Integra Research Debuts 7 x 150 Watts THX Ultra2 Power Amp

Integra Research RDA-7.1

LAS VEGAS, (1/8/04) -- Integra Research has introduced its RDA-7.1 THX Ultra2 seven-channel power amplifier delivering the ultimate in sound quality for home theater and multichannel music. This large, solidly built amplifier is conservatively rated at 150 watts per channel into an 8-ohm load. With a total combined output power exceeding 1000 watts, it is ideal for driving high-performance loudspeakers in a THX Surround EX system. The RDA-7.1 is a highly refined version of the original RDA-7, and it features THX Ultra2 certification, a new power supply bus-bar design for improved energy distribution, higher quality speaker connections, and new stabilization feet.

The RDA-7.1 is based on technology developed as a result of a collaborative effort between Integra Research and Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) of Wilmington, Delaware, and its co-founder and chief designer, Victor Khomenko.

The success of this combination is evident in the BAT-designed Integra Research RDA-7.1 amplifier. It boasts over 600 joules of energy storage in a beautifully direct, low-feedback, symmetrical circuit with only three gain stages, and it incorporates Wide Range Amplifier Technology (WRAT), as well as professional grade balanced inputs and outputs.

Balanced Audio Technology, which was founded in 1995, is known in the industry for producing a high-end line of superbly engineered, meticulously crafted audio products that recreate music with unmatched fidelity and accuracy. Its success is the result of its clear mission: to reproduce music faithfully and precisely, with arresting presence and without extraneous coloration. Their trademark audio designs feature uncommonly robust power supplies, coupled with elegantly straightforward signal paths, which proved to be very compatible with Integra’s design philosophies.

Even before the arrival of the new wide bandwidth digital audio formats DVD-Audio and SACD, Integra Research’s engineers were absolute believers in the need for wide bandwidth in amplifiers. These formats require an amplifier with a frequency response that covers this range--ideally out to 100 kHz. While achieving this bandwidth figure presents no particular problem, doing so while maintaining optimum values for other critical performance criteria is a serious design challenge, particularly with regard to the dynamic signal-to-noise ratio. Integra Research’s solution to this issue is a set of three refinements in amplifier circuit design that they collectively refer to as WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology).

Victor Khomenko’s first goal was to reduce the amount of negative feedback (NFB) to an absolute minimum and thereby eliminate the effects of counter electromagnetic force from the speakers. The second was to eliminate fluctuations in ground potential through careful layout of the components and by designing the printed circuit boards to avoid open earth loops. The third was to improve the ability of the amplifier to supply high levels of instantaneous current to the load.

The RDA-7.1 architecture is completely based on bipolar transistors and achieves a bandwidth of over 200 kHz. BAT determined that this was the most direct and efficient way of achieving the robust performance required for home theater application.

Another design goal for the RDA-7.1 was to provide balanced inputs. Indeed, within high-end audio, balanced signal transmission has become the de-facto standard for achieving the finest sound reproduction. As the complexity of a system increases, the benefits of balanced signal transmission are even more apparent. Not only does balanced signal transmission provide audibly superior performance, but problems associated with spurious hum/buzz components are usually eliminated.

Of course, for ultimate system versatility, Integra Research RDA-7.1 also has switch-selectable RCA inputs for each channel. There are also 12Volt trigger input and output jacks for remote turn-on. The amplifier chassis features extremely solid construction with rigid aluminum panels, and solid aluminum feet with an integrated stabilizer network.

THX Ultra certification ensures that the RDA-7.1 meets LucasFilm's rigorous requirements for the reproduction of the full theater experience at home. This made the development of the RDA-7.1 even more challenging. Usually, a large amount of feedback is necessary to meet the THX requirement for low distortion. Integra Research took the more difficult approach of simplifying the circuit path of the RDA-7.1 using minimum feedback, while still offering full compliance to the THX specifications.

Balanced Audio Technology worked very closely with the Integra Research engineering team to ensure that the RDA-7.1 would meet the highest standards for industrial design and stunning external beauty. Internally, it has the BAT trademark execution with a perfectly symmetrical layout and impeccable industrial design, with every item is positioned in a way that contributes to a design internal beauty.

The Integra Research RDA-7.1 will be available in April with a suggested retail price of $5000.

Integra Research designs and manufactures premium Home Theater electronics that offer the highest levels of audio and video quality, including advanced circuitry and features not normally found on consumer grade products. Developed jointly with highly respected U.S. audio and video technology firms such as Apogee Electronics Corp., Balanced Audio Technology, and THX®, the company's product line offers audiophile-quality performance suitable for critical music listening, with professional-grade video to match. As the advanced research and engineering division of Onkyo Corporation, Integra Research has access to vast technical resources, and bears a proud heritage of over 50 years of audio engineering excellence. For more information about Integra Research and its products, visit www.integraresearch.com or call 800 225-1946.

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