Why would you see reviews before a release date? The reviews from sources like Home Theater or Sound and Vision will follow months after we have seen it ship to consumers. They have to have hardware before it can be reviewed. That's the way it always is - and has to be, unless you want them to design it, build it, stock it, and sit on it until a professional reviewer can use it, write a review on it, put it in the queue for publication, and it finally appear (which would take up to six or even nine months for a print review, and probably at least four months for an online review - if the reviewer made it their top priority, which they have no reason to).

My Model 950 and Model 990 reviews came pretty quickly after they launched (albeit not as quickly as my OPPO beta test reviews for obvious reasons), and I'm seriously considering a Model 997 purchase such that you might see a similar review from me shortly after launch. In fact, mine might even include a curious surprise (I'm not telling yet, and it's unrelated to anything Outlaw, but it's an idea that I think folks might like). The initial feedback is going to come from consumers - people who like the feature set, like the price point, and are willing to use the 30-day trial period to give it a try. Those consumers and forums like this one are the first source of useful feedback.

I think a January release is the earliest we might see something, but that's just me guessing - and I really suspect that it's likely late January or February. I could certainly be wrong, but Sherwood hasn't even got their R-972 in production yet and I have to think the Model 997 will need to follow behind it at least some.