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 January 1, 2009 Integra DHC-9.9 Audio/Video Processor: Better than the DTC-9.8?
Since then, I’ve heard only one piece of gear that I thought might sound better, and that was the Anthem Statement D2, a product I recommend you try out if its price of $7499 USD is not a deal-breaker. Me, I bought the Integra and vowed to live happily ever after. Now, Integra claims that the DHC-9.9 has better utility, and produces better sound and images. However, it costs $2000. My question: How do you improve on something that was already on the asymptotic skinny branch of perfection? In other words: Is the DHC-9.9 better than the DTC-9.8? Sussing out the differences isn’t all that easy. The descriptions of the DHC-9.9 on Integra’s website are dense enough to make a simple comparison impossible. Just looking at the two reveals no visible changes other than a new calibrating microphone that I think might be a touch better than the previous one. That’s about it. Anyway, after much cajoling and begging, I finally got the Integra reps to precisely clarify what the extra $400 was buying. The most important upgrade is the DHC-9.9’s ability to store a separate ISF-certified calibration for each video source. This would permit separate calibrations for, say, your cable, DVD player, Blu-ray player, and game console. Prior to the DHC-9.9, an ISF tech had to use a reference to set the display for the optimal image quality. The only other way to provide specific setups for each video source was for the display to have a separate input for each -- which few displays do. Now, they can manipulate each source as a whole chain. The presence of Audyssey Dynamic Volume was enough to convince my wife that the extra $400 would be well spent. Dynamic Volume is iron-fisted control, and definitely not for when you’re trying to tease out the delicate shadings of Foley work in an English mystery. Specifically, it’s for TV commercials. We all hate those stations that compress the hell out of their ads, then boost them to red-line levels to force us to pay attention. Audyssey’s Dynamic Volume looks for these culprits and clamps down on the volume as it happens. As Audyssey likes to say, no more grabbing for the volume control. THX Loudness Plus is great even for folks who would refuse to use a standard loudness switch. The first step in setting up a THX-certified receiver or processor is to establish a standardized volume. In theory, once you’ve set your home theater to that THX reference level, you should be able to hear what the engineers heard. But sound engineers do their mastering in movie theaters -- in a living room or home theater, those levels will be pretty darn loud. When you reduce the volume to a level that doesn’t threaten immediate damage to your eardrums and system, the surrounds and bass levels seem to decrease more quickly than that of the center channel. THX Loudness Plus compensates so that the overall sonic thumbprint remains consistently balanced. One very important feature has been carried over from the DTC-9.8: The DHC-9.9 is ready for Audyssey’s MultEQ XT Pro. In other words, the Audyssey software is actually built into the Integra. However, to be able to use MultEQ XT Pro, you’ll have to hire a professional installer to trigger a secret software switch to get it working. Then they’ll use more listening positions and a better calibrating mike to get the best sound possible in your room. As you can see from the chart below, it’s worth the trouble. Your dealer should be able to use MultEQ XT Pro to fine-tune your theater, and I highly recommend it.
Watching the Blu-ray edition of Julie Taymor’s Across the Universe, we tried "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" at four different volumes and, true to its billing, THX Loudness Plus kept the sound rich as the volume went down. It’s a strange sensation at first -- we’re so used to hearing the bass drop off and the surrounds disappear as the volume decreases that having the sound remain just as involving at lower volumes made us suspect trickery. Of course, it is trickery -- but so is air-conditioning. Audyssey Dynamic EQ has the same goal as THX Loudness Plus. As to which sounded better, it was close. In busy soundtracks with things coming from every channel, as in the Blu-rays of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the Audyssey was just a bit better in the perimeter seating areas. The difference was subtle, but it was there. Also new is Music Optimizer, Integra’s attempt to make music files encoded with MP3, WMA, or M4A sound as good as possible. If you want to use your iPod as a music server for a party but are afraid someone might hear the difference between your LAME-encoded 320kbps and a CD, then Integra’s Music Optimizer will come to the rescue. The last new feature is Remote Interactive over HDMI (RIHD), which allows CIC-compatible components connected to each other via HDMI to have their volume, program change, and standby status controlled by a single remote control. I’m sure someone, somewhere will benefit from this, though who or how is beyond me. If this still doesn’t let you know which machine is better -- or, if you already have a DTC-9.8 and are wondering if you should go for a DHC-9.9 -- here are some questions that might clarify things:
Otherwise, the DHC-9.9 includes everything that was great about the DTC-9.8. It has HD radio, which really does sound dramatically better, as well as XM/Sirius satellite radio. The boring-looking remote actually works from a good distance, and its operation is easy to memorize. The DHC-9.9’s simple front panel is elegant and totally black, which makes it a clandestine component. If you already have a DTC-9.8, don’t need an ISF calibration, don’t mind loud TV commercials, and listen mostly at high volumes, stay with what you have. For everyone else, the $2000 Integra DHC-9.9 is the king of A/V processors under $7499. After my wife found out about the commercial killer, I’d have suffered physical harm had I tried to send back the DHC-9.9. I bought the review sample. . . . Wes Marshall Integra DHC-9.9 Audio/Video Processor Integra Website: www.integrahometheater.com
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