mzpro5,

Welcome to the forum. Right now all anyone really has is the paper specs of both units to go by. Noone has a 970 yet and has evaluated its performance. If you definately want second zone capability and a phono input, I think your choice is clear though. Go with the 990. If these aren't that important (I would think the phono is with 1000+ records though -- you could always pick up a cheap receiver for patio listening) think about the 970.