INTEGRA DHC-80.3 Surround Processor

So after reading the whole thread I am utterly confused as to the difference between the DHC80.2 and DHC80.3. I too use my theater as much as 2ch music listening and have been wondring if the DHC80.3 is right for me and does Audyssey XT32 really make that big of difference. I own a DTC 9.8 and have never been really impressed with the Audyssey room correction in that unit. I feel I was never close to getting the same performance outta the DTC 9.8 that I ever had with my Classe SSP60 let or my B&K REF50. I like integra products because of their versatility and mulit zone, but would like to try and get within shouting distance of the performance category of the Classe SSP800 which I can't afford, hence, the DHC 80.3 consideration. What do you guys think. Am I just dreaming here trying to get real good home theater surround and 2 ch music from a High Value piece like the DHC 80.3. Would appreciate any help or comments.

Jeff,

I "went over" to the room correction "dark side" for my main, 2 channel, music only system several years ago. My ARC and Joule preamps were first joined by a Velo SMS-1 room correction/sub controller, then replaced by an Onkyo pre-pro with XT32. There's no going back now.

IMHO, Audyssey xt32 is GREAT. The xt32 equipped Onkyo PRSC 550x pre-pro is sometimes available for +/- $1500 new on-line (you may have to check a few times). Older versions of Audyssey are pretty damn good (I have an Integra AVR in my multi-channel set-up), but the results I've gotten with xt32 in the main system are -IMHO- worth a hefty premium. Since the Onkyo doesn't really command such a premium (vis a vis Marantz, et al), I believe that it's a pretty safe call.

Good Luck.

Marty

Have Integra solved the problems that were associated with the ribbon cable and other defects that were the subject of their recent press release?
I was thinking of buying one to replace my aged Meridian 565 (still performing yeoman's service in a secondary video system) but I'm not looking to spend my time getting to know their tech support and shipping and receiving dep't.

The difference between the 80.2 and 80.3 is the video scaling chip. The 80.3 has a chip that will upscale 1080p to 4k. But unless you have a 4k tv or setup that's future proofing.

Otherwise the units are identical.

I've had the Integra DHC-40.2 for almost a year now and have never been happier. It was a big improvement over my Denon AVR-3300 that I was using previously as a preamp. If I had to do it all over again, I'd certainly buy the Integra again.

Are you going to be using balanced connections? If not, you might want to consider going with the DHC-40.2 and pocketing the savings. Just a thought.