Gonk:

I think you missed the point I was trying to make. I was not suggesting that Outlaw would be taking anyone's product, but speculating about the opposite. I looked at the McIntosh 136 and it struck me that in many of its features, it appeared to be a slightly more advanced version of the 990 with HDMI (video only) instead of DVI. It struck me that if the 997/998 was going to be what Peter described then it could be used as a base platform for an enhanced 136 offering. There is all kinds of room in McIntosh's pricing model for all kinds of build, interface and part upgrades that would never be possible in the target price range of a 997/998.

While you are probably correct that Outlaw is pairing with another manufacturer, imagining a McIntosh manufactured Outlaw 978 with a made in the USA label was to sweet to ignore.