2. home-theater
  3. 1050861171

Integra Research RDC-7 or Parasound Halo C2?

I have heard good things about both of these controllers, The RDC-7 has received high praise from various publications. The Halo C2 looks very promising, although it's track record is unsure as of yet, as it was just introduced about two moths ago. The Integra Research on the other hand has been out for over two years now. So even though the RDC-7 isn't new, it's totally up to date with all the new formats(THX Ultra 2, DTS-ES,DTS 96/24,DD-EX,Pro Logic 2), and it's still fully uprgadable. The RDC-7 still appears to be a strong contender in the A/V conroller arena, competeing favorably with controllers at or above it's price.

My question is, which do all think is the better choice between these two units? I want a controller that sounds awesome with both music and movies. The speakers that will be used with it are all Martin Logans. I am very critical about music reproduction, so I want something that will knock my socks off in 2 channel. I need your input, as I have no way of personally auditioning either of these controllers(no one in my area has one that I can demo).

Thanks in advance.
wolf32
ton1313
272 posts
 
My Current system:
Sony DVP-NS999ES DVD player
Integra Research RDC-7
Odyssey Stratos Amp (2 ch.) & Carver AV-505 Amp (5 ch.)
Zu Druid 2 Main speakers
Energy Surround speakers
Zu Retro subwoofer
Zu Ibis Speaker Cables, Zu Varial interconnects
Zu power cables
Toshiba 40H80 RPT.

I am very happy with this set up. The RDA-7 is supposed to be an amazing amp, but for the money, I would keep your 5 channel for center and surround duty, and look into a good 2 channel Amp & some better speaker cables and interconnects. The Odyssey can be had for under $1200 new. Speaker cables - I have tried all of Zu's speaker cables and think that they offer an excellent product for the money.

My wifes uncle hooked up an Sonic Frontiers Amp 2 with Straightwire Cresendo Speaker Cables, and Martin Logan Odyssey Speakers with great results. You could probably find this Amp & Cables used on the market for less than the RDA-7 Amp.

Hope this helps.
wolf32 OP
18 posts
 
Ton1313,

Thanks for your input, I checked out the Odyssey Stratos amp and the Zu cable speaker wire, both are very nice. How much power does the Odyssey Stratos amp put out @ 4ohms? And is it stable down to 2 ohms? This definitely gives me something to chew on, thanks for sharing. My RDC-7 was supposed to of been here today(oh well, maybe tomorrow), once I get it and have it up and running, I'll let you know what I think of it.
ton1313
272 posts
 
The Stratos, I think goes to 250 at 4 ohms. I did take it to my wifes uncle, and listen to it with his martin logans, and it sounded just fine. Hope that helps.
darrylhifi
498 posts
 
Re the amp the key is you want a truly balanced amp. The Integra Pre uses fully balanced outputs , as it was co designed by BAT, Onkyo and Apogee. Truly balanced amps I know of are of course The Integra, BAT , Classe, which I own in two channel, Krell fully balanced and Im sure there are more, but not all amps are fully balanced. Read the complete review of the RDC-7 in Stereophiles Guide to Home Theater Feb 2001 , available online, and you will fully understand the benefit of the Integra Research RDC-7 combined with a truly balanced amp.
wolf32 OP
18 posts
 
Darrylhifi,

Thank you for your reply. Knowing that the Integra Research RDA-7 is a true balanced design will probably be the determining factor for me. Do you all know if the RDA-7 amp is stable down to 2 ohms? The reason I'm asking is my Martin Logan aerius i speakers go down to 2 ohms @ 20,000 khz. Most if not all CD's don't have much info above 18,000 khz, but many DVD-Audio/SACD titles have info above 20,000 khz. So with my speakers I need an amp that can handle a 2 ohm load. Your help will be appreciated.
More to discover