I purchased a 990 and the 7700 about 4 years ago
I've waited for about 2 years for the upgrade to the 997
The 990 broke down last year and I had to literally throw it in the garbage and revert to my old Sony ES 9000 pre.
I bought an awesome HDMI switcher (4inputs / 2 outputs) from Monoprice for $67 and it transmits perfect 1080p from blu ray, DVR, PS3 and my Mac Pro to my Sony Pearl projector and onto a 120" screen. But it's a pain with audio and video on different boxes. My girlfriend hates this set up.
I had hoped for a 997 but the reality is that in the world of Consumer electronics delays like this are fatal. I wanted Dolby and DTS MA and HDMI switching integrated.
Sad to say that I will buy a Japanese receiver (Denon) and use it as a preamp for DTS MA and HDMI switching. Amplification will remain with 3 Naim 135's monos driving the front and the Outlaw on the back 2 channels.
I write this with 100% sadness and no malice. I was such a fan
Sorry
Rob