Y'know, the more I think about this signal acquisition delay problem the less I like it. Maybe somebody can refute me on this, but it looks to me like SAD handicaps, not just the 990, but all HT equipment, for people who listen seriously to music from digital sources. And more distressing, at least for the 990, is that SAD is not mentioned in the manual - the new owner is given the delight of discovering it for him/her/self. Whether this is the case for other equipment I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. The whole situation has a "Music listening? What's that?" smell about it.
Would prior knowledge about the SAD have been a deal-breaker for buying the 990? I don't know, but knowing that it can't be fixed or worked around eats into my pleasure of ownership.
A SAD situation indeed.
Chief Outlaws, this is intended for you.