Don’t call it a home theater in a box—SE2 Labs’ ITC One packs a lot of functionality into one sleek package, and does so with style to spare

Within ten minutes of unpacking and installing SE2 Labs’ long-awaited all-in-one device, the ITC One, I realize that something is seriously wrong. Most of my video outputs aren’t working and one speaker isn’t getting sound. I’m seriously dreading having to lug this behemoth back to my front door to send it back.

Not a very flattering intro, I know, but this unfortunate incident ends up being key to my realizing what an amazing product SE2 Labs has created.

For the past year I’ve followed the ITC One with reserved interest—after all, having an upconverting DVD player, Media Center Extender, Xbox 360, Wii, Apple TV, Vidikron video processor, and Bryston amplifiers and SP2 surround sound processor all in one box is enough to pique any bona fide tech geek’s interest.

But then again, isn’t having all of that stuff crammed into one chassis simply asking for trouble? To be honest, I expected the ITC One to be a bit of a kludge. And the fact that I had such problems out of the box didn’t sway my opinion much. But strangely enough, fixing those problems did.

I quickly found myself in the hands on SE2 VP of Operations Jeff Walker, who connected to my ITC One via the ‘net and within minutes determined that my internal connections had come loose. Try diagnosing a problem that quickly with your big rack of disparate gear. I double dare you.

“You’re going to have to open her up,” he said. And of course that’s not what I wanted to hear, but actually, opening up the back panel ended up being an amazingly easy and enlightening experience.

First off, I didn’t have to undo any of my audio or video connections to open up the ITC One; the chassis design is, quite frankly, brilliant. The internal design, though, is even more so. Every connection is labeled in bright, silk-screened print—and this is on the inside, mind you, where only your custom installer will need to dig around in the event of individual component failure or, in my case, apparent simian delivery men previously in the employ of American Tourister.

Under Jeff’s direction, within seconds of cracking the case I find an HDMI cable and a phoenix connector that had been shaken loose during shipping. But I stick around inside for a bit longer to admire the layout.

All of the component circuit boards (contrary to early misconceptions, the ITC One isn’t a boxful of boxes) are vertically arrayed, with ample room for airflow between then. Massive fans move air from inflow vents at the bottom of the chassis, over the circuit boards, to exhaust vents at the top. Yet despite all of that cooling, perfectly placed baffles ensure whisper quiet operation.

Back on the outside, the centralized design of the back panel ensures that every connection’s label is still easily located and read, even with every input and output clogged; if that’s not enough, perfectly placed task lights illuminate every front- and rear-panel connection on command, completely eliminating the need for shaky-handed helpers.

Not that you’ll be spending much time around the back of the unit once everything is hooked up, mind you; a handy master power switch is included at the front of the ITC One in the rare event that the system needs to be rebooted. Even elements of the chassis that seem purely aesthetic serve a purpose—the light-up power indicator cube on top that makes blocking exhaust vents a nigh impossibility, for example.

That’s all well and fine, I hear you saying, but how does this thing perform? Like a dream, I say. Like a dream.

Video performance, even from the Xbox 360’s DVD drive, is (believe it or not) downright flawless, rivaling—maybe even edging out—the best standalone upconverting DVD players I’ve seen in the past. Video output from the Apple TV pried me away from my Blu-ray collection for a few weeks. Even the Wii looks… well, as good as the Wii ever will.

And the audio can only be described as exquisite. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never had the opportunity to review Bryston’s SP 2 PreAmp Processor—whose guts, along with Bryston’s industry renowned amplifiers, serve as the unit’s audio circuitry—or perhaps it’s the fact that SE2 Labs bypasses optical output from devices like the Xbox 360 and Apple TV, delivering S/PDIF audio output straight off of their boards, but I was blown away by the clarity of sound. High frequencies flow from the ITC One with the sort of effortlessness that audiophiles normally describe with culinary adjectives. Directional audio effects seem to be borne out of the very air itself, rather than speakers. Dialogue is delivered with nearly frightening verisimilitude.

My favorite thing about the ITC One, though, is how simple it all is to operate. It took me years of trial and error to come up with a control system for my own home theater that my wife could (and would) use without my help.

I don’t know how long it took the engineers at SE2 Labs to create their own remote, but within fifteen seconds of putting it in my better half’s hands, she completely grokked the system. In that short time she grasped what it took me nearly a year to understand: the ITC One isn’t a box of gadgets; it’s a multifaceted, holistic system—the sort of seamless home entertainment solution that only the best of custom installers could deliver before now.

And when you look at it like that, the ITC One isn’t just a high-performance home theater system; it’s also quite an amazing value.

DESCRIPTION
Comprehensive home theater system. Includes upconverting DVD player (with Blu-ray as an option not long after this sees print), video game systems, TV tuning, Apple TV, iPod dock, video processing by Vidikron, surround sound processing and amplification by Bryston, and power management and cabling by Transparent.

CONNECTIONS