This receiver is extremely well built, excellent for both music and HT. It has all the connectivity you'd ever need (even has phono input) including: optical output for connecting to MD recorders, CD recorders, DAT decks, etc.; THX Surround EX; THX Select Certified; DD, DTS, and Dolbly Pro Logic; 100 Wx2 (front), 100 W (center), 100 Wx2 (Surround), 100 W (Surround Back) at 8 ohms; HDTV Ready Component Video Circuit; heavy duty multiway binding posts for all channels (all dual plug compatible); an RS 232 port; and a backlit learning remote.

I'm still trying to figure out how to program the remote.

I read extensive reviews on this model's predecessor, the Integra DTR 7, which received very high marks (4.88) and compared it to the Denon AVR 4800, which was substantially more but also a very good (though slightly older) product nevertheless. For a bad reason but because I own other Pioneer components, I decided I'd get the Pioneer Elite VSX-36TX, which also compares favorably to the Onkyo Integra 7.1. I must confess, I liked the idea of controlling my other Pioneer components with just one remote. The Elite also looks very good and has some pretty cool features at $1000. I thought I was luckly to have found a dealer (J&R Music) who would sell one to me online that would not void Pioneer's warranty, since Pioneer generally restricts its Elite line of receivers to in-store purchases in order for the customer to get its full warranty; however, because of problems with the Elite's rear audio inputs, I returned it to J&R Music for a full refund and resumed my search for a good receiver.

My tastes are 80% music and 20% HT, so I gave serious consideration to the Denon 3801 (which was about the same in cost as the Integra DTR 7.1 and my previous Elite) and Denon's AVR 4800. Thanks to the help from this site, I finally made a much better informed decision and settled on the Integra DTR 7.1; I haven't regretted it yet.

Unfortunately, there were no reviews posted on this model yet, although in its January 2001 issue Stereophile reviews the next model up in the Integra line, the DTR 9.1, and the reviewer considers it the best flagship receiver in its price range ($3200) to date. Not only would I have unnecessarily strained my family's budget, but my needs did not require spending three times more for the 9.1 (I don't need a firewire port, more wattage, or the THX "ultra" vs. "select" certified stamp of approval!), especially since the 7.1 has all the bells and whistles that will serve my family and me for years to come. Incidentally, I noticed that some notable publications claim the DTR 7.1 lacks both a firewire and an RS-232 port, but it most certainly does have the RS-232 port. I suspect this port will be usefull for some yet-to-be-determined future needs. Compared to the relatively cheap Pioneer VSX-D503S receiver I had for several years, the Integra DTR 7.1 has opened up a whole new world of sound, one that has even compelled me to learn more about the importance of interlinks and speaker wire guage. CD's and videos sound better now than ever before, and when I finally get a DVD player, our 20' x 16' living room will offer as much as most any movie theater around here, short of an HDTV, of course!

My set-up includes:

an ancient Pioneer CT-W 503R dual cassette
Pioneer PD-TM1 magazine CD player
an old BSR turntable
Panasonic PV-S7670 VCR
Hitachi 36FX48B TV
Paradigm Monitor 9s
Paradigm CC-370 Center Channel
wall-mounted Paradigm ADP-370 surround dipolars
Paradigm PW-220 subwoofer
Monster Cable Interlinks
Horizon 14-guage and Recoton 12-guage speaker wire w/gold- plated banana plugs

I'll evetually add a DVD player, probably the Pioneer DV-333.

For this kind of money, the exact amount of which I promised the seller I would not divulge online, I don't think there's a better A/V receiver available on the market. The problem is finding one, since Integra does not allow their products to be sold online unless the buyer lives in an area that is nowhere near an Integra dealer. I was fortunate (or unfortunate, depending upon you perspective) to live in the Mid-South wilderness, so Integra allowed a dealer to sell me one by phone, specifically at New Orleans Audio Video (noav.com). Until I buy a DVD player, I've only just begun to appreciate the DTR 7.1's features when listening to music or watching videos.

My thanks goes to all on this site who helped me, a none-audiophile but audio enthusiast, to decide on the Integra DTR 7.1!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite VSX-36TX

Could use 1 more optical input

I can describe this unit in a few short sentences which should make your decission to buy it simple.
OK, I set it up, began to listen to it.....

