I seem to get more disappointed by Outlaw every time I see them advertise a new device other then their own.
Now it's the Marantz SR6006. While I have been remaining loyal to Outlaw and at this point and time my 990 still "turns me on", I am getting a bit twitchy not believing that the Outlaw 978 will become a reality in the near future.
Comparing to other prepro's I wonder if the Outlaw will have the chance to get out of the gate....competitively.
The near local home and audio store in my area is selling the Integra DHC 80.3 for $2600 with the DTA 70.1 as a combo at $4600.
I am not in the market for an amplifier but certainly looking for an upgrade with what the DHC 80.3 offers.
The store will give me an allowance of $400.00 for my Outlaw990 bringing the price down to an affordable $2200. Another incentive is NO TAXES.
I do not think the Outlaw is going to be to far below that number nor do I thing the 978 will have near as many bells and whistles.
I am normally not a bells and whistle guy but the DHC has plenty to offer by way of audio and video processing and it's available NOW.

I agree with the part about the Integra being available now. The 978 is supposed to retail at around $1500 or so before the loyalty discount. If it goes for more than that, it might be a non-starter no matter how good it is.

The point is we really know NOTHING for sure about the reality of the 978 being able to compete in the Home and Audio processor market at this point and time. A lot of processors have hit the market since the announcement that Outlaw was givimg birth to the 978.
We really do not know the exact price with or without the loyality discount.
Personally dishing out an additional $900 for the Integra is NOT what I want to do but if it means getting more bang for my buck...well I waited this long...why not wait and save a little more.
Besides the H&A store that I am dealing with has no taxes and also has a 12 month no interest payment plan.

Bang for the buck is what most of us are here for. In reality it will likely be six months after the 978 is releaesd before we really know about its performance. I for one rarely buy something like it without reading as many reviews as I can and that database takes some time to generate.

Hello xMan
I agree bang for your buck is where I am at also and like you I like to read or get opinions and if possible test drive before I make a final purchase.
I have time to wait and sit back to save some additional monies before I dive into buying something like the Integra DHC80.3. Even with the $400 allowance the store would give me I need additional purchasing power.
I am in the process of selling a couple of pieces of equipment. Great shape and well taken care of in a non smoking environment. I mention non smoking b/c a friend of mine has a beautiful dedicated HT room with some nice equipment and his wife SMOKES...in the HT room.....to each his own I guess.

I intend to do a comparison between the Integra and the Outlaw when possible but I have to admit that once I have my money I will be hard pressed to wait for Outlaw to show up.

I already have two processors and an AVR so I can wiat until the results are in on all the reviews. I expect the 978 to be a great processor but with so many possible uses of a processor to be tested and tweaked for so many different customers the beta testing has to be extreme. I just hope Outlaw has the resources to get this thing done.