I also think it would be nice to keep offering the 990 as long as possible - it's a nice piece of gear. My suspicion is that they've got an existing inventory of Model 990's and Model 970's that they'll keep selling until they run out. Unless they were really low and elected to order a "stop gap" batch it's very possible that the last 990 has already left the assembly line and taken up residence in a warehouse on the east coast.

I believe Gonk is right on target as usual. My 990 came from Johnston RI and it is a VERY nice piece of gear. It was made in China and the quality just shines through. I purchased another Pre/Pro before this and it was made in Malaysia and it didn't look as solid as the 990. The 990 IMO is a very nice stop gap till the 997 arrives. Once I'm fully set up with the 990 I bet I'll be smiling ear to ear for a very long time. JD

i'll probably wait until the 990 warranty wears out before I decide to upgrade. Since i'm still using component cables for most of my things except the DVD (DVI) there's not enough reason to move for me.