Once again, when I used iLink to transmit audio between the player
and receiver, communication was seamless, and the DTR-10.5’s big front-panel LCD
clearly displays exactly what kind of audio you’re listening to, be it DTS,
DVD-Audio, or SACD. Another interesting feature is that, if you opt to run the
player’s HDMI connection directly to your TV instead of going through the
receiver, you can still see the DTR-10.5’s setup menus on the TV, thanks to
iLink’s two-way communication.
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| Integra’s DTR-10.5 is a customizable receiver.
Order a version with component video switching and digital audio inputs today,
and add HDMI digital video switching or FireWire later with the addition of a
slide-in module. |
The Integra manuals give the clearest
explanation of how each device handles HDMI audio. Like Arcam, Integra has
chosen to focus on HDMI primarily as a video connection—at least for the time
being. The player can output multichannel Dolby Digital and DTS signals through
HDMI, but the receiver’s HDMI inputs can’t accept it. Integra says they’re
waiting for the HDMI 1.2 spec so that they can offer the complete range of audio
options, and the DTR-10.5’s modular design means it should be as easy as
swapping HDMI modules when that time comes.
The receiver produces a
wonderfully full, dynamic soundstage with both music and movies. The more volume
I fed it, the more life it breathed into my test DVDs without changing the
character of my speaker system. It didn’t struggle when recreating the cacophony
of war in the “Battle of Pelennor Fields” scene from The Return of the King,
although the pre/pro-and-amp combo was a bit better at heightening individual
effects, particularly in the surround channels. The DTR-10.5, on the other hand,
excels at rendering the complete soundfield. It did the best job ensuring that
the background music in the “Lobby Shooting Spree” scene from The Matrix wasn’t
buried by the numerous sound effects, and the receiver rendered the most
information in the helicopter explosion in chapter 32 of the same movie.
