I wouldn't be too sure of that. I've never bought an Outlaw product but signed up for alerts and lurked here specifically because of Trinnov. Two other guys I know were also waiting with baited breath for the 998 for this reason. It's been a long frustrating wait between the Sherwood debacle and now this.
That being said, I don't blame Outlaw for putting this off. I'd be shocked if it ever came to pass. Trinnov is too complicated and way too expensive. The ADA TEQ is outboard and ridiculously expensive. It seems the only way Trinnov will work well is if it's ported over almost in its entirety.
Trinnov
is clearly a significant challenge to integrate into a processor or receiver.
My only problem with Outlaw is the impression they left with me as a potential new client. You sign up for alerts on a new product and end up inundated with emails about "exciting new partnerships". I don't want a Marantz, an Onkyo, speakers or a sub. As far as the 978 is concerned, Audyssey in some flavor is not what I was looking for and neither is 3D. Maybe the new DAC's will be a game changer? Can people actually hear differences between DAC's? Audiophiles say they can but isn't the associated circuitry just as important?
Outlaw has always been more than just a surround processor company, so which is why their announcements cover a wide range of products. That being said, I agree that the evolution of an Outlaw HDMI-based processor has been a difficult one for us all. I'm glad to hear that an Outlaw processor will arrive sooner rather than later, but I'm also glad that they haven't thrown in the towel on Trinnov.
Including 3D is a necessary move due to competition - the Model 978 and Model 998 will need to stay in production for two or three years, and an HDMI v1.3 processor would look rather silly in 2012 or beyond (even more so than it would in 2011). As for the analog performance, the DAC chips are the first step in developing a really good analog audio section. It's not the
only step, but it's important. Once you get to a good analog section, everything beyond that starts to enter the realm of diminishing returns - but it can yield improvements, and people will perceive those often-subtle improvements in different ways. I've known some who would speak at great length to describe subtle differences in audio performance.
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