Video Asylum

Well Kal mentioned in an earlier thread on the Integra....

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This Post Has Been Edited by the Author

In Reply to: RE: Integra DTC-9.8 - Blech! posted by MDavis on April 19, 2008 at 15:57:01

... that the analog inputs leave lots to be desired. Unfortunately, that was only after I purchased it. His was the only comment specific to the 5.1 analog input performance that I have read.
I don't know how you jump to the conclusion that I called it a "piece of junk". I didn't mean the comments as some sort of personal attack. My complaint was very specific to SACD performance through the analog input, based on my experience with another option. If it works for you in your system, that's great. I'm simply reporting my personal findings which I certainly would have found useful in making a purchase decision had I read them from someone else. I'm just laying this out there as another data point for anyone else who might be considering the Integra DTC-9.8. I don't see what's wrong with that.
Thinking perhaps I was being psychologically biased against the Integra by Kal's comments, I spent a week with the Integra in my system trying to get satisfactory results with SACD playback. I reluctantly come to agree with Kal's assessment. Even my Denon DVD-5800 performs better. Not too surprising I guess, as this was Denon's top of the line receiver a few years back.
Of course, that doesn't mean the Integra DTC-9.8 isn't a great option in a dedicated home theater system. With either my Blu Ray or HD DVD player through the hdmi inputs, I was getting excellent hi-res audio results - very comparable to using the players' analog outputs into the old Denon. I could have easily lived with it in a pure home theater setup.
But I can't sacrifice the SACD performance to gain a little switching convenience and I'm certainly not willing to pay extra for it. So as I said in the last line of my original post, I can't recommend it for a combined home theater and multichannel music system.

Edits: 04/19/08 04/19/08

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