New RDC-7 review

[Razvan]

Go to:

http://www.audioholics.com/productre...chRDC-7P1.html

R

[Burke Strickland]

Thanks for the link to the review of the RDC-7. Glad they like it. :>) In the course of describing the unit in detail and raving about its performance, the reviewer answered a number of my technical questions that Integra Research has ignored in the past. The very positive review should show Integra Research that answering such questions will not detract from someone's appreciation of the unit.

The reviewer has an interesting "wish list" for future enhancements (for all pre/pros. not just the RDC-7). Some seem doable as upgrades to the RDC-7, and a few have been on my wish list too. Some would probably be expensive to implement requiring major hardware changes, and might be more suited to a new "gold plated" "step-up" component going head-to-head with the likes of the Lexicon MC-12 or a fully loaded Theta Casablanca II for those who are not satisfied with excellence in practice and want theoretical perfection.

Some of the items on their list appear to have already been addresed for the RDC-7:

- Virtual 7.1 channel DSP simulated modes for 5.1 channel speaker configuration. (Isn't this one of the things THX Ultra 2 is supposed to accomplish?)

- Super bass mode to combine bass from main speakers set large to the subwoofer. (The RDC-7 has been accused of doing this already although I have not been able to confirm it. And the ones who say it is doing it do not want it to.)

- Retainable power up master volume level setting. (This one I know is already a user-configurable menu item.)

Anyway, it is gratifying to read a detailed, informative review of the RDC-7 where the strengths are appreciated (especially its audiophile-grade performance as a two channel pre-amp and superb implementation of movie surround modes) and the weaknesses they describe are essentially conjectural in their practical impact on the unit's real-world performance.

Burke