Anyone compare the C1/C2 vs. Integra 9.8?

[rocasi]

I have been following the reviews on the Integra 9.8, and most seem to be blown away by the quality and versatility. Has anyone had an opportunity to compare the Integra vs. the C1 or C2?

[Lucabratsi]

HI Rocasi,

I have sold my C1 and purchased an Onkyo PR-SC885, virtually the same as the Integra 9.8. First lets start with the sound quality. The C1 is hands down better in imaging, soundstage and presence. I have 9 ft line source arrays, which easily distinguish/highlight even suttle differinces between audio components. In the "Pure Audio" setting, the Onkyo is not bad sounding, but is brighter in the midrange. Soundstage is still good, but no where near the C1. With SACD, they are much closer, but the C1 wins out. So am I disapointed in the 885? No. I made the change to get the new Dolby HD and the DTS-HD MA, which is far better sounding than any movie processing the C1 can do. If you want to enjoy the Bluray HD soundtracks, I recommend the 885 or the 9.8. Also, the HDMI 1.3a works great, and is a true upgrade over the C1. I went with the 885 because I did not want the amp section, due to my extensive theater setup with active crossovers, 8 tube amps, 6 Crown K2's, 2 Haflers, and tactile transducers.

On the video side, the 885 has better Video processing than the C1, as determined on my 12' front projection.


In the future, I may be going back to parasound or Lexicon, once they can handle HDMI 1.3a and the new HD sound formats.
Good Luck,

[Kal Rubinson]

Luca-

Can you tell us the sources and how they were connected when you made your comparisons?

Kal

[rocasi]

HI Rocasi,

I have sold my C1 and purchased an Onkyo PR-SC885, virtually the same as the Integra 9.8. First lets start with the sound quality. The C1 is hands down better in imaging, soundstage and presence. I have 9 ft line source arrays, which easily distinguish/highlight even suttle differinces between audio components. In the "Pure Audio" setting, the Onkyo is not bad sounding, but is brighter in the midrange. Soundstage is still good, but no where near the C1. With SACD, they are much closer, but the C1 wins out. So am I disapointed in the 885? No. I made the change to get the new Dolby HD and the DTS-HD MA, which is far better sounding than any movie processing the C1 can do. If you want to enjoy the Bluray HD soundtracks, I recommend the 885 or the 9.8. Also, the HDMI 1.3a works great, and is a true upgrade over the C1. I went with the 885 because I did not want the amp section, due to my extensive theater setup with active crossovers, 8 tube amps, 6 Crown K2's, 2 Haflers, and tactile transducers.

On the video side, the 885 has better Video processing than the C1, as determined on my 12' front projection.


In the future, I may be going back to parasound or Lexicon, once they can handle HDMI 1.3a and the new HD sound formats.
Good Luck,

Thank you for the quick comparison. I will have to study this more carefully. I use my HT for two channel listening as well and would hate to lose the 2ch sound quality. The "brighter" characteristic is the last thing I need, I have Klipschorns and a bright mid range is not a good thing with these speakers. I would love the better pictue on my 10' fron projection and the ability to use HDMI sources. Oh well, maybe Parasound will come out with something soon.

[frasse74]

Hi

If i would be you i should borrow home a bluray/hddvd and let the player take care of the decoding via the analog outputs.
I have been thinking about the new formats to but the stereo sound inportment to me
and i dont want to lose some of that to the new soundformats

frasse74

[rocasi]

That certainly is another option, and the most likely for me. I currently have a HTPC with a combo HD DVD/Blue Ray drive. I can run the analog outputs through to the C2 and then to the speakers. I had hoped at some point to have HDMI switching capabilities.

[Chris D]

Hey, Luca, welcome to the Guide and Club Parasound! :banana: (great user name, btw)

This is a good discussion topic, picking these two products for comparison. Good to hear opinions.

Can't wait until we get an HDMI pre/pro from Parasound, though.

[frasse74]

i sure that you know that all pc-players downsample the sound
from bluray/hddvd movies.
i have read about it on another place and they thinked that
the bluray/hddvd real player sounds better then the pc player..
Later will i test the bluray/hddvd on my setup and see how
it sounds

frasse74

[slayer]

The Integra is the unit I plan on upgrading to. My C2 will either be sold or moved to the bone yard. I am also going to get either the new Denon Blu-Ray player or the Sony ES player to go with it.

[Chris D]

I'm sure you can get a good deal on a HD-DVD player...

[goldear]

As a former Halo owner, I also picked up an Onkyo PR-SC885 for my system. Sadly, a direct comparison would be hard to make since I've had a few other SSPs before eventually picking up the Onkyo. With that said, I'm very impressed with the price/permormance ratio of this SSP.

While my intent was not to use this for 2-ch listening (as was the case when I had the Halo for the most part), when it comes to multichannel playback via HDMI, the 885 is an incredible performer. Ironically, I've even found 2-ch to be quite good in Pure Audio via HDMI.

Paired with my Oppo 980H (SACD/DVD-A) and Toshiba A35 (and soon to be Pan BD30 for HDM) this combination produces some of the most detailed and dynamic sounds I've had the pleasure of listening to. From SACD and DVD-A...to any of the new HDM codecs via HDMI bitstream, the sound quality is about as pure and lifelike as I've heard.

And while I have always been an advocate of the 6-ch analog route to take advantage of the new HR codecs, it appears that bitstream to the Onkyo, using its processing power produces a more coherent presentation. Wether this is a result of the seamless time alignment and BM done within the 885, I don't know; I just know I like the sound as much as anything I've heard. Not to mention the numerous post-processing options if that's your thing

[rocasi]

I recently picked up the new Panasonic BD55 Blu Ray player with 7.1 analog out. The player is pretty amazing for the price point. Video is extremely good and audio processing for HD formats allows me to keep the C2. Now, I can't do any HDMI switching in the pre/pro, but for $36 the monoprice HDMI switch works well.

[rocasi]

Finally going to the deep end of the pool. Ordered the Integra DHC 9.9. I look forward to comparing it and the C2.

[rocasi]

Installed the new DHC 9.9 two days ago. Before unhooking everything, I ran some stereo tests between the C2 and the 9.9. Bottom line, the C2 is just a little warmer, but the 9.9 did pretty well. However, when you properly set up the Audyssey Dynamic EQ on the 9.9, the stereo experience blows the C2 away. The new HD codecs are amazing on the 9.9 as well.

I do not listen to any pure analog 2 channel. I do listen to music via optical from my HTPC .flac lossless files. The sound for just stereo listening is very nice on the Integra and should not be a deterrent to get the HDMI switching, Audyssey, ISF calibration and all the other goodies that come with the Integra. I am very glad I got the unit. C2 and T3 now on eBay.

[Chetk]

I retired the C1 for a 9.8. Haven't looked back. The real questions is...Since Blu-Ray is in full swing with lossless codecs, why HAVEN'T you upgraded to the 9.8/9.9 yet?