So - having ordered my Integra 3.4 (Same as Onkyo NR7100, but with pre-outs) AVR in September 2021, it finally arrived on Monday....
I am glad I waited.
So here is the quick review...
My System :
Speakers
Front L/R Gallo Reference 3.1
C Gallo Reference AV Center
Surround L/R PSB Alpha Intro
Sub Gallo TR2
TV Sony X90H
Current AVR being replaced
Onkyo TX-SR876 (2008, 30kg, 140W/ch beast - Audyssey XT) - no HDMI inputs (burnt out) - SPDIF
also Integra DTR 70.4, same amp as 876 (same weight too!), let out its magic smoke recently - Audyssey XT32 - both of these sounded best without Audyssey - run straight. - although for Movies I often activated Audyssey so I could listen late at night using the Dynamic EQ function. (Loudness)
Power amps 2x Crown XLS2500 - not connected in a while, have been running the 876 the last 6 months since the 70.4 failed... the Crowns are intended to be configured with their onboard crossover to BiAmp the Front L/R.
Box arrived and was unpacked - nicely built unit, looks a lot like the old 70.4, but weighs half as much... the lightness is not promising from a class AB amp perspective! it is both shorter in height and depth, than the old ones (possibly a good thing... they are/were huge!)
I can easily pop the new unit into the rack, not much effort - taking the old beast out on the other hand requires great care, and is easiest with 2 people - it is HEAVY.
For starters I just plugged in the 3.4 on its own, simply replacing the 876, and feeding it via HDMI.
I had a brief listen... 10 to 15min - definite lack of body, it sounds a bit coarser perhaps in the mids and highs - hard to tell... but definitely not as good as the 876 (both were being run with no RoomEQ) .
Rerun speaker cables, set up for Biamping - connect up the 2 x Crowns, set up their onboard crossovers to 125Hz, and set their gain to around 75%
Manually set levels for all speakers....
First listen of the Integra DRX 3.4 with the Crowns - setup as planned...
Ahh that's definitely better ... in fact it is very good, better than the 876 on its own (I think?)- hard to tell, but at least in the same ballpark - it is sounding good.
Hmm OK, lets try Dirac.... - first run using only the AVR on its own.... quick set of measurements and a listen.... - ooh this is sound good....
Midrange and mid-highs are definitely clearer - tried a couple of movie clips - vocals / dialogue is much much clearer - this is far better than Audyssey (at least in my setup).
Downsides... the bass is sounding a bit "plummy" - sounds like a mid bass boost... need to try a more thorough measurement and analysis - and that's what the Dirac PC app is well suited to.
Did a bit of viewing that evening - was great watching Peaky Binders on Netflix... definitely an upgrade from my previous setup - and most of the improvement seems directly due to Dirac - definitely feeling vindicated about my wait for the Dirac Based Onkyo/Integra unit....
Let's see if I can resolve that bass issue.
Next day - I ran up the Dirac PC app on my laptop - still using the Puck MIC connected to the AVR for measurements - Puck is attached to me old camera tripod.
I ran the full 17 point Dirac measurement across our 3 seater couch.
Then I brought up the resulting measurements - loaded a Harman +4db target curve, and adjusted it a little by applying a slight rolloff at the high end - adjusted some of the curtains (up for the surrounds, down for bass on the fronts)
Initial listening response: - fantastic - the plumminess is gone! (so I must have measured wrong the day before) - system is sounding better than it ever has - better detail, smooth, deep base - soundstage....
Looking forward to further listening over coming weeks - my initial response is that YES, Dirac is a game changer - dramatic improvement from Audyssey.
The AVR on its own is too underpowered for my speakers - but that was expected - they can be a difficult load, and that would not apply to many/most setups/speakers.
But the AVR is an excellent prepro, based on my listening - and its internal amps are more than adequate to run a pair of surrounds and the center....
When I have the time, I will try to set up some height speakers....
For those on the fence - I would suggest hanging on for the Dirac AVR's rather than succumbing to the lure of Audyssey....
