Mtrot, I would describe the sound as fairly nuetral and detailed. Not bright, but not really warm either. Good soundstage.
In my HT system I use Klipsch Cornwall III's which are unmerciful with bright equipment and they're very listenable and non fatiguing with this receiver. Maybe just a tad shy in the bass region.
I'm not going to carry on like it's the best sounding recevier in the world for music, because it's not. But, in it's price range I personally have not heard better.
As I said previously, for HT and utilizing the Adyssey EQ, it ranks with equipment costing much more (better than the Arcam AVP-700 I owned in this regard) and music is about as good as your likely to get this price range (not on par with the Arcam in this regard).
I aslo used to own an Outlaw pre-processor model-750 and it was darned good for the price as well, but I wouldn't take it over the Integra.
I plan to purchase another tube integrated down the line and run my music source direct and the main channels through it. HT by-pass type configuration. Best of both worlds.
What speakers are you using? At the end of the day it's all about the synergy of the system. What sounds great with my speakers, source, cables, etc. might not work for you.
If your main interest is music and your not concerned with HT options and performance than you might also want to consider a used Arcam AVR-300/350. Strictly for music these recviers are very hard to beat, but just a little light in dynamics for HT IMO.
Let us know how things turn out.
