You can get a serial to usb adapter to use for FW updates and this should work on your laptop. Amazon I know has them.

Yeah, USB to serial adapters are not hard to find.

The loss of all processing when using an analog input. Meaning your beautifully calibrated system will revert to flat when listening radio, LPs, cassettes, even VHS hifi... How much more a basic stereo ADC could have cost? 5$ ?

Agreed they can be found but how much would it have cost to just add a USB port so you could do firmware updates with a thumb drive like the rest of the world?

It's not as simple as just adding a connector. You also then have to provide drivers so the PC's that connect to it will be able to read it and communicate. They could likely use some third party package that's already in the great USB database in the Microsoft sky, but that will likely add more cost. Keeping it serial let's them keep the focus on their bread and butter, the price to performance ratio. Also, they're not a company that is constantly pushing out updates so most people will likely NEVER use the feature anyway.

That said, when the 975 firmware update was put out, the Outlaws sent me the USB to serial adapter they wanted me to use for it.

He's not talking about connecting to a PC, merily read a thumb drive plugged in, like a Blu-Ray player would.

I see. I'm sure that comes with its own set of challenges, too. Like I said, Outlaw isn't one of those companies that pushes out updates all the time. At least, they haven't been up to this point.

I would guess that, as a minimum, adding a thumb drive reader would mean adding more code to read it and the ability to have that code self update from your thumb drive when you stick it in. Now you're adding however much additional code to make that happen which adds time and overhead both on the initial build and any updates in the future. You're also adding the cost of the hardware to make that possible. I don't know what kind of cost that is, likely not much for the pieces, but then there also has to be the engineering to figure out hardware compatibility, positioning, powering it up, and interfacing it which adds more initial cost for design as well as ongoing material (and labor?) cost for the implementation.

Now maybe all of that doesn't add up to massive dollar amounts, but for every little thing that "just doesn't cost that much" you add, you just keep raising the price tag. Outlaw stakes their claim on excellent performance to price ratio and adding something that hardly anyone will ever use runs counter to that position.

Perhaps the flagship processor will incorporate something like that given the nature of it being Outlaw's high end model. People expect more bells and whistles on a product in that position of the lineup, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't.

I am not sure about what it would cost but after all these years, and being an Outlaw fan, I am going to pass on the 976.
Too many short comings in my opinion even at its price point.
Maybe the flag ship processor will be the one.
Very disappointing and sad.

I'm guessing it's a money thing. After all the RR2160 has USB-B input for streaming from a computer so you know they have the circuit and the software to support the feature.

FWIW I too will be passing on the 976. The jump to 4K is going to be a long and pricey transition and I can afford to wait to see what comes next, at least for now.

Outlaw's email announcement of 976 just landed in my inbox! I preordered last week with hopes of receiving mine from the batch Outlaw already has on hand. I've also purchased a few items to go with the 976: LG OLED 55" TV, OPPO UDP-203, new Harmony remote, a new cable box and some high speed HDMI cables. An Apple TV 4K, ISF calibration for the TV and a UMIK-1 mic are next. Now I need to get serious about learning how to apply the results from REW to the 976's PEQ. I've been looking forward to this upgrade for a long time. Thanks Outlaw!