Quite a while back, I had some suggestions for the 990 successor.

http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/34/t/001195.html#000022
1. An overall limit on output level with individual input level adustments:

http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/ubb/get_topic/f/7/t/000221/p/4.html#000147
2. I was thinking of doing audio only with lip sync, keeping video separate. Obviously, audio and video will be together for the 997.
a. Would it be possible to control audio separately from video? I can't stand the network commentators when watching the (often pitiful) Vikings, so since I send all my HDMI through a separate switch, and use the 990 for audio only, I can listen to the audio from the local radio station, with the Squeezebox. There are other occasions when I separate the sources.
b. If you are considering a lower cost version of the 997, would it retain all the 997 audio goodness, but be audio only (with lip sync)? Wouldn't that be a long range guess!

please add a phono input on the new 997
thanks

I think it's safe to say that it's many months too late to make a change like that.

SoundOfMind, you could try watching the Twins

BTW SoundOfMind, I like your "[fool the wife if the 990 replacement looks like the 990]" idea. Based on my wife's reaction to my announcement last night that Outlaw announced the 997 I may have to try something similar.

Sorry to the masses for posting off-topic I just couldn't resist sharing either comment.

With the specs that are given for the 997 can anyone give a comparison to the Integra 9.8 or the 9.9.
I demo the 9.8 and liked what I saw and heard but as I said in a previous post I want to remain loyal to Outlaw.
Time is not the question quality and improvement thats' what is important to me.

For sound quality, we have no way to compare yet. For features, we're a little better off, but it's still early. They both have the Reon chip for scaling, they both use some form of TI solution for DSP, they both support decoding of the new audio codecs, and they both offer some form of room correction (Audyssey MultEQ or Trinnov).

It will also decode DSD over HDMI to listen to our multichannel SACDs!!!!!

Unfortunately, it provides NO bass management for players that only have analog outputs of SACD & DVD-Audio!
This from the company that gave us the ICBM ????

Sounds like you've seen some new details somewhere - I hadn't heard confirmation that DSD was supported or what was happening with the 7.1 analog inputs.