Integra Research Announced Deliveries Of High-End Home Theatre Components Developed In Partnership With U.S. Firms

30-May-00

The newly formed Integra Research Division of Onkyo Corporation, Osaka, Japan, has introduced three high-end home theatre components that were jointly developed with several U.S. companies. These components offer audiophile-quality performance suitable for critical music listening, with professional-grade video to match. The lineup consists of the Integra Research RDC-7, a 7.1-channel THXÆ Surround EXô audio/video preamplifier/processor; the RDA-7, a U.S.-designed seven-channel THX power amplifier with each channel rated at 150 watts; and the RDV-1, a premium DVD player with a broadcast-quality video section. All three models are THX Ultra certified. The A/V processor and DVD player are IEEE 1394 capable, and the processor's operating system and surround formats are upgradeable via software that can be uploaded from a PC. This allows the product to be easily upgraded so it will not be rendered obsolete by the introduction of new surround formats.These components were jointly developed in partnership with a trio of U.S. audio and video technology firms: Apogee Electronics Corp., Balanced Audio Technology, and Lucasfilm THX [listed in alphabetical order]. The company also worked closely with a team of custom installers to ensure the product meets the needs of that customer base. While similar feature sets are available on products from its sister company, Onkyo, Integra Research's products include advanced circuitry not normally found on consumer products. For over a decade, the Apogee Electronics Corporation of Santa Monica, California, has produced the highest quality professional digital audio equipment available, and its renowned Low-Jitter Clock has become standard in the recording industry. Now, Integra Research has licensed the Apogee Low-Jitter Clock, and have integrated it into the 192kHz/24-bit DAC that is used in the RDC-7 processor and RDV-1 DVD player. Balanced Audio Technology was founded in 1995 in Wilmington, Delaware, and it has rapidly established for itself an enviable and difficult-to-achieve position in the competitive high-end audio world. BAT is known for producing superbly engineered, meticulously crafted audio products that recreate music with unmatched fidelity and accuracy. The engineer behind this unique equipment is Victor Khomenko, Co-Founder of BAT and now the Chief Designer of the Integra Research RDA-7. Last, but certainly not least, Lucasfilm's THX division played a key role in several aspects of these products. The company's THX Ultra certification process insures these components are correctly calibrated and tested to meet or exceed Lucasfilms standards for THX soundtrack reproduction. Indeed, the RDA-7 is the world's first seven-channel power amplifier to earn THX Ultra certification. These are also among the first consumer products to incorporate 7.1-channel THX Surround EX, the home theatre version of Dolby Digital Surround EX. Inspired by Gary Rydstrom (Director of Creative Operations for Lucas Digitalís Skywalker Sound and seven-time Academy AwardÆ-winner), this new cinema format was born from the joint collaboration of Lucasfilm THX and DolbyÆ Laboratories. While present 5.1-channel configurations allow for sound from the sides, they provide little from behind or above the listener. By providing an additional surround back signal, THX Surround EX enables sound designers to create dramatic 360-degree surround sound effects that fly over and around listeners, pan from front to back, conveying a sense of realism never before achieved in the theatre. Now, these same dynamic sound effects are available for the home theatre with THX Surround EX in the Integra Research RDC-7 Home Theatre Control Amplifier.These Integra Research RDC-7, RDA-7 and RDV-1 will be available from Integra Research dealers in June.

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