At this point I wonder how many unit Outlaw has to sell to cover the R&D costs. Maybe PeterT can tell us how many 990 units they sold. The 990 was a surprise and did not have the buildup and anticipation the 978/998 have. At somewhere around $1500 per unit I would imagine having to sell at least 20000 units to make it work.

I thought the estimated price stated by Outlaw when this model was acknowledged was around $800-1000. I sure hope it stays in that area. Of course, that was 2-3 years ago......

Admitting that beta tests have been run by Peter possibly concluded) is a good sign that the product may be available soon.

The 997 was slated at an estimated $1399.00 price but that was always a soft number. I don't remember anyone from Outlaw putting down a specific number since the original announcement of the 997. With all the delays and the increase due to inflation, I would be surprised if it comes in under $1500. We can hope and there is always the loyalty discount.

I thought it was around 1500..... But, we shall see! A good product is the important thing, aound that price! In my opinion....

Few firms in the A/V business have been able to raise prices. Inflation may be happening in commodities markets, but depressed demand and intense competition are putting downward pressure on all manufacturers.

Even the biggest companies no longer publish MSRPs that are some ridiculous multiple of "street price" -- on many of the higher quality processor / pre-amps / tuners a "sale price" even 5% below list is a pretty good deal. Anybody that shops the used audio offerings knows that non-HDMI units (or even those with sketchy HDMI support...) are selling for a fraction of their original prices...

Folks that will be buying 978s want some REAL power to drive their speakers and the value that any of the traditional "Outlaw Combos" deliver will be the real deal closer -- a total package that enable 5 or 7 channels of high quality sound at a price point that blows away the competition along with unparalleled tech support will almost certainly pay off the sunk costs of development a heckuva lot more reliability than some sky high made up list price with continuous discounts...

Again, the estimated price of the 997/998/978 family has always been around $1400 with a $200 discount for 990 owners. Some of the other Outlaw equipment also garners a discount but the 990 I am sure of at $200. For what the 978 is reported to be able to deliver the $1500 price point is about right. Not a lot of bells and whistles just high quality, reliable performance. Even in a combo, the 978 with an Outlaw amp is going to be more than $2000 with the discount. That is a fair price in todays market with many others routinely asking for more than $2000 for a lower powered receiver.

Agreed.

Gota disagree;

Years ago when this project started, the projected price was around $1000, and with the "prior" customer discount it brought the projected price down to $800.

Of course, its been so long maybe I am thinking of a model that was suppsed to come after th 990 and the 978, like a 997 perhaps?

cp1966 -
From what I recall from previous announcements - the 997 was estimated to be near $1400 and the 998 was to be near that price point (this was announced before the 978 was in the picture). I have not read anything else on price from Outlaw since then. I have read a ton of speculation on this board though.

I went back and reviewed all the updates from Outlaw on the 997/978/998 project and the only price put out was $1399 and it was an estimate. Obviously the owner discount will help some but I can't see the 978 ever at $800.