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
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.
darrylhifi
498 posts
 
Thats a good question, I do not know the answer. I can tell you that my priority as well is two channel. So what I did was get the best balanced amp that I could personally afford for the front two channels , a Classe 301, and I use an Anthem, which has XLR inputs , but is not truly balanced for the center and rears. While Home Theater still sounds awsome, it two channel where my system really shines. In fact for the first six months all I did was listen to two channel because I could not believe how good it sounded. Now again this is only my perception, but the RDC-7 sounded even better at home than it did at the dealer. The reason I believe, and my dealer agreed with me , is the Integra Amp, is 7 channels squeezed into one box, and if Im not mistaken is only rated at about 110 watts a channel. My Classe is 300 watts balanced per channel. I think I will eventually add the Classe 5 channel for the center and the rears, but my advice to you is get 2 amps. One for Stereo , one for the center and rears. If you think about the concept of seperates, having 7 channels in one box goes against the sperates theory. Just my advice. Good Luck !
wolf32 OP
18 posts
 
Darryl,

I totally agree with you, having a separate amp for 2 channel listening is definitely the way to go. I have heard very good things about Classe amps, and would welcome one in my setup. What's a good price to pay for a 2 channel Classe 300 watt balanced amp?

I was reading through the online manual for the RDA-7 amp and it's power output ratings @ 8 ohms is 150w, and 300w @ 4ohms (just wanted to share). If I opt to go for the RDA-7(which right now you have me thinking about the Classe)do you think $2,900 is a good price for it?
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