I then proceeded to get the freakin' CHILLS and almost CRIED, this thing sounded SOOOOO AWESOME!!!!!!!! Now, I basically leave work early everyday (lunch time) and risk getting fired just so I can spend time listening to it. And I havent even set up the 6th channel yet! Thats how good it sounds!!!! I know i am crazy but you won't understand unless you own this thing how great the sound is!!!!!!!!!!! Forget it's a MONSTER!!!! I would give it 10 stars if i could!

Similar Products Used:

Too many to list!

Integra

Blade1

Gee, Blade how many reviews are you going to post? You got 5 so far. 39% of the reviews are yours. Come on now. I know you can get that up to at lest 60%.

Signal Response, clarity, Power plant!!!

Don't sweat the small stuff! Basically none

I've had the receiver for just over a month now, and i have to say, it does what it claims!! This thing is a work horse, it has a built in fan that is temp controlled, and i havn't even been able to get it hot enough for it to turn on! I shopped around and did a lot of research before i broke down and bought the Integra, simply because, nothing came close to it for the money. I'm a 3rd year Electronics engineering student, and when i bought this thing, of course the first thing i did was take it apart...and let me tell you, its built tough. Top of the line components, first class connection soldering, no short cuts. The Integra dissapates the power through it so well, that you really don't even need that cooling fan.

This receiver sings to you at high volumes, its ability to deliver power strokes of bass at critical times is unreal. Thus making it execellent for home theater. My entire family has spend tonnes of cash on their own home theatre systems, and none of them yet can compare to mine. The main reason for this is the heart of system, the receiver!

I'm very pleased with this unit, i've heard units priced much higher that don't compare with the 7.1. As for weaknesess, again, like I said, don't sweat the small stuff, nothing major to report.

Buying this receiver will only make your family and friends Jealous!

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo tx-565 , Sony, Yamaha

Signal Response, clarity, Power plant!!!

Don't sweat the small stuff! Basically none

I've had the receiver for just over a month now, and i have to say, it does what it claims!! This thing is a work horse, it has a built in fan that is temp controlled, and i havn't even been able to get it hot enough for it to turn on! I shopped around and did a lot of research before i broke down and bought the Integra, simply because, nothing came close to it for the money. I'm a 3rd year Electronics engineering student, and when i bought this thing, of course the first thing i did was take it apart...and let me tell you, its built tough. Top of the line components, first class connection soldering, no short cuts. The Integra dissapates the power through it so well, that you really don't even need that cooling fan.

This receiver sings to you at high volumes, its ability to deliver power strokes of bass at critical times is unreal. Thus making it execellent for home theater. My entire family has spend tonnes of cash on their own home theatre systems, and none of them yet can compare to mine. The main reason for this is the heart of system, the receiver!

I'm very pleased with this unit, i've heard units priced much higher that don't compare with the 7.1. As for weaknesess, again, like I said, don't sweat the small stuff, nothing major to report.

Buying this receiver will only make your family and friends Jealous!

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo tx-565 , Sony, Yamaha

Wonderful Sound, plenty of power, lots of bells and whistles.

Extended bass management would be nice...

This receiver really cant be beat for the price, it provides plenty of power, exquisite sound and clarity, and all of the features you would expect in a receiver in this price range + some. Sure there are better combinations with seperates, or flagship receivers but it doesn't get any better at this price or anywhere near it... and when you consider you can buy 3 of these receivers for the price of the flagsips from Integra, Denon, and Yamaha you have to wonder why... Are they better, sure they are, but 3X better? I dont think so.
I have never run into a shortage of power when driving my Nautilus 800 series with this receiver in either music or HT, even when playing loud. My original plan was to buy this receiver and then buy a good amp and use the receiver as a pre/pro, now I am having second thoughts, is a seperate power amp really worth the money it will cost when the amps in the receiver are this good?

