in a few days, I'm very tempted to get the Integra 9.8. It would be nice to hear some kind of communication from the powers that be at Outlaw. We all understand the Sherwood Newcastle issues, but the silence is deafening. Are we looking at summer, fall, winter, or totally unknown?

I always thought the 997 would come out before the Oppo.

It's been quite some time since I thought the 997 could arrive before the BDP-83. After all, the BDP-83 started beta testing near the end of last year (although it was a long-running beta test conducted in parallel with the firmware development, as beta testers didn't have the full feature set operating until around the time the EAP started).

The last rumors on AVS put the 972 hitting the street soon (late April to mid May). Outlaw may be waiting to say anything until they have word about initial shipments - or for their partner (Sherwood) to have a chance to say something publicly. It'd probably be in poor taste to steal their thunder about a product announcement like that.

You likely won't see a 997 on the street until the end of summer at the earliest. Figure the 972 won't hit the streets for at least 2 weeks and when you delay the 997 by at least 60 more days you are at the beginning of August. With all the interest in the 997 it is going to be hard to get one at first. I hope someone like Gonk is already testing the beta version since it sounds like the platform is semi-solid. With all the changes in firmware factored in, it may be Xmas before the machine is ready to just buy off the shelf. I don't mind the delay since I want one for Xmas anyway.

I am looking at the Maggies 1.6 for a second HT setup. Any advice?? I would likely use my 990 and 7500 as the pre/pro and amp. I would really like to f=hear your impressions of the surrond capabilities of the maggies. I have read a lot of reviews but I would rather hear from an owner. I would probably use them in a smallish room 1600 ft3. I also have a huge room (8000 ft3)I could set them up in for music. Any input would be appreciated.

I feel like the Penguin in the bud ice commercials only waiting for the 997. Dooby dooby do.

Well, a mid-July or early August release on the 997 would fit my wallet a bit better. I just dished out the $$ for the BDP-83.

I seriously doubt that we will be seeing a street date any earlier than that.

XenonMan, I have a pair of Maggie 1.6QR's which are driven by a 990. The power amp was an Adcom GFA535 (100 watts/channel into 4 ohms and very good sound) but is now a pair of nOrh Le Amp II monoblocks (rated at 400w into 4 ohms) with a Yaqin tube buffer between the 990 and the amps. I think the sound is marvelous. Currently there is no surround gear and the 990 runs in stereo. But a couple of years ago we played the DVD of "Monsters Inc" (using the Adcom amp at the time and no buffer) and there was unmistakable surround sound, with both effects and voices coming from behind us, where there were no speakers. Illusion certainly, but a pretty convincing one to both my wife and me. There have been similar experiences with other material, but none as surprising as that.
So do the Maggies have surround capability? Yes indeed, even all by themselves.

I didn't know the BDP-83 was for sale.

To XenonMan:

The Maggies are a long story. When I first listened to them, I loved the "wall of sound," but they seemed dark and cut off at the top. I was planning to get some Martin Logans when I walked into "Stereo Unlimited" in Walnut Creek, CA, and heard a mod of the 1.6. The owner is a very eccentric guy, but he has a fantastic proprietary "super tweeter" that he wires into almost every speaker he sells.

With this addition, the Maggies become an airy, alive, transformed duo. For music, I wouldn't trade them for anything I've ever heard. I like them better than unmodified Maggy 3.6's. I don't know if you can find a way to get a similar treatment in Miami. The tweeter is mounted on top of the speakers, and it's delicate, so shipping from CA seems out of the question.

I do use the subwoofer with the Maggies for music, because the 1.6's don't go much below 50 Hz. And I would strongly urge you to use tubes for the Maggies - they weren't the same with solid state. My room is about 6500 cubic feet (14'W x 21'L x 23'H), and they can get pretty loud, but they did bad things with my old NAD AVR at high volumes. No problem with the Jolida, though. Now I just need a good turntable to hook in to the Jolida.

For home theater applications, they will give you a huge room of sound. Not as much punch as a box speaker, but I never really notice. The Maggies give you that "being there" quality, which is what I was after.

The clincher for me was when I took my wife to listen to the Martin Logan vs the Maggies. Women are thought to have a better ability to hear the harmonics of music, and in addition she has "perfect pitch." She saw the ML's, and immediately said they were cute. She saw the 1.6's, and said they couldn't go in the living room. But when the music played, she couldn't do without the Maggies. No contest.

I made a little website on shutterfly with pictures of my set-up. I keep my speakers in an unorthodox position - recommended by the Stereo Unlimited people. It creates a beautiful sound stage.
Link

Now I'll need new pictures with my Oppo (and hopefully 997).

It is currently being offered to those who got on the waiting list. It will probably be available for sale to everyone in early July - given that shipments till end-May is already sold-out.

Also, I am beginning to think that the 997 will arrive AFTER the BD-83 Lite arrives - no or minimal analog section - basically a digital transport/decoder . Oppo is supposedly exploring something like that. Such an unit, with < $300 price tag - if it arrives by Sep 2009 - would be a perfect complement to the new processors.