The 950 dropped the first time in mid-2003, close to two years before the 990 arrived. True, there was a second price drop a few months before it was discontinued, but I doubt this is similar to that - the timing of this one (right after the 2007 HE Show) is too reminiscent of the 950's first drop (right after the 2003 HE Show). The 1050 also had a price drop a year or two after it was released, and it was in production for at least 18 months after that drop. It's more likely that this is an attempt to compensate for the age of the design and keep competitive in the marketplace. I'd still guess that an HDMI pre/pro with "Outlaw" on the front panel won't see the light of day before the end of the year.