Gonk, you raise the million dollar question that only I can be answer. I'll think it over for the next little while and keep on eye on the technology. I am getting a new receiver, and I don't plan on replacing it for at least 6 years which is why I want the perfect one.

Anyway, thanks for all the info, it's much appreciated.

OK, I just got off the phone with Outlaw and it won't be until summer of 2007 when the new model comes out with HDMI.

They're expecting the format for carrying DTS and Dolby over the HDMI (ver 1.3)to be solidified Jan 2007, then the chip makers have to do their thing, then it'll be released to the electronics manufacturers, which brings us to Summer, 2007. There it is, the answer to my own question.

Summer 2007? That's actually about six to nine months before I was expecting it, and I still suspect it wouldn't hurt to toss some padding into that number - all it takes is HDMI v1.3 not being ready in January, or chip makers hitting a snag implementing it, or manufacturers like Outlaw having trouble integrating the new chips into platforms that will need to already be well through design and summer 2007 will be out. If more than one of those happens, it'd be easy to end up in the spring of 2008.

Very true, and there's a lot of opportunities for error with so many steps in the process. Another thing to think about is the 1050 was what? $499? Now the 1070 is $899, so what's the next model going to cost?

I don't know why, but for some reason, I can't see the next model coming out without custom labels. I guess because from a programming point of view, it's not that difficult, in fact I'm surprised the 1070 doesn't have it. I wonder if they could throw it into an software upgrade.

I doubt you'll see an escalation like that with the next generation of receiver. The 1050 was a nice unit for its day, but the video switching was only the most minimal (composite inputs switched to a composite output, s-video inputs switched to an s-video output, no component inputs, and no OSD), there was no bass management (analog or digital) on the multichannel analog input, and there was a good deal less processing horsepower under the hood. A successor to the 1070 will likely trade in the DVI for HDMI and tweak some other things (such as editable input names, perhaps). Just guessing here, but I doubt a replacement would break the "kilobuck" mark (or, if it did, not move far from that mark) - doing so would start to move too far away from Outlaw's core market.

Ok, seriously, this is getting ridiculous. It's now March of 2009 and all we're seeing is the low, low prices and great deals on the old 970's. When are the replacements coming? Why was the 1070 discontinued when the replacement wasn't anywhere near being released? I've now been waiting almost 3 years for Outlaw to come out with features that most other manufacturers have been doing for years, and this is like waiting for the second coming of Christ!
The constant advertising of low deals for the older hardware, to me, somewhat changes the company profile from "audiophile quality hardware" to "discount stereo shop".

It would seem that the Outlaws are not going to replace the 1070. The SN 972 would likely be their idea of a replacement since it is essentially the receiver version of the 997. Both should be available in the next few months.

I don't know that I'd abandon the idea of an Outlaw receiver. I would not anticipate a receiver based on a 990/997 level processor, as it would put the receiver's price tag above $1500 when their two previous receivers have been priced around $600 to $900 (when initially released, although both saw price drops during their production lives).

What we are likely to see down the road (after the 997 lands) is a successor to the 970. That would offer a platform that could serve as an opportunity for a new receiver. Or we could see something like the 1070: receiver first, then a processor.

I was told not to hold my breath waiting for a replacement for the 1070....

As in "never" or as in "not any time soon"?