Criticisms and Comments of Integra DTR-7.8 AV Receiver

[warren112]

I have just purchased an Integra DTR-7.8 AV Receiver. For TV, I am using this receiver with a Tivo series 3 HD connected by hdmi at 1080i and 480i resolutions. For movies I am using a Panasonic DMP-BD30K blu-ray dvd player connected by hdmi at 1080p24 resolution and bitstream audio. The receiver drives a 5.1 speaker setup consisting of ADS BC-8 front speakers, and Paradigm Studio CC-690 center and ADP-590 surrounds. The SVS PC-13 Ultra subwoofer should come today!

As an audio amplifier, I don’t notice any tonality or distortion with any input. It sounds great and has plenty of power. But the user interface is designed as an audio component and not a video component. The Integra (and other receivers) are sold as video components for use in home theater systems. The following are criticisms I have about this top of the line receiver:

The primary purpose of this receiver is for watching TV and for movies. I change the volume level often. The Integra has NO on screen volume control or muting indicator. There is no on screen display of the video resolution, or of the type of audio program. There is no on screen recommendation or explanation for the best audio processing mode given the audio input selected and the speaker setup. I would like an on screen explanation for each audio processing mode selected.

The only on screen menus are for the receiver setup or for the Audyssey setup. These display at 480p resolution and are very basic and ugly.

The on receiver display is very basic and small particularly at 13 feet away. The basic information it conveys is just barely enough to understand what is going on when combined with the manual.

The manual is like a cookbook or program manual. It explains well enough how to set and clear various settings such as for setting up hdmi and component inputs. The section on audio processing gives little advice as to what is recommended when you have a 5.1 speaker setup and what is not recommended. I am confused about when to select Dolby, Neo, Neural THX, PCM, or other listening modes. Some are for use with TV, or movies, and others for stereo inputs such as cd or phono.

The Audyssey setup seemed to work well and was an improvement. I plan on running it a second time using only a single center sweet spot for sound optimization. I will probably then decrease the center speaker by 1 dB and increase the surrounds by 1 dB. This was recommended by my dealer but not by the manual.

The phono input seemed to be 20 dB lower than the other inputs. There is no adjustment of phono or any other input other than by volume control. Phono should vary greatly depending on the cartridge. Mine is 30 years old.

The supplied FM antenna was useless. I had to buy a 300 to 75 ohm matching transformer and simple dipole at Radio Shack ($10).

When a video input is selected and the TV is turned on or off, the receiver should turn on or off. This should be done using hdmi sensing.

I have measured the power using a Kill A Watt P4400. The power consumption of the unit at the AC outlet is 0 watts on standby, 115 watts at very low to medium volume, and 200 watts at very high volume.

[tonyvdb]

Hi Warren, good review. if you dont mind me adding a few comments just to help you understand....

warren112 wrote:

.... The Integra has NO on screen volume control or muting indicator. There is no on screen display of the video resolution, or of the type of audio program. There is no on screen recommendation or explanation for the best audio processing mode given the audio input selected and the speaker setup. I would like an on screen explanation for each audio processing mode selected.

The only on screen menus are for the receiver setup or for the Audyssey setup. These display at 480p resolution and are very basic and ugly.

This is very comon with almost all receivers, OSD is rarely output through HDMI you need to use component outputs or less to see the OSD for volume, Mute ect. This is done because in order to display the information required the signal would then have to go through another step in the video processing and this will usually cause a reduction in quality of the overall 1080 output.

I am confused about when to select Dolby, Neo, Neural THX, PCM, or other listening modes. Some are for use with TV, or movies, and others for stereo inputs such as cd or phono.

Its actually fairly straight forward. The Integra allows you to select the default listening mode fore each input and signal. so basically if you use your Bluray player in HDMI input 1 you can tell the Integra if it receives a DTS HD signal to use that processing mode as a default.

The phono input seemed to be 20 dB lower than the other inputs. There is no adjustment of phono or any other input other than by volume control. Phono should vary greatly depending on the cartridge. Mine is 30 years old.

Allot of receivers are no longer even supporting Phono and don't even have this input any more.

The supplied FM antenna was useless. I had to buy a 300 to 75 ohm matching transformer and simple dipole at Radio Shack ($10).

Are you sure that you had it hooked up properly. Mine works just fine so your location may be unique.

When a video input is selected and the TV is turned on or off, the receiver should turn on or off. This should be done using hdmi sensing.

This is fully Dependant on if the TV supports this feature as most do not it has nothing to do with the receiver as it needs to receive the signal from the display.