Actually, I think the 997 was supposed to be released at least a year ago, until they had to essentially start the design process all over again.

Do you have a source for your 3Q release date?

Yes, Outlaw said in an earlier update that they couldn't/wouldn't release their product until AFTER Sherwood released the R972 to the public. I contacted Sherwood today and they told me the R972 should show up sometime in April. I added a month or two to that to give Outlaw some time to fondle their design based on final changes at Sherwood. So it's nothing official, just me piecing together bits of info. This isn't really Outlaw's fault, but it shows some of the pitfalls of rebadging/re-engineering someone else's design when that other design isn't even in production.

Best,

That's why they usually don't say anything until the product is ready to ship.

We knew they had to be developing something a while back, but the first official word of the 997's planned existence was last October (four or five months ago), and that didn't promise a specific delivery date beyond "at or after the first of the year."

This comes from the 9/18/08 announcement:

This is from Peter's February 12th post:

Using "sometime in April" (I posted before that quote, so I was just guessing based on prior comments indicating sometime after March) and adding 60 days, I come up with sometime in June, but I assume there may be a few bumps in the R-972 launch that may push the 997 into 3Q 2009. Call it a mosaic, but that is how I came up with my comments.

well..I did it...actually I did two "it's". A few days ago I bought a DHC 9.9 for my main system . I would have loved to wait for the 997 but I was feeling the need for some instant electronic gratification. I love it and it's a huge improvement over the 10 year old HK Signature 2.0 it replaced.

But...just a few minutes ago I also ordered a new outlaw 990 for my living room system. I have an old HK signature 2.0 in there as well with a Threshold s500e amp and Magnepan 1.6QR speakers. After hearing the improvement in sound that the 9.9 made in my main system, I knew I would never be happy with the HK in the living room again.

Good power amps from 10 or 20 years or more ago are still every bit as good as what's out there today, but the preamp/processors have made leaps and bounds inprovements. They just sound better.

The HDMI capabilities of the 997 are not important to me in my living room system, because I really don't use that system for video much at all. It has a monitor and full 5.1 channel surround equipment, but it's not where I watch movies. That system is all about music and the 990 should be just what the doctor ordered for that application

Outlaw ships fast. I just got an email from them with my fed ex tracking number. It took them just a few hours after my order on line to send my 990 out the door.

Good job guys... I'll be waiting by my front door until I hear that delivery truck pull up.

Scott

Yup, when they have things in stock, they're johnny-on-the-spot with shipping. They're also pretty fast about shipping out replacement parts/products.

I just wish they'd get out of the habit of exceptionally long delays between new product announcements and eventual product availability. That has been an issue for years now.

Best,

I've been waiting since october 07 for 997. I had the 990 in my hands and decided to send it back and thats simply because the 990 sounded so much better then my onkyo, that I knew outlaw would make 997 something worth waiting for. My plans are for the 997 to be part of my system for a while and those of you that can't wait a few more months just blows me away. What the outlaw family has to offer is simply worth waiting for and those of you that had to deal with warranties or repairs from the other companies know what I'm talking about.
Ramon.

You're a very patient man. Personally, I buy a new product when I need it, not when a salesman promises me they think their product will be available "soon" and that I "should wait." The 997 looks like it will be a nice product. If they are available when I make my next purchase, I'll consider it. If not, I'll buy something else. No biggie.

I've run out of digital inputs on the 990 and I don't want to kludge in another hdmi switcher so I suspect the 997 will be late for my party. Sigh...

Best,