I don't listen to radio very often. When I do, it is usually AM radio and not for music. So for me, I would want it included because I would hate to have to put another separate in my system for a medium I rarely use. With that said, I like the idea of a multi-source separate, I just wouldn't want to be forced into buying it because my pre/pro didn't have a tuner.

A front panel USB port to update firmware is an absolute necessity.

What I have found in some products with tuners is that even when listening to other sources, the tuner stays on so it's flying as soon as the selector switch changes. This can affect the audio quality of the other sources due to myriad mechanisms. As long as the power is switched off to the entire tuner section when not in use, it will not cause such problems.

Not really a feature or something that is very likely, but I would love to just get a bi-monthly or even monthly progress report on the 998's development.

Good idea Pete. Not a promised ship date (which always changes, for good reasons), but a progress report so we can plan for it over a range of months. Q4 this year? Q1 next year?

I have been in the market now for about 6 months and 3 things keep me from pulling the trigger on any purchase of a pre/pro

1.Paying for features that do not elevate sound quality
2.New "upgrades" in the content i.e. 3d, Blu Ray interactive etc
3.Sound quality

Number three is the biggest. I came down to Primare and Cary as most eligible candidates based on sound quality. That is for 2 channel or multi. Primare is a close second. The Cary is an audio only product and yes the users can't tweak it into another form, but for the essential function of making quality sound, it has few rivals. So here is a suggestion to Outlaw, or rather a couple of suggestions.

Start with the sound! Build a platform for best sound quality at a disruptive price point! Make all this other stuff about features modular! Or use the Cary concept of 2 boxes. If the sound excels, I mean high end quality, the price point can elevate slightly and still dominate the market. The NAD 175 should be the target. Make it sound better and at around the same of slightly less and you could not keep them in stock.

I make this point because I watched the BLU Ray version of Avatar over the weekend. It is 90% the experience in some fashions and exceeds in others. If you do not have a video display that is roughly the same proportions as an imax, a lot of the psycho visual and acoustic effect is lost. Sure 3d may be cool in theater but that gives us all a reason to get out of the house.

Sound Fellas! Focus on the sound! It a drug to some of us and if you keep delivering you will have addicts er customers for a long time.

System:

990
B&K Ref 200.5
Rogue Audio Metis (HT theater bypass for 2 channel)
Oppo 83se
quad 22l2
Quad Center
PSB Alpha Rears
Jolida 100a
Lynx Aes16 audio card and DIY music server
Benchmark Dac

I would love to eliminate the 2 channel, save some money, and add more content, but the sound from the 990 or any sub 2k pre/pro just doesn't make listening enjoyable.

humbly yours,

PS

Forgot the REL t2. for those that worry about sub base features not being available in analog, it is a great alternative. For movies it adds enough ( and I know this is subjective) punch but for music it is superb and relatively ( again I know that term is subjective) affordable.

I guess I am what is referred to as a troll. I have been reading with interest and ultimately sadness of the demise of the 997. That caused me to expand my horizons and hence the Primare and Cary inquiries. But to make my point about the importance of analog first, go to a snooty high end store that carries the new NAD digital amplifier. Listen to Let it Be, you will be impressed. Then ask to play the vinyl version on an entry level tt and system. There is reason our ears are analog receptors and this little exercise will remind us of why we got hooked in the first place. I know there are digital possibilities out there that close the gap, but none I can afford. That is why focusing on the analog and exceeding all expectations is the key to the company's success. Then they can focus on features and speakers etc. Sound, it is what it is all about.

Since Outlaw already has a 2 channel machine and everyone and their brother beat them to death about the 990 not having HDMI, when it was in its infancy, and are still hitting the dead horse, why would I expect them to abandon the replacement for the venerable 990 in search of an all music analog machine. I think they are headed down the right path.

Personally I enjoy my gear for what it does and doesn't do. I like simple and Outlaw fits that bill quite nicely. It is a well thought out flexible piece of gear that gets it right for the most part and doesn't force me to sell off one of my children to own it.

here's what I'd like to see processor..
11.3 channel support
adequate chassis height, enough space between components
10 hdmi inputs
3-4 hdmi output
10-12 spdif digital optical
3spdif output
10 component input
3 component output
10 s-video in
3 s-video output
composite optional 1in/1out
10 rihd inputs
12-16 port network switch with a min of 4 port dedicated to dl-4 (denon link 4 type interface support) with proper port associations with option of adding a second switch in.
11.3 balanced and unbalanced with dip switch selector..
2-3 7.1-9.3 zones 2/3/4 with unbal/balanced to secondary receivers/processors
dab/sat radio, and iptv support
phono and tape support
twin power supply on hotswap

if going a OS route i would look a ssd option for hard drive use and usb for keyboard and mouse

side note: the reason I was suggesting the option of adding the network switch with the option of expansion because sometimes space within a area is a premium you can't always add in a network switch to cater for all the network compatible consoles and various other network detached devices, it would be nice to have a network switch built in for a change..

I would like to put in another vote for an iPhone/Touch app for control or for an interface for PC control using a web browser interface. I know many think of this as a gimmick, but for A/V fans like me with impaired vision, such technology now offers us a chance to independently use our gear without sighted assistance. With blind accessible devices like the Touch and iPhone or with the use of screen readers on a PC or Mac, having a control system through these devices would give us full access to settings, functions and controls.

It is not difficult at all to make an app accessible, there are guidelines available in the developer's kit that make it very easy to do. You would be surprised at the large percentage of apps, even games that seem too graphics intensive that are accessible. I don't know how hard it would be for a company like Outlaw Audio to add app development to their skills, but I do know that it would not be too hard to make the apps accessible if they did.

Just my half a wooden nickel.

Chris