I have been waiting for 6 months for the 997. I bought a 7500 to pair with it way back in March. Except for a short stint as a backup to my 7125 it sits in its box waiting for a job. Well, I am going to put it to work as a slave to the PR-SC886. Could not resist the price. I know Trinnov may be a gamechanger but there are too many other features on the 886 to not get it at this price. Sorry to jump ship Outlaws but I still have 4 pieces of Outlaw equipment in service.

Your not alone. Been waiting for the 997 but at the new price of the PR-SC886 I went for it. Maybe down the road the OUTLAWS will have a trade up program for those of us who purchased the PR-SC886 from them, when the 997 finally is ready for sale.

Xenonman and Ryck,

If you just bought in the last hour, you got in under the wire. Today we just got bombed with orders and a few minutes ago we sold out. Our letter alerted everyone that the quantities were limited. That being the case, all of us were still stunned at the number of orders. Now they are gone.

Peter

Looks like I missed the boat. That sucks.

Phew! Glad I got mine around 4:30 this afternoon. I too had been waiting for the 997 for a long time, but the price on the 886 sealed it today. So I got an 886 and a 7700 amp. One comment to Outlaw... I really would loved to have picked up an Oppo BDP-83 today too, and asked the phone rep if it would be possible. Unfortunately no, she said. I'm sure you have your reasons, but it'd be great for all concerned if you could be the "one stop shop" for us. Please consider offering the Oppo separately or in conjunction with other combos. The 886+7700+BDP83 would have been my ideal "triple play" today, but I had to settle for two out of three.

Thanks!

To me, this is indicative of just how badly Sherwood has screwed the pooch for Outlaw...

Amen.

Probably some truth to that...

I also bought the 886, the deal was just too good to pass up.

I also have the 970 and 7100, my brother has the 7205 and he will most likely wait for the 997. So I still feel part of the Outlaw family. :-)

Hmm, I wonder what to do with the 970.

I pushed the button right before I started the post so I should be good to go.

I guess the fact that my wife just approved me to order the 886 is mute. Back to the wait.

I wish it didn't have to be this way. I agree SN really fell down and the 997 suffered for it. I hope the 997 is all it is supposed to be and that we all get to hear first hand accounts soon. When I saw the news of the price drop I grabbed my card and ordered it, then told the wife. I had been cosidering getting it at the 1449 price so this worked out fabulously.

I have a second home in NC that needs its own HT system. The Onkyo and the 7125 will stay in FL and the 990 and the 7500 will go north. I bought the 7500 so I could use it with some Magnepan speakers I haven't got yet, but it will work with my Advents in NC just great until I do.

The features of the Onkyo were just too much to resist. Every review I have read just raved about its performance and it has everything anyone was wishing for in the 997. Of all the techno features the ones that really put me over the top were the Burr-Brown DACs, the second HDMI output and the Phono input. Couple that with the ISF calibration and Audysseys great reputation it jus outweighed the service and support I know I would get with Outlaw. Hopefully since Outlaw rewrote the manual for the Onkyo, the tech support will be there.

Yeah, the Outlaw manual should come in handy when you're setting it up. Selling the 886 is a curious alternative for Outlaw, but it does seem like they picked a good unit and they did it right (not just tossing the thing out there with a minimum of effort).

I have lost all faith in Outlaw. They are so far behind in new product development and then offer a good deal on the Onkyo. Because I was travelling I completely missed the deal. How many did Outlaw have? They are not building customer loyalty for me.

Outlaw has become too frustrating to deal with.

If I were Outlaw I would do something to clear the decks before I released the 997. They are sold out of the 886 and were one of the last respectable sources of it just last week. They did not have to lower the price, but they did and it had to be for a reason.

I was traveling yesterday too and missed out. I don't think they are all gone though, just out of stock, based on Scott's announcement: "**Act fast, once this limited supply is gone, the price returns to $1,449". Guess there's still hope getting one at the higher price, and even with the amp combos it's not too bad.

I am not interested at $1449 and I already have an Outlaw amp so a combo does not help. I guess I will stay with the trusty 950 until I cannot stand not having HDMI, which is probably not going to be past the end of this year.

zzzzzz....wake me up when it's over.

