plenty of power, great flexibility in the EQ options

somewhat complicated to set up but nonetheless manageable with the assistance of knowledgable sales rep at Stereoland.

It was time to join the next century and update my 20 year old audio system and set out to find a home theatre receiver that would give me equal sound quality as my old Yamaha M-70 and C-70 amp and control amp. After searching the city over I was finding it nearly impossible to match the audio quality of my old yamaha 2 channel system. After listening to the top of the line marantz's, denon's, pioneer elite, and yamaha receivers I settle for the Integra 7.1 and have not been at all disappointed. Even though I have given up the high power full spectrum sound I have nonetheless found the Integra to be much more versatil and a fantastic home theatre foundation.

I have sold my old Bose 901's and matched the Integra with a pair of Paradigm reference 20's and a pair of reference 40's with the reference center channel. WHAT A SYSTEM IT HAS TURNED OUT TO BE. I have found the quality of this set up to out perform many of the higher end high buck system's available i.e. the Denon 5800. Even though the Integra 9.1 would like give me the added power I have given up by replacing my two channel system I have found the 7.1 to have more than adequate power for my needs today and in the future.

I will assure anyone looking for a new HT receiver that you will not find another receiver under $2000 that will match the clarity and quality of the audio or video output.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite, Denon 4800 and 5800, ARCAM 100

Having only very recently purchased this receiver, I am not yet ready to provide a meaningful review, and I appologize in advance for that. However, the outside of the box for the unit that I purchased contains the pre-printed designation "DTR-7.1(B)", and I am concered about the significance of the letter "B" in the description (i.e., B stock item?). Can someone provide some feedback on this issue? Thanks.

Build quality, power and sound quality with music and HT, excellent warranty (3 years from manufacturer), THX certified, very decent amount of inputs (component switching, 2 digital coax, etc). It's beatiful!.

Well, before to get to a desired DSP mode you need to turn the dial jumping from one mode to another. Maybe I need to try what Dave D mentions about popping noise when switching DSP or audio signal.

I hooked this baby to same speaker setup I had with the Onkyo 676 and the sky opened!, this is a real High Fidelity component.
I wanted to go for a newer and more powerful unit than the 676. Based on reviews posted here I auditioned several models from Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, HK, Sony and a some other brands.
After a good time invested, I ended with only 3 options to choose from: Integra DTR 7.1, Denon AVR3801 and Marantz SR8000. Price on them is between $900-$1100 with local dealers, I know they can be found on the WWW, but I was a little skeptical about warranty.
I need to say this, with all respect to Yamaha and Sony owners, you need to audition the Integra 7.1 with your eyes closed and your open mind because this baby is positioned in a higher level of audio quality, far from models mentioned in such brands.
If somebody has dared to say that direct mode is not good at all, I am very sorry to say it but these guys need real good speakers. My Monitor 3s from Paradigm are alive and kissing me in a way that I am about to....Oh God!.
I don't care if it is upgradeable or not, I don't care if it is not 7.1 channels, I don't care if they say it's pricey (compared to what?)...I don't care anything because I LOVE IT!, period.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 676

high current amp. ,excellent dynamic power output 2x210 at 4ohms,phono capable,THX EX, DTS ES, oh ya and it makes movies and music sound like magic

osd menu and remote take some time to get used to

well,after I hooked it up and did a sound check. I went out and rented dvds,and was blown away. I am using it with the integra DPC6.1 dvd/cd player and MK K5 satilites and K9 sub.It has full rich sound even at low levels.There are many dsp settings (all chanel stereo,TVlogic,ect.)also.In closing, I would like to say if you give half a crap what your movies or music sound like you will save a little longer or do what you must but BUY THIS RECEIVER.

Similar Products Used:

kenwood prologic rec.

This is a follow up review of the DTR 7.1 receiver. I been using the DTR 7.1 non stop for about a month, 12-18 hrs a day (lot of free time). Some sonic observations have occurred. Note, this is with it in my setup, it may be completely diff in your setup.

1) I notice there is some crosstalk in the unit. I can switch off the receiver and leaving the power amp on, I can still notice a very faint FM reception coming thru the speakers regardless what the last source was used on the DTR 7.1. Once the caps in the receiver has completely discharged the FM is gone. The probm is, there is crosstalk in the receiver. Probly will not notice this is normal play back or if you are not using and external amp but its there.

