Originally Posted By: rubbersoul
Well, there is always Marantz and Integra.
I mean it seems that a lot of people are getting justifiably irritated but I do think that we should keep in mine that the 990 is a superb processor even today some YEARS after it was put out on the market. Yes, it is true that Outlaw is a small company and PERHAPS it cannot compete or mass production as quickly as Sony, Marantz and so many other mass marketed electronic companies, but Outlaw puts their money where their mouths are and I think that when the 978 comes out of the gate they will be on the BEST of the top ten list in Home Theater.


Well right now Marantz isn't doing much competing either on the processor market. They came out with the AV7005 a couple of years ago. Some folks have been waiting for the release of the successor to the AV8003 for about two years. It was supposed to come out in April 2011 as the AV8005 but then the earthquake hit in March. By now it should be an AV8006 but with no news of whether it will be released. It seems that D&M Holding, the parent company of Denon, Marantz and McIntosh among others, has been reluctant to release upgrades of their higher-end processors and receivers these last couple of years on the Marantz and Denon brands. On the other hand, the mid to lower-end models get refreshed fairly regularly. Maybe they don't think that this market segment is as viable as the mid to low-end one right now with the economic downturn.