Lots of different answers. Only a couple interested in the Marantz if it provides xt32. Blind Hog has already moved on. Emotiva sounds promising, but my concern is shared by S. Sharkey regarding the implementation.

I didn't expect to see as much interest in the entry level processor as there was noted above. I'm guessing that it will be a good seller if it comes to light. I believe it is way too early to get excited about this prepro however. Since 2008 I got a way too excited about the 997, then the 998, then the 978. I'm not starting over on that drama again (I emotionaly checked out from that parade after the Black Friday sale last year). I am really pulling for Outlaw on it, I don't know if I can personnaly get too excited though.

What milestone would Outlaw be trying hit?

I don't know - I don't even know that they even have a milestone in mind (that's why I said "may be trying to hit a milestone"). They could be hoping to get some know bugs resolved, or get a particular certification process concluded, or get beta samples shipped to external testers, or get a suitable sample into a photographer's hands for promotional photos.

Have the 990, had the 950 and 970. Was patiently waiting on Outlaws newest but no go. Was thinking about the Sherwood R972 which was based on the 997, was wondering if this would be that much better sounding then my 990 which I really like.

Technically, the Model 997 was based on the R972, and the Model 997 was not released because of operational issues and limitations with the R972. Some of those have been resolved (through firmware updates over the first year or two of the R972's life), but I don't think they were resolved to a level that Outlaw would have wanted. From that perspective, you could find the R972 to be a step back from the Model 990 operationally. I don't think sound quality was ever an issue, though. I also read some things on AVS a while back suggesting that the Trinnov implementation wasn't 100% on target, but it did seem to be close enough to be fairly impressive.

I would consider replacing my Model 990 for a R972 if it gives me an improvement in sound quality, with and without Trinnov enabled. My speaker lay out is pretty close to ITU 5.1, with almost equal speaker distances (7' to 7,5'). My interest in Trinnov is to be able to heighten the soundfield for movie watching, using additional height speakers. Not at the expense of giving in on sound quality though...

So on sound quality would the R972 sound better then my 990

Trinnov does not add height channels. The R972 is a pure 7.1 receiver, without PLIIz or DSX to implement extra channels. Trinnov is a room correction technology, similar to Audyssey, that adds a function called "3D Remapping." This (in very crude terms) defines phantom speakers for each of the seven channels, located at the optimal positions around the chosen "sweet spot", and uses the seven physical speakers (each mapped in three dimensions by the calibration microphones) to create those phantom speakers.


I don't know because I've never used an R972. There are a couple R972 owners around here, though, I think - they might be able to offer first-hand experience.

This info from Curt Trinnov I found in a Sherwood R-972 User Thread (http://www.avsforum.com/t/1179978/sherwood-r-972-user-thread/1020#post_21675511): "Speaker placement: Yes, you can do height, or wides, as an example. Technique is to place speakers where you want more spatial definition, then calibrate. As we have more spatial acuity in the front, it makes a lot of sense in most rooms that are not long and narrow to setup a typical 5.1 array, then use the extra two channels for height or wides, or to fix a spatial problem. An example of this could be that there is a door, right where the left channel should go. The solution may be to place a speaker on both sides of the door, then have Trinnov correct the image. Same with height. If you have a low center, this can be off set by placing another speaker high. Requires re-calibration any time speakers are moved. When doing this, experiment with SPTL set to 2D and 3D for best results."

Oh, so you are adding height speakers but running them as duplicate front speakers? I totally missed that in your post and assumed you were talking about height speakers in the typical PLIIz/DSX "height channel" sense. Sorry about that.