Having become 'attached' to the 997 over the past year-and-a-half there was a bit of disappointment, but considering the newer specs of the 998 and how much Outlaw desires to have both a solid and cutting-edge product, they have my full support. My little Pioneer receiver is doing just fine so I don't have an immediate need to buy something else. Besides, I've been waiting several years to go separates, I think I can go a bit longer. Also, it gives me the chance to pay down some debts to more easily afford this unit.

I did audition a Pioneer Elite receiver, but didn't want to deal with HDMI issues and not being able to easily update the unit (In the event the problem was ever taken care of...) Then the other day I was rather unhappy about our Kenmore washing machine that will not properly wash clothes if you only throw in a couple items at a time (So what do you do if you only have a couple of red shirts and you aren't supposed to mix colors? Use the bathtub and ring them out by hand?!) so I can appreciate having a product that is not 'half-baked' and thrust upon the consumer, so many thanks to Outlaw for respecting me as a customer for not wanting to sell me a product that's not fully functional.

Same for me, my 990 is doing just fine and I had not figured I would jump on the 997 anytime soon. I will be more open to upgrading when a new pre/pro from Outlaw arrives.

I would also like to thank Outlaw for being upfront with us. The honesty is another reason I will recommend Outlaw to others.

Just wish they were upfront sooner. I have a 950 that I've been waiting to upgrade and last year would have been easier to afford an upgrade. Now that the 997 was so late and now cancelled with a replacement not slated until the end of the year I seriously doubt I'll be able to upgrade anytime soon. My window for updating has pretty much closed based upon what I'm guessing the price will be.

Hey! Good to see Outlaw is sticking with the 'too small to see jack squat from more than 2 feet away" display window.

Also, strange to see that the demise of the 997 will allow Outlaw to now refocus all their their time to work on a pile of other more neglected products/partnerships *AND* put all their time/energy into a lightning fast release of the 998. Outlaw staff must be thrilled to work two full time jobs in 2010.

Also, a $2000+ receiver will make buying Outlaw more than a little stretch over the mass market receivers.

Kind of funny to see the 997 in the "Discontinued Products" section of the Forum now...A discontinued product that was never produced...

Put me dowm as a Beta tester for the 998 if you need one. I can compare it against the 990 and the 886 in the same system.

Since this is a pre-amp having 9.2 outputs for the main room shouldn't be that hard. It's not like they have to fit in 2 more amps for the front heights. Also, having two independantly controlled sub outs for the main room could really help even out the frequency response. If Trinnov could be programmed to account for that type of speaker layout, they could work wonders. I'm lucky enough to have a R972... and although it has been frustrating, there is real potential. Hopefully Outlaw will be able to do a better job implementing the technology. One other note, having experienced Trinnov first hand, having front wides like Audyssey DSX is completely unnecessary, but I think the heights could really add some realism. Having DPLIIz to work from might make that easier, too.

You guys gotta be kidding!! They could have told us this a while ago. They let their valued customers hang until the last possible moment. Do you think this decision was made yesterday? Do you really think this "998" is going to appear by the end of the year, HA

I am sooooooo glad I jumped ship. The Onkyo PRSC5507P works flawlessly, sounds beautiful, looks professional. Good luck to you guys waiting for the next mythical Outlaw product, but I am glad I am not.

My guess is that I will get 2 or more years out of this Onkyo and by then the 3D standards will have settled, new 3D displays will be reasonable and the Outlaw 998, the Emotiva XMC-1, etc will be actually ready. Of course Onkyo, Integra, etc will still be ahead of them. Then we'll see what my next processor is.

You know when Outlaw offered the 886 at such a good price I thought there was some hidden meaning, but at that time I trusted them and decided to wait for the 997. I only wish I jumped sooner.

We don't know when the decision was made, nor do we know when they were allowed to make an announcement. They had a contract with Inkel. None of us know if the contract allowed them an out at any time and none of us know if they were contractually bound by a non-disclosure agreement. In terms of timing on the 998, none of us know when it will be available, but it sounds like it may be worth the wait. In the mean time, have fun with your Onkyo.

If you need something now, I can't fault the choice of the 5507.