2) The unit now is completely burned it. The mid range has recessed a fair bit. It seems to be lacking on certain CD's and music DVD's tho. Source used are well recorded CD's (Diane Krall, Ela and a lot of other Jazz CDs and country ones too) and DVD's (lot of music ones Jame Taylor, Eagles, Sheyrl Crow, Eric Clapton Unplugged and u'r typical movies like the Matrix, Godzilla, Saving PVT Ryan, Gladiator and so on). The center channel is quite forward, I had to drop it 3-4db so not to overpower the other speakers. Maybe its a mismatch between the Classe amp and the pre section of the DTR and the M3 speakers. The low bass has entended a fair bit, to the point I dont really need the subs, almost too much at times. The highs seems to be rolled off. On the Eagles DVD the Takamine guitars don't sound like Taks (I play, had a few Taks, have Martins and Taylors now). They are missing the metalic shean (clank) that Taks on the top have as oppose to like Martins which are more like a bell ringing. Again it it may be diff in another setup.

3) Great video section, no artifacts with video switching.

4) Great setup flexability and nice OSD for setup. Much better then most.

5) Very good remote.

Now I hate writing this follow up. I really wanted to like and keep the DTR 7.1, since it had everything I was looking for. There is nothing I can really pin piont about any real fault with it except the X-talk probm. BUT...it just wasnt musical for me as some others that I've tried. For me it just lacked that WOW factor, nada goose bumps after extended use with my CD's and DVD's. I am going to return it. I have a Denon 4800 at home right now and its sounding real nice. None of the problems as noted with the DTR 7.1 has shown up (yet?). What was perceived as a lack of bass on the 4800 when auditioned at the store (4800 was too heavy to bring home at that point) is no prob with the Classe power amp and the M3s. The denon 3801 is definitely over rated for power tho. The 4800 is very powerfull and better matched to the ext power amp I am using. The DTR 7.1 has better OSD and setup options and much better remote then the 4800 (the Denon one is badly layed out and not backlited). The Marantz 8000 is still good sounding in stereo but after having DTS ES and THX EX there was no going back to only having 5.1 fot movies. The 8000 does sound very nice in stereo but with some after thought it may be just slightly on the dark side tho. Still very nice sounding stereo unit.

DTR 7.1 value rating still rates a 5 stars for the features and decent sound for the buck but the overall rating because of the X-talk will only be 4 stars. Again the X-talk may not be noticeable if your not using an external amp or it might just have been my unit, but I notice another reviewer here mentioned he had some X-talk too. I really wanted to like the unit, but I guess I am going to have to fork out some more $$$$ to get the 4800 (it definitly have the WOW factor). I dont want to go into the 4800 here since this is a review section for the DTR 7.1 receiver.

Thanks for taking time to read all this IMHO stuff.
Blade

Amp, DTS and Dolby ES decoding, multizone/multisource, detachable power cord, connectivity, soundstage, and most of all...amazing clarity.

Multizone drops zone A to stereo mode, and zone B requires a miniplug remote extender.

OK. I have had a really difficult time deciding on what receiver to buy. I started off looking at the Marantz SR7 & 8k, and I was really impressed. However, over time (a couple weeks), I started to get concerned that I was going to be missing out on the THX Surround EX or DTS-ES, so I bought the Integra 7.1 to try it out.

Upon setting it up, I was not overly impressed. When DVD mode was selected, but no DVD was playing or in menu mode, I could hear nothing. However, when I turned my DVD player off, I could faintly hear a bleed from my analog VCR audio signal. That bothered me, and that was ll I could think about.

I listened to music and movies, and I really enjoyed them both (I usually am 70/30 in favor of home theater, but I was mostly basing my decision on the musicality of the receiver). I didn't notice any major sonic differences at first, and I was planning on sending back the Integra and keeping the Marantz. I didn't send it back, however, and I started to do some serious A/B testing based on the positive reviews I was reading about the 7.1 and the ability to play DTS and Dolby ES decoding.

When I first set up the Marantz, I was coming from a Yamaha 992, and I noticed a SERIOUS difference in sound. The Marantz was vastly superior. When I was doing multiple switching from the Marantz (SR-7k...it sounded ALMOST IDENTICAL to the 8k) to the DTR 7.1, I started to hear slight differences. The Marantz almost sounded muddy, and 7.1 sounded clear.

After doing some serious switching back and forth on different types of music ranging from jazz, to classical, to classic rock, I was sensing the 7.1 was FAR supperior. It had a sound that was very convincing and transparent, with a very detailed soundstage. Highs were not bright, but crystal clear, and bass extension was deep and tight. Guitar strings and female voices had a very natural sound...really like I was sitting there with them.

I guess, if I had to sum it up, the 7.1 sounded far more natural, spacious, and clear. (a note: this receiver plays so clearly, that poorly recorded CDs sound as such, where the Marantz unit masked a bit of the poorer recording).

