I have had the 990 and now have the AVM30 (AVM50 minus the video processing/HDMI inputs). I would agree with others here that the Anthems are not 4 times better than the Outlaw as the price might suggest. There is a very noticable difference between the 990 and the AVM30 (at least to me).

The AVM30 might be a good place for you to start with the audio for now. I picked mine up used for less than twice the price of the 990. As far as audio goes, there is just not anything the Anthems don't have.

I have read a few threads on AVS about the AVM50 and there have been some issues with the units. The AVM30 will have an upgrade to make the unit an AVM50 in the near future. My philosophy was pick up the AVM30 used now, wait for them to work out the bugs occurring with the AVM50, then upgrade the AVM30. Even though I will have to send my AVM30 directly to Anthem for the upgrade (no discount this way unfortunately as I don't think my local dealer will touch it since I didn't buy it from them) I will still end up with an AVM50 for under $3500 when all is said and done.

The Outlaw 990 is a great unit, but in the end it just didn't have the features/sound I was looking for. The Anthem is the first unit I have owned in a long time that has not left me wishing I had a feature that wan't there. The sound quality is better than anything else I have heard as well (not that I have heard a ton or high-end gear or anything to compare with though).