Decode DSD
Phono input ONLY if best quality parts, including Moving Coil pre-amp are used. Most vinyl guys go for excellent phono preamps.
As rbpett suggests: Media library streamer.
Balanced outputs.
To pay for the above, leave out AM/FM radio, satellite radio and internet radio.

Please enable a way to save all customized settings, and a way to easily recall them when things go wrong. In these complex units I expect that resetting the unit will be required from time to time, and having to go through a complete recalibration process will be painful.

I've been reading these threads concerning feature suggestions but I'm wondering what about the sound quality aspect? Since Outlaw plans to use another manufacturer, do they plan to upgrade the internal components as well as the better DACs they plan to use? Currently I'm using the DACs from my Denon 3930ci since they are much better than the 990 DACs so I'm forced to use the analog outputs. I also purchased the Sim I-3 integrated amp to power my front speakers for both 2 and 5 channel along with the 990/7500 since the Sim was a huge improvement in sound quality for both 2 and 5 channel.

Hopefully we will be able to save the settings externally on the USB drive

Outlaw won't be able to make everybody happy but I agree, quality phono over radio tuner any day.

Could you explain further? Are you wanting to avoid using an analog passthru? Or you think a DSD decoder in the 998 would be better than a DSD decoder in the SACD player? Or you want to be able to post-process SACD audio with bass management or other?

I think that the ability to decode DSD would be appropriate to include, but there's a wrinkle to it that people may not always think about. Unless you have a bypass mode that skips the DSP section entirely and DAC's that can convert DSD directly to analog (in which case you will need to be content to havd absolutely no bass management or other DSP), that DSD bitstream is going to be "decoded" to LPCM. Most SACD players that can output DSD over HDMI can also convert it to LPCM, making DSD support a nice touch but not a "necessary" feature.

I take it as a given that the 998 will "eat" a DSD signal as well, and with at least the same level of functionality, that the Onkyo 886 does. (And I agree with Gonk's comments on the matter.)

Gonk makes a good point. It used to be assumed that a processor had better D/A conversion than a player, but that is not necessarily the case anymore. However, shouldn't a stereo only SACD, for which bass management may not be an issue, benefit from a 'pure' DSD feed (via HDMI) to a processor that can be set so that it doesn't convert the signal to LPCM?

I still think that you've got to spend a pretty penny to get better D/A in a player than in a processor, and even when you do you still have to compromise on the surround processing (bass management, speaker distance settings, room correction). Aside from the BDP-83 (which can compare favorably to the Onkyo 885 and Model 990) and the BDP-83SE, you basically have to go north of $1,000 to get such a player. If you're looking at a processor with the feature set of the Model 998, that probably doesn't make a lot of sense.

DSD to LPCM is a different animal that D/A conversion, though. The value of retaining the audio in DSD rather than converting to LPCM is difficult to pin down. Some folks have said staying with DSD sounds better. Some folks have said LPCM sounds the same or better. Most of the discussions have been surrounding the output from a player, though, and not signal format internal to the receiver or processor - and the truth is that there are not a lot of receivers or processors available that can accept DSD at the DAC. If the Model 998 had DAC's that could accept DSD, I would be entirely in favor of a bypass mode that let DSD to straight to the DAC's. I also think that it's appropriate to support DSD input, even if it must get converted to LPCM internally. But I don't know if I would want DSD support to drive the analog design, as it is a compromise to bypass the DSP so completely (especially with Trinnov under the hood). If the best DAC for the job has DSD, then a digital path through would be smart. If the best DAC for the job needs LPCM, then so be it.