On movies, I would have to give the nod easily to the 7.1. Sound quality was good on both, and it was somewhat difficult to hear a difference. The 7.1 however has DTS and Dolby ES decoding, and with the 7th speaker set up, boy does THAT make a difference. On the few titles I was listening to that took advantage of it (Se7en Sp. Ed., T2 Sp. Ed., and Gladiator), the rear channel added much more depth to the listening experience and really "put you in the middle of the action".

As far as DSPs go, the 7.1 has a few that I really like. When listening to broadcast television in Pro-Logic, I like using the TV Logic setting which almost accentuates the width of the soundstage, while still making dialog focussed and appearing to be coming right from the screen. Also, when viewing MONO DVDs, I have always felt they sound very thin and narrow. In MONO MOVIE DSP, the mono signal is played from all speakers simultaneously, with main focus coming from the center, then mains, then rears. It is very natural sounding, and you wouldn't know dialog is coming from behind you...but it sounds great. It really opens up the sound stage, and seems to add depth to the score etc.

I am running out of steam writing about this unit, but it is a great value. I am really loving it...and I am liking it more everyday. There are a few negatives (listed above), and maybe some more (when switching on zone 2, you only get stereo in zone 1...but I guess you'd have to wonder where the power would come from; when swithcing zone 2 off, you automatically are in stereo mode still...so you manually have to change to your surround mode), but the negatives are few and far between.

This receiver sounds like it should cost more than it does. I haven't listened to the Onkyo 787, but if you can't find or afford this 7.1, I would try and listen to the 787.

My System
----------
CD Player - NAD 523 (connected through Tara Labs Prism 55s)
DVD Player - Toshiba 1600 (for DTS playback: connected coax)
DVD Player - Sony DVP - S3000 (connected coax)
Main Speakers - Definitve Technolgy Pro Cinema 100s (connected with Kimber 4PR up front, and Home Depot 12 guage for rears)
Sub - Definitve Technolgy Pro-Sub 100
Zone 2 Speakers - B&W 601 S2 (connected 12 guage Home Depot)

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR7000, Marantz SR8000, Denon 3801, Elite VSX-35TX

everything

none

I POSTED SOME INFO CONCERNING THE DTR 7.1 INTEGRA WHEN YOU GO AT INTEGRAHOMETHEATER.COM GO TO THE FEATURES AREA TO
SEE ABOUT THE RS232 PORT,AND FOR SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO
POSTED REVIEWS DTS-ES IS DTS DISCRETE TO MY KNOWLEDGE.
IF YOUR WONDERING WHAT MOVIES ARE ENCODED WITH EX
GO TO http://www.smr-home-theater.org/surroundex/
FOR DTS-ES TITLES THERE ARE ONLY A 6 IN TOTAL.JUST TO MENTION ON MY LAST POSTED REVIEW THE PRICE I HAD LISTED
FOR THE DTR 7.1 IS INCORRECT $1450.00 JUST TO INFORM ALL
CANADIAN RESIDENTS ALL THE PRICING YOU SEE ON THIS PAGE IS
IN U.S FUNDS.

Similar Products Used:

none

Just to clear up some confusion, The price is a little less than $1000US, not CDN $, sorry about that to all the fellow Canucks who where wonding about the price. Still better then most places that I checked out in Canada. You can multiply that by 1.54 to get the cost in CDN $.

Blade

EVERYTHING

NONE

Just passing down info to some of the people who posted there review on the dtr 7.1 .Just to let you know it is
DTS-ES ready and that the rs 232 port in the back it is not
for upgradability it is for remote control interface go to
integrahometheater.com go into the specification of the
dtr-7.1 it tells you all the features it has i think you
were misinformed by your salesman.Why i know so much about
the product itis because i sell the product in Montreal.

By the way it is a great product.You have to audtion it
you will be impressed with it performance.

Similar Products Used:

NONE

Excellent Audio Quality, Ease of use, 6 Channel power

None

I was considering several recievers includind the Marantz sr-19 and several Yamahas. In the end I chose the Integra due to Its price: $1700 cdn +taxes. and its features. It's very flexible and easy to set up, Has component video inputs(the marantz didn't) is flash upgradeable(the Onkyo 787, yamahas, marantz are not), and like all things Onkyo makes, sounds great. I listened also to the 9.1 and couldn't really detect any appreciable differences, for less than half the price the 7.1 was great. My listening room isn't large enough to support a 7.1 setup so the 6.1 is perfect- I love Gladiator in DTS-ES!. Very Very clean sound and power. Not bad remote. I'm really looking forward to upgrading to the 6.1 discreet DTS-ES once Integra posts the upgrade on their site. If you want dsp's get a Yamaha, if you wnat fantastically clean sound fron a straightforward east to set-up and use reciever that won't be obsolete every time a new surround format is introduced then this is definately one to consider.