Good question. I can't help but keep thinking that given the maturity of this technology now and the competition Outlaw is facing in the marketplace especially those companies offering a consistently "bigger bang for the buck", honestly, unless the unit is pretty up-to-date, feature laden and offered at a very competitive price, I am not sure the so-called "audiophile" approach to marketing it will be enough, even for the most die-hard Outlaw fans. Who would have thought, even a couple of years ago, that Marantz would be offering a top-of-the-line Pre-Pro for under $1500?

Realistically, there has been a considerable amount of water that has "gone under the bridge" technology wise since the 990, the announcement of the 997 and its ultimate cancellation up until today where we still have yet to see a replacement. I hope, whatever it turns out to be and for Outlaw's sake, it is worth the wait.