I believe that the 978 will surpass the Integra models in clean signal path. If not it will be no less than those two models but with much better affordability. The 978 may have less techno-clutter than Integra. By that I mean Rhapsody, Spotify, etc etc. There are many things that Integra and hi end AVRs have but drive the cost up for nothing more than a huge buffet of options many of which few use.