Hi all,

This week my Kenwood KC-X1 THX Ultra pre/proc died. Yeah, it was a pretty depressing moment as the unit has held up well for over 10 years.

Does give me the opportunity to finally move up to the digital surround formats and all the latest goodness.

After my experiences with the THX certification process (if they can make Kenwood stuff sound this good, they can make anything sound good), I'm pretty much stuck on getting an Ultra2 piece. Problem is, my KC-X1 originally sold for around $1200, but I paid like $600 for it while in the Air Force. Now there are no THX cert pre/procs for less than $2000 and the one item that is $2000 is the Integra DTC-9.4, which could use some more component ins Dolby IIx and HDMI switching. And of course, the price jumps up from there, although the Anthem AVM-30 can be had for the relatively paltry sum of $3000 (ha ha).

Anyhow, I'm intrigued by the 990, but wondering if I will miss all of the THX cert goodness (re-eq, decorelation, quality control and crossovers).

I've read some of the threads regarding comparisons of the 990 to the AVM-30 and the Arcam Ultra2 piece, but how does the 990 stack up to the higher end Onkyo or Integra receivers (used as receivers or as pre/procs) or to the Integra Research RDC-7.1?

In a perfect world, I'd buy the RDC-7.1, but as we all know, this world isn't perfect and I don't particularly want to spend over $3000 to replace a piece that cost me $600 10 years ago (inflation hasn't been that bad).

Plus the 30 day money back trial guarantee is really compelling.

So basically, I'm trying to choose between the 990, the Integra DTC-9.4 or the Integra DTR-10.5. As much as I'd like the Arcam Ultra2 piece of the Integra Research RDC-7.1 (which I'd actually prefer over the Arcam for its modularity and upgradability), they are just too much for my blood for probably not much gain.

Anyhow, any advice anyone can give would be much appreciated.

Oh, and before anyone starts arguing about whether or not THX certification makes a difference, they should read http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_13_1/feature-article-thx-1-2006-part-1.html