I feel for Outlaw...honest. But this is the risk you take when you rely on reselling other people's stuff for your bread and butter. At least with the amps, PeterT has some control over what happens. With their Korean/Chinese/whatever partners they're swaying in the breeze. Getting your inventory cheap and "passing that along to the customer" is great, but when poor planning or incompetence at a supplier begin cutting into your brand that you've spent years building, one has to wonder if it was really worth it. Just look at the amount and nature of chatter on the forums here over the past 18 months. People are losing interest. Worse, people like myself who have spent a few grand at Outlaw in the past have begun shopping elsewhere out of sheer frustration.

I agree, Ritz2. I noted elsewhere here that I finally succumbed to the urge and bought an Integra DCH-80.1. This pre-pro has gotten really good press and reviews so far and will likely fit the bill for me extremely well. But out of sheer brand loyalty I waited for a long time to see if the 997 would come to fruition. I am sure it will, and as I mentioned elsewhere as well, I will likely come back to consider it again. If the two were side by side and available, I wold have picked the 997 hands down because of the people and the service here. Have purchased four pieces of Outlaw gear in the past and been extremely happy with the hardware and the Outlaws. But at some point you just decide to pull the trigger - as I did - to enjoy the newest tech and enjoy your hobby. I know the delay is not these guys' fault, but sometimes that's just the way it is.

I agree, but at the end of the day....a consumer only knows that Lucy held the football and Charlie Brown made a herculean effort, but failed when she pulled the football away again...and again...and again. The first time, OK...we all make mistakes. The second time...geez, that's some rotten luck...on subsequent failures, they start to wonder if there isn't a problem with how business partners are vetted instead of continuing to think the "aggrieved party" is the victim. Eventually, even Charlie Brown realizes that perhaps he's relying on the wrong person to hold the ball. I suspect that's why we're now seeing Onkyo processors for sale on this website.

Food for thought.

It's not just the 997 situation that should raise some red flags. Consider their most recent "new products" offerings: The ECS-10 is a Velodyne/Chrysalis Photon 10 and their Surround Loudspeaker is a Snell SR7. Have I misunderstood who Outlaw Audio is? I thought they created their own unique products, but 2009 has told a different story. I sincerely hope that 2010 is a year full of Outlaw Audio original new products and not just a 997 preamp/processor.

I got an email from Jennifer stating that the Onkyo will come with the updated firmware (1.0.5)installed.

That's great that it comes with 1.05 installed. That way we can use all the remote codes from harmony and be able to access a lot of functions with the push of a button, rather than cycle thru the menu's. It also enables other funtions and corrects some problems that were in 1.01. I was not looking forward to finding a computer with a RS232 port as Com1. Most of the laptops I have only have USB. That in itself is another story it will work but you have to go into device manager and select Ports and then Advanced Settings menu and change the USB to Com1. Do the upgrade and then have to set it back to the original com6 or whatever it was before putting it back in action where it was previous used on a day to day basis. By Outlaw or Onkyo doing the upgrade no problems with warranty either. Just less hassel's down the road. I am very Happy that it comes with 1.05.

They shipped mine today. Should be here on Tuesday next.

Same Here

getting mine today!!!!! will be a fun weekend. Happy Holiday's to all.

I was also supposed to get mine today but it looks like the fedex truck got stuck in traffic and it's now scheduled for tomorrow.

Got mine today. Has firmware 1.01 must have slipped thru Quality control. Ya Think. Damn it.

How do you check which firmware you have?

With the unit on. On the front of the unit not with the remote. Hold down the display button and then hold down the standby button. Read it on the front Display on the unit.

Looks like QC sucks. Mine is 1.0.1 too! ????

glenee,

Care to expand on that?

Despite a whole series of email messages to Onkyo Support where I specifically asked what problems are solved, and/or what functionality is added, by going from 1.01 to 1.05 I was never told. All I got was "what problems are you experiencing."

I've done a fair amount of searching, including the oft-referenced 886 thread over at AVS, and I'm none the wiser.

Mine has 1.01 and while I could certainly think of some functionality that I'd like to see added in firmware (mostly involving Audyssey) I can't say that I have come across any problems. But then again, and getting back to Onkyo "Support's" reply: I don't think it should be up to me to have to identify a problem before Onkyo will tell me whether its part of their existing firmware fixes - or not.

