The 990 has a more flexible bass management system in regards to selecting what crossover point you wish to use for the front, center and surrounds . The P965 is locked in at what appears to be 100hz but does offer + or - 10 db adjustment capability at that level . P965 also offers pure analog and digital output with selectable crossover freq's ranging from 40/60/80/100/120 for what appears to be the sub only . It would not surprise me if you could do a little more with the P965 bass system than what is stated in the specs .