I am very happy with my 970. Sounds great and works great. If you can't spend the extra dollars or use the 990 to its full potential then the 970 sounds like the right answer for you. I have the "no audio" from time to time, but have not done the upgrade, by choice. I just haven't had a chance to rip my 970 out of my rack yet!LOL It really hasn't been an issue yet, I turn the 970 off and back on and everything is back to normal. Would I buy another 970 if I had to do "it" over again?? YES, I would.