BTW the (B) on the box stands for black, as in the color.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3801, Yamaha RX-V800, Marantz SR8000

CLARITY, separation, power, soundstage dynamics, build, remote.

literally none that I have found

I've had this for about a month and a half now and have logged many hours on it before writing this review. I listened to receivers from the above mentioned companies and couldn't find one that matched the DTR-7 (I waited for the 7.1). I thought the Marantz 8000 had great home theater but not as good as the Integra. I liked the music from Denon & NAD but I liked the Integra better so there really was no decision especially when you consider that the Integra was cheaper than the others (not that it would have made a difference).

The 2 & 5 channel stereo from this thing gives me chills sometimes. It has so much clarity and "presence". I sounded great right out of the box but has gotten remarkebly smoother after being broken in. I have it matched with the Denon DVM-3700 CD/DVD player and the combo is the best I've heard and I have some friends that spent a lot more money than I did.

Home theater is exceptional too. It brings movies to life unlike any other receiver I heard. Saving Private Ryan, Dances with wolves, Brabeheart, etc. I can't get enough.

The clarity and separation are phenominal. Integra is tough to audition for some people, but worth the trip no matter how far. Buy, take it home, and you won't regret it.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Denon, Onkyo, NAD

Sound qaulity in stereo mode(very smooth, powerful and refined. Dynamics, transparancy, low level detail, 3-D soundstage with plenty of height, width and depth- spectacular imaging, power output, looks, build qaulity, features and price!

Oh yea... backlit remote is good too.

None that I noticed in my set-up.

This receiver is so good that it reminds me of my former $4600 EAD Encore and Pm500 setup - especially with stereo listening. Minus some of the low level detail and refined sound of the EAD seperates.... I'd say that the Integra 7.1 is very close. The 7.1 never runs out of steam - and this holds true for music or movies. I'm driving an easy 8ohm, 92db sens. speaker in my Paradigm M-11, but I haven't heard of anyone having a problem with hard to drive speakers. The WRAT amp design that Onkyo is using is unique among receivers, in that it is similar to the Pass Lab design... the amp's resistance is dropped down to 3 ohms, instead of the conventional 4 and higher among most receivers. This may be part of the reason why this receiver sounds so dynamic and will not strain at high volumes. The processing in the 7.1 is a cut above all of the receivers mentioned above, and build qaulity is far better with the exception of the NAK 10 which is close - the NAK is also almost as powerful, but it lacks the features, smart processing, and refined clean sound of the 7.1.

One cool feature with the 7.1 is a bass peak limiter. It allows you to set your sub to roll off before it distorts. Another cool feature that is unusual among this price class is the detachable powercord. Now I can use my own Tara RSC pc instead of the 18awg piece of junk that comes with most receivers. Of course, it does have the 7.1 capabilty although it only has 6 amps for 6.1. For me, this doesn't make a difference because 5.1 is simply good enough.

I was most impressed with sound quality in 2 channel stereo, and all channel stereo. The sound is far from being compressed, and is very neutral and transparant. It adds the least amount of colorations I've heard with a receiver(please note that I have not listened to the 3K and up flagship models.) Many audio buffs tend to claim that they like a receiver or amp to have a "nice warm sound." But for me, that is only a weekness because "warmth" is usually a coloration. The only time a warm amp, pre, or receiver should be necessary is if the speakers are too bright and the person would rather change the front end instead of the speakers to fix the problem... catch my drift here? The Integra 7.1 gets out of the way of music and just lets it flow through... very impressive for a receiver - especially in this price range.

I will definitely have this baby around for a long time. I have no desire to upgrade anymore, and yes - I have owned all of the receivers mentioned above minus the Outlaw, which was an audition. The EAD seperates were the best but for $4600 compared to the $1200 I spent on the Integra... there is DEFINITELY not a huge difference.

Asscociate Equip:

Integra DPC 5.1, 5 Disc DVD changer modified with 2 silver coated bybees in the analouge signal path.
Bybee Power Line conditioner
Paradigm Monitor 11 v2's(1 bybee wired in phase.)
Paradigm Monitor CC 370(1 bybee wired in phase.)
Paradigm Atoms for rear
Tara Lab Ref. Gen II speaker cable
Tara RSC IC's
Optex and Pro Gold used regulary!

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300, Outlaw 1050, NAK AV-10, and Integra DTR 6.