Well, at this point, XPS doesn't exist, so the only choice is DX7. However, assuming that in 4-6 weeks he doesn't have another 4-6 week delay (we've got to be on the 4th or 5th one of those), then it's your call. Here's what I did, I have a 9zWC that I love, and I decided to go to the DX7, with the knowledge that I'll pick up a DX9 whenever it comes out. There's a couple reasons for this decision.

1. XPS doesn't give me a good feeling. I dunno what it is, but there's something about the product, the statements by the owner of XPS, and his rep that makes it hard for me to trust my 35% 100cc Edge to. XPS is just too small, and entirely too unproven for me. There's a lot of security in knowing that Spektrum is a Horizon venture with JR components. They will be around, with parts and support for the long term.

2. With XPS, I'm still using a 7 year old radio, just with a new module. Things fail, and when they do, who's taking responsibility? Futaba will say it's XPS, XPS will blame Futaba, and no one will care that I'm out a $5000 plane because of some hiccup.

3. The DX7 receivers are SWEET. They don't have any of the ceramic filters and things that we have on 72mhz receivers, just a single board, so they are small, light, and vibration resistant. In addition, they can handle up to 9v, and 30amps, so they will take an unregulated 2s lithium.

4. The response time on the DX7 is the fastest thing out there. They group functions together and transmit them at the same time so everything moves smoothly, it is a true digital link from your transmitter up to the plane, since they have gotten rid of all the PPM componentry inside. The XPS will be taking a PPM signal from your TX and shooting it out. It may end up being slightly faster than your transmitter before, but it won't be as fast as the true digital link the DX7 gives you.

The downside of the DX7 is that it is lacking in features, the big one for me is the lack of switch assignability, and with the DX7 I do not have enough channels to run my smoke system in the Edge unless I program some servos or use some electronic trickery. For me, the benefits of never getting shot down, never having glitches, and the NOTICEABLY better response of the Spektrum system outweigh those downsides. I will be buying a DX9 when it comes out, and keeping the DX7 as a backup, since I like to always have a backup transmitter because you never know when you are going to drop one or something weird is going to happen. If you figure out the pricing, you can sell the servos and battery for around $100, the receiver is worth $100, so you are really only paying $150 to have an extra transmitter and have the peace of mind of the DX7 now. That's an acceptable cost to me, and a downright bargain.

What I am doing for now is I've set the DX7 up in a few of my planes, one of which is a 27% Cap232. In the Cap, I'm running dual AR7000s, one running each side of the plane, with dual packs and switches, exactly like I will do in my 35% Edge. If the Cap has no issues after a couple of months, I'll pull the receivers out and transplant them, and put the Cap back to a singe receiver. Then I'll have proven the reliability in a much less expensive setup before committing the big bird to it. Until then, I'm continuing to fly the Edge on my 9zWC, but by the time spring/summer rolls around, I expect it to be flying on the DX7 as well.