's analog section. Without having heard the 997, I would guess that the BDP-83 could match up fairly closely with the 997 for analog performance, but you won't be able to use Trinnov on the 997 via analog.

Quick question, is the Sherwood P-965 similar to the 990 (but it is missing the balanced outputs).