Jeff, I see you a lot on the AVS Forum. I don't Post much over there only Read. The Big thing the firmware upgrade does for me, is to enable the Remote funtions on the Harmony remotes. It supposedly also Fixes some Video problems, Stops the shut down, and lock up, requiring a hard reset while running Audysey SetUp. Enables Audysey Pro use if you have the Kit and keys. Increases stability of the Unit in General. A lot of the Guys have said in post's that if your not having any problems and it is doing all that you need or want, there is no need to upgrade. I have been one to keep firmware current on all my equipment, for whatever reason and I would have liked to do the same here. I wished that Outlaw would have made sure that they were shipped with the latest firmware before shipping. That way coming from a Authorized Onkyo Dealer there would be No possible problems down line, and Onkyo saying it was caused by the consumer not doing the firmware up-date correctly, for whatever the problem may be. I know that Outlaw is busy and SCOTT is about as good of a Person as you would ever want to Deal with, I just got excited when Jennifer sent the email out to another member say that they would all come with 1.05. I am not Bitching, just disappointed and feeling a little unlucky. I guess that if the unit runs flawless as long as I have it, that alone is a Blessing.
I hooked the unit up yesterday, I have not Run Audysey yet, that is today. It did sound good going thru the Balanced connections, in PURE mode from my AYON CD-1 CDP.

Mine also is 1.01. I wonder if anybody got the latest version.

I haven't had any problems yet except for when I turn on my projector (with the onkyo and amp already on) I get a pop from my speakers.

Probably not related to my firmware version, but... you never know.

Yes you never know. As Jeff said Onkyo is Tight Lipped about what their Firmware Up-Dates Actually Do. It is funny you should mention the Pop on Speakers.Yesterday after I had hooked up everything, I got a Thump/Pop from my speakers when I first plugged in the Onkyo. I have my Amps on the A trigger from the Onkyo and have not had any problems since. Don't think that's Firmware though.

Glenee and XenonMan, thanks for pointing this out to us. Although we were under the impression that all units would be upgraded with the latest software before they were shipped, it appears that the units in one of the shipments to us slipped through Onkyo's outgoing QC without the upgraded software. We apologize for the error and of course, we will correct it for anyone who desires the updated code. We are also checking the remaining incoming shipments to assure that the proper software is installed before we fill any future orders.

Anyone who has received a unit with the old software and wishes to have it updated should contact us at onkyoupdate@outlawaudio.com and we'll arrange to have your unit returned and updated in a timely fashion at our expense. We thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Scott

Scott, As always a stand-up guy. Is there any way you could put the upgrade to 1.05 on a disk or cheap thumbdrive and mail it to us with very detailed instructions, on exactly how to do the upgrade from our lap-tops or PC's. Save all this time and EXPENSE. If it came from Outlaw it would be a Authorized Update. Hell I'll send you a thumbdrive.
Thanks Scott,
Glen

glenee
Good suggestion. But I think there would be a problem if someone tried to install the updated firmware and didn't do it correctly.The unit wouldn't work and would have to be shipped back anyway.(possibly voiding the warranty)

If it is a Authorized Update and it didn't take, you would be sending it back anyway. I think we will get a whole lot more right Updates than wrong, much better than pulling it off the internet and not knowing what your pulling off or worse yet even if it is the proper update. In other words if you mess up send it back you were going to have to anyway. Just make sense with shipping cost being what they are.
My Two Cents.

Unfortunately, we are not authorized by Onkyo to send the update to customers. It is my understanding that in some instances Onkyo will release the update if you sign a waiver indemnifying them of any fault should the unit be bricked during the update process.

Therefore, if you are confident in your ability to safely perform the installation you can try that option. Alternatively, we will pick up the round trip shipping charges if you would like to send your unit in for us to update.

Scott, do you know what was addressed in the firmware updates from 1.0.1 to 0.5?

I just want to know if it's worth it for me to send it in.

Unfortunately, Onkyo apparently keeps that information close to the vest so I really do not know the particulars.

For all that would like to know

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1016297

Be Sure to use the correct one.
Be Careful.