Integra DHC 9.9...what do you owners think?

[sokrman14]

I have been looking into getting this unit and wanted to know what the owners thought of it. It seems like a solid unit and I want to move from my receiver to a pre/pro. I would be selling my Denon AVR3808 for around $1200 with about 3 years left on the warranty for those who interested in buying it, any takers?(it is listed in the for sale/trading forum as well) Anyways, what do you owners think? Are you happy with it, how does it sound, is it a solid unit, is it worth the money?

[welwynnick]

What sort of inputs do you want to use it for?
SD or HD audio?
Analogue or digital inputs?
Audio or AV sources?
What is your priority?

Nick

[Blaumann]

I have the Onkyo 886, which on the inside is almost exactly the same as the 9.9.

Are you happy with it?
Yes. I personally have peace of mind, meaning i don't see the need to upgrade my pre/pro for anything 'better' for the next years. Upgrades concerning the audio will be about improving the room acoustics. Besides that, i'm extremely pleased with what i have now.

How does it sound?
It sounds neutral in the good way. Imo there is no typical house-sound, something some brands have been accused of deliberately adding to their amps. The sound is very dynamic and precise. I have connected three different kind of audio sources:

A, Lossless audio from Blu-ray/HD DVD, delivered decoded as multichannel PCM by the PS3/my HD DVD player. Both my players can't bitstream HD audio, so i can't comment on that topic for HD audio. (Side note: There were differences in audio levels between bitstreamed/decoded lossy audio (DTS/AC3) which i have adjusted in the PS3. There is no audible difference after level matching for lossy audio.)

B, Bitstreamed music from my CD player via SPDIF. Imo the sound quality is excellent. I have actually retired my external DAC and only use the internal DAC of the pre/pro. I used to be an audiophile with a large vinyl collection. With that background in listening to music, i think i can attest the pre/pro to have 'musicality' and not being soulless. Combined with the neutral sound, i was actually surprised by this as i didn't think it would do that when i bought the unit.

I've tested the balanced analog stereo input with my external DAC and i prefer the pre/pro's internal decoding.

C, Analog multichannel from my htpc. The sound quality is limited by the htpc's inferior DAC, i will therefore not comment.

Is it a solid unit?
Can't comment on the Integra, as i have the Onkyo and they are built differently on the outside. The Onkyo is very solid.

Is it worth the money?
This is too subjective for me to answer. Considering you can buy the pre/pro's as receivers with the same features for less (at least that's the case with the Onkyo), you'd need other reasons than features alone to think they are worth it. My HT audio is designed as a completely active setup using 'professional' studio monitors, so a pre/pro with balanced outputs is a perfect match.

[sokrman14]

Originally Posted by welwynnick

What sort of inputs do you want to use it for?
SD or HD audio?
Analogue or digital inputs?
Audio or AV sources?
What is your priority?

Nick

I am using primarily all digital inputs, running it through a ps3 which will likely be upgraded to a stand alone in the near future. I would prefer to bitstream unless I get a really high end player with great DAC's. Also I will be using the balanced outputs instead of the unbalanced. My primary reason is to do away with the extra amp in the receiver that I am no longer using, as it "can" cause extra, unwanted interference. Also the integra has some cool features that may be beneficial.

[sokrman14]

If you guys had the option of the integra DHC9.9 vs the Outlaw Audio Model 997 when it is released, what would you get?

[Bastia]

Originally Posted by sokrman14

If you guys had the option of the integra DHC9.9 vs the Outlaw Audio Model 997 when it is released, what would you get?

I have the Integra DTC-9.8, and I'm considering switching over to the Outlaw Audio Model 997. The compelling features of the DHC-9.9 are the Audyssey Dynamic EQ/Dynamic Volume and the ISF features (though I'm not well-read enough to know how much benefit the ISF stuff is). From most reports I've heard, Dynamic EQ is of tangible benefit. However, I think I'm more interested in the Trinnov room EQ processing in the Model 997. I'll wait until there are reviews of it; I'm pretty excited to see how it fares.