Well waddya know!

I just received an "997 Update" e-mail from Outlaw. Apparently they have decided to offer Onkyo 886's through Outlaw for $1649. The rollout of 997 may be a bit longer than 90 days after the S/N 872.

Hello All,
Its been a very long time since I've entered this forum. Gonk, nice to see that you are still here. I'm back because I'm looking forward to the release of the 997. I've been running an Aragon Soundstage for quite awhile, but its tech is getting a bit aged. I'm still an Audio engineer, and for those that haven't invested in Outlaw, I can give you a very hearty endorsement. Outlaw quality is top-notch. I still run a few different Outlaw pieces in my main rig. Good Wishes!
J.

LOL! You must have ESP, or insider information, with the release of the Onkyo information and all.

I am much in the same boat, buying a 7125 last year during the Thanksgiving sale. It is patiently waiting for my 950 to be replaced, and moved upstairs, by the 997 which will then run the 770 downstairs.

With all the delays, I would have bought the Integra 9.9 by now, if but for 2 reasons:
1. Too expensive ($2000), compared to the Outlaw. Although I did get prematurely excited when Sound & Vision ran a test report and said the MSRP was $999, LOL! It was obviously wrong and they ran a correction in the next issue. Their website had the correct price though.
2. Apparently nobody in WI carries it.

Thus I still await the 997, praying it does not have the problems the 970 had, and my 7125 is being used by an old HK AVR-20mkII for the center and surrounds for now, (sigh).

Funny... after the most recent comments about progress on the 997 I had a feeling we might get a response. Outlaw Audio definitely responded. Thanks Outlaw!

With this announcement I have to wonder if the 997 is further behind than we can guess. No one is sure when the 972 will be "released" and at least 2 months later the 997 may appear. The reasons I am waiting are also related to warranty and service. What happens to those aspects if Onkyo buys Outlaw outright? In this market it is not too farfetched.

This is amazing. To start selling and recommending your competitor's pre/pro? My goodness. I couldn't believe it last night when I got that email. This signals that there definitely are issues with the R-972/997 and that those issues will not be resolved quickly.

I have two questions for all you Outlaws out there:

• Is Outlaw saying that the R-972 has not been officialy launched by saying, "When you hear news of the Sherwood R-972's introduction, consider it a sign that the Model 997 is moving forward, but not the start of a precise "60 day countdown clock"?"
• Are they saying that the differences between the two units are now much bigger than they anticipated by essentailly saying it will take longer than 60 days to release the 997?

I am sad today. But with that said, thank you Outlaw for the open and honest update. Thank you for making sure this pre/pro is right. I will wait.

I doubt that we'd see that. Never say "never" of course, but I don't see the business case that would justify this for Onkyo.

I believe that is true. It matches what I've seen elsewhere - the R-972 has not launched yet, and the handful that are out "in the wild" are mainly with dealers or past customers who are providing some testing services.
That's harder to say. Maybe they plan to make some changes to the interface, which will require resources that may still be focused more on the 972. Maybe they are going to add or modify some functionality. It may also simply be that they are saying what I and some others have long suggested: just because the factory only needs 60 days, doesn't mean that Outlaw is going to sign off on the firmware at the same point in development that Sherwood does, so they may need more than 60 days to wrap up pre-production bug-fixing.
I'm a bit torn, myself.

On the one hand, I think it's a smart move by Outlaw, and it's an option that (aside from the Audyssey/Trinnov consideration) isn't going to be any particular compromise. The 886 is a mighty fine piece (nobody around here has ever suggested otherwise) and it gives Outlaw something to offer customers right now. That's good for the company, and doing this doesn't restrict what they do with the 997 at all. As an 885 owner, I particularly like the "Outlaw Guide" - I've gotten spoiled by Outlaw and OPPO Digital manuals. (What's really funny is my knack for buying too soon. I got the SMS-1 before Outlaw posted their guide for it, and I got the 885 before this 886 guide arrived.)

On the other hand, my wife has never liked our 885. Sonically it performs as well as the 990 did, but it's slower to acquire audio streams, the video processing creates some delays in the picture appearing, and the smorgasbord of features leads to a wickedly complicated interface. She preferred the 990, and so she's fully in support of giving the 997 a try (which gives me both an excuse to upgrade and a chance to try Trinnov). This deal does suggest that we've got more than a couple more months to wait. As you point out, though, I'd much rather they get it right than they get it to me right now.

There's an awful lot of whining and speculation going on here. It should be pretty simple. If you need/want a processor now, and don't want to wait, then buy one! If you want the 997, with all of the features that it promises at a price point that can't be touched by the competition, then wait. Personally, I've studied the Trinnov gear, and I very much want it in my next processor. Outlaw has served me well over the years. Be patient and let them get the thing right. Just my two cents.
J.

-Aragon Soundstage - Processor, w/ Video Switching, and Factory Upgraded Chipset
-HKPA200 (4 Channel)x2 - Amplifiers, Front and Surrounds
-Outlaw Model 200 - Amplifier Center
-Wharfedale Pacific PI-40 - Front, bi-amped
-Wharfedale Pacific PI-20 - Surround, bi-amped
-Wharfedale Pacific - Center
-Outlaw LFM-2 - Subwoofer
-Music Hall MMF-5 - Turntable w/MMF Phonopac preamp
-Dish VIP622DVR - w/ Optical Audio Interconnect
-Sony DVPNS700P - DVD/CD, w/ Optical Interconnect
-Yamaha TX-950 - Tuner w/ Terk Amplified Antennae
-Monster HTS500 - Power
All Outlaw Interconnects

Any advice on a BluRay player?

My recommendation right now is the OPPO Digital BDP-83 , especially since you have a processor right now that doesn't include HDMI.

Thanks Gonk,
I'll begin the research.
J.