I know that my curiosity would enjoy an update and I'm sure Outlaw would like to drop in here and offer some kind of news for us all, but based on what I've seen in the R-972 thread at AVS there are some bugs under the hood that simply wouldn't pass muster with the Outlaws. In light of the delays and ongoing problems Sherwood has had so far with the R-972, Outlaw may be unwilling to commit to anything until they have debugged firmware in hand. Considering the way the R-972 thread has evolved at AVS, I'd certainly feel that way.

The UMC-1 may not be the best role model for product development and release. Emotiva talked a lot about the UMC-1 for the two years that it was in development, including a string of promised release dates that were missed. They promised a stable product at launch, even going so far as to refer to a pre-production sample they had in early December as being operationally "perfect." They have upset a whole lot of customers over the UMC-1, which (roughly two months after its release) is still considered by some to be at a "beta" level of development.

This process is a weird juggling act. I don't know what the right answer is, in part because I don't know what the actual state of development is, but I know it's a difficult process to manage.

That's is why I went to the Onkyo 5507. The bugs it may have are minor to what you here about the Sherwood and Emotiva units.

I debated continuing to wait for the 997, or the XMC-1 or the new Halo unit, but I just do not have confidence that any of them will meet a release date and be bug free or at list a normal amount of bugs. The Onkyo/Integra units while certintly not perfect seem to be on the whole much better

While the UMC is far from perfect,it's out there and if you've never heard it, you should. The sound is fantastic. I commend Emotiva for putting up with the abuse. Sure there were delays, but every several months, Emotiva would update people on the status of the UMC, sometimes the span of updates were longer, but they came. When was the last time Outlaw gave any details about the 997?

While I admire gonk's continued positive attitude towards Outlaw, I think that most would agree that Outlaw really screwed up on launching the 997.

Having said that, I do not believe that it was totally their fault. Only idiots would pre-announce a product if they knew there were major problems with it, and I don't believe that the Outlaw folks are idiots. More than likely, they believed that this product was closer to production status because that's what they were told by the Inkel engineering team developing the core products and functionality (Inkel is Sherwood USA's mother ship in Korea).

But before we blame the engineering team, we should all remember that these products are hugely complex, build around advanced processing and computing chips that execute in numerous modes of operation, driven by complex suites of software. Getting it right, on time, is really tough ... I have worked in and around complex semiconductors for over 30 years, and have experienced and observed these problems first hand.

Having said this, it really is time for Outlaw to provide additional update on the status of the 997 for those continuing to patiently wait. The faithful is starting to lose faith in growing numbers, and the risk of not acting is that many more of the faithful will look elsewhere to get what they want.

C'mon Outlaw, it's time for an update.

Pete

The reality in 20101 on line is that brands have to have dialogs with their customers.

The silence created bad feeling, distrust and ultimately abandonment.

It's better to give bad news than no news at all because it creates an atmosphere of trust.

The only issue for the Outlaws is that as a small company they bet on a product that simply does not perform and they have no plan B. I hope I'm wrong, but silence suggests the worst.

Hope not
Rob

Perhaps if all who visit this forum were to avoid it (the forum) for a week in protest of Outlaw's failure to communicate with us regarding the 997, they (Outlaw Audio) would finally get their heads out of the sand and provide an update on the 997.

As for me, I am patiently waiting for the 997; but, if an Integra or other (sorry, Denon not included, horrible quality there) model with Trinnov came along, I am quite certain that I would jump ship too.

Outlaw's failure to provide a new pre/pro within a reasonable product life-cycle time period makes me wonder if they will be around to service the 997 (if it ever comes to market). Outlaw's track record of great product support/customer service will mean nothing if they are out of business.

So, I say to Outlaw, an update on the status of the 997 is ridiculously long overdue!

Throw us a frickin' bone here, lest you want the dogs to go wandering elsewhere looking for their food.

Seriously, it is time for an update.

Peter T has come on several times to provide updates, most recently here: http://ubb.outlawaudio.com/ubbthreads/ub...81611#Post81611 It is probably not in his best interest to post weekly, bi-weekly or monthly statements basically reverberating the same thing over and over, which is that there is no new news to report and that they are still in a holding pattern or trying to work out the bugs or both.

I have a hunch that Outlaw has several new products that they would like to release, including a 970 replacement, but they are stuck because of the 997 issue. Obviously the 997 is their flag ship product and releasing anything before the 970 would cut into the eventual 997 sales.

Finally, I would like to see Outlaw hold off even longer with the 997 because of future trends. Currently the new AVR's in production like the soon to be released Pioneer's will have have 3D and HDMI 1.4 capability as well as other features that do not appear to be planned for the 997. Of course we do not have the final feature list for the 997, but if you compare it with it's sister the 972, you can obtain a good reference of it's abilities.

Why release a product now that is basically behind the curve?

Fellow Outlaws:

As many of you have read over at AVS Forum, there are many issues surrounding the current status of the R-972, which in turn impacts the Model 997. We have purposely held off on any announcements about our product plans until we can provide you with reliable and accurate information, and we expect to have that shortly.

Please be patient for a few more days. We will have an update for you before the end of this coming week that will answer your questions.

Peter

Thank you, Peter. We are all hopeful that it will be good news.

Hmm, tic-toc, tic-toc.
Two years ago I bought the 7125 amp to power up and in anticipation of the "soon to be released" 997.
Still waiting, still bragging on Outlaw to my friends. I hope the news "soon to be released" is good. I have an entire system in my "other" room awaiting a processor. Every time I walk into the "other" room, I get this cold, steely-eyed glare from the components and sound system languishing in silence. I don't know if I can wait much longer. They are putting a lot of pressure on me to pony up for the "missing link".
C'mon Outlaw, let's make this happen!