I paid $1550US for my Onkyo PR-SC886, delivered to my door, all in.

Since Outlaw insists on shipping its products to Canada via UPS ground, and since UPS then subjects us to outlandish brokerage fees in the process, my guess is that even if I were to discount the expected list price of the 997 to take into account the $100 credit as a former 950 buyer, the all-in price for a 997 would be essentially the same as what I paid for the 886.

Except for a couple of features, and Trinnov vs. Audyssey in particular, these two units are identical for all intents and purposes. The 886 is a great pre/pro. The 997 will be as well.

So I was able to buy a made-in-Malaysia unit, keep my conscience intact, get essentially the same product, and not pay a penny more.

I'm glad to hear that there are others out there who avoid made-in-China products as much as possible. It's only if we continue to do so, and spread the word, that real changes can happen. If more and more people do, and post about it, some manufacturers will take note and change their practices. Once a few do, the flow in that direction will get stronger. And before you know it we will be able to buy all of our products from somewhere other than China.

The world will be a much better place when we can do so.