Anyone have any experience with the Integra RDC-7? (1 Viewer)

[Darrel McBane]

I'm looking at replacing my Acurus Act-3. I've been reading the review from The Perfect Vision magazine Sept/Oct issue and the online manual of the Integra Reasearch RDC-7 Digital A/V Controller http://www.integraresearch.com/ . On paper this is an incredible processor. Has anyone had any experience with the RDC-7 as far as setup, sound in music and it's various modes in HT? I'm planning on checking one out tomorrow and was wondering what others have to say based on their experience.
Thanks.

 

[Scott-C]

Darrel, You might want to try this link, to an Integra Forum. I know the moderator (Burke Strickland) has this controller and can give you opinions on its performance.
If you decide to purchase it, please post your own opinions here. I'm always interested in hearing more about really good HT processors.
Hope this helps.

 

[Darrel McBane]

Thanks for the link Scott. I've seen Burke post here and over at Mike Knapps forum. I'll know better first hand today as to the Integra RDC-7 performance.

 

[Scott-C]

Darrel,

Sounds like you're going to demo this component? Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

 

[Sihan Goi]

I've heard nothing but good things about the RDC-7, except that it lacks Bass Management(or have they fixed that?). It has everything you could have now - DTS ES(Matrix/Discrete), THX EX, DPL2, etc...

Another prepro in the same league is the TagMacLaren AV32R and the upcoming upgrade, the AV192

 

[Scott-C]

Yes, I think you're right in that the RDC-7 only has one sub crossover point (the THX standard 80 Hz). Other than that, it seems to have all the bells and whistles. It's been reviewed pretty favorably in some of the American HT mags, and also seems to be very upgradable and future-proof.
I Have also heard good things about the Tag unit. Another one that has my curiosity piqued is the Cinepro unit, but I'm not sure if it's available yet.
'Course, I'm still hoping to own a Lex MC-12B one of these days!

 

[Darrel McBane]

Had to pick up an amp from a dealer that was just down the street from the store that sells the Integra yesterday.

So I stopped and took a look at the RDC-7. The RDC-7 is rather large piece and definitely needs a good sized shelf. It was placed on a pretty ordinary black three shelf stand with only about 1/2" clearance on top of the unit. I felt the sides for any heat and it felt quit cool. I don't think heat will be a factor with the RV-7. It is silver in color and the design matches the 7 channel amp which was on the lower shelf and the progressive DVD/CD player on the top shelf. If your equipment is like mine mostly black. With the Act-3 a pewter color. It may stand out quit a bit. Which isn't bad considering this is the MAIN BRAIN of the system. The first thing I noticed was the remote. It's where you spend the most time with a piece of equipment once everything is hooked up. My favorite remote I own is for the Sony 9000ES. Large buttons. Easy to navigate and learn. My Acurus has the standard remote used on most Processors except it doesn't have a LCD read out.The RDC-7 tells you on the remote which piece it is controlling. I'm sure most newer remotes do this as well. But it's a nice feature. The remote of the Integra is about the size of the Sony and the Act-3 but since there is so much to command the buttons are very small on it. I know it could take some time to figure out everything all those tiny buttons do or don't do. May be a problem for others in a household. But in my house its not an issue.

I didn't get a lot of time to play with the RDC-7. The room wasn't fully set up yet. It only had the two main speakers hooked to it and the video wasn't patched to the unit either. But I did listen to some two channel music. It's vary hard to determine how it sounds from only one setup and a short time to spend with it. I did switch from stereo to PLII just to hear what PLII sounds like. I could only play and look at the hook up options and get a feel for the unit. It's very quiet as far as switching from one piece to another. My Act-3 has a clicking sound that is heard when switching from CD to DVD etc. This is dead quiet. One can also dim the control panel for night listening. But the blue lights stay on that tell you which piece is active. Again not a big deal but something I noticed. It has PL II and DTS-ES added to all the new unit shipping. The first units have to download the upgrade to bring them to the newest software. It's like $50 I think. And the subs are fixed at 80Hz for cross over setting per THX. He did say that there may be a software change on that as well. Nice to have downloadable upgrades...very nice! The price was $4000 from the dealer which is list. And I think better deals can be had..hint...hint...wink....wink?! As much as I could tell from my short time with the RDC-7 it may be the best processor out today. Its price is about 1/3 of the Lexicon MC-12 and I would love to see the two unit head to head. Price alone makes this a winner in my mind. Reliability is my main fear. The dealer said of the units sold from their store that they have had no problems with the unit at this time. Service also has to be sent out of store. There are no authorized repair dealers.

Hope this is of some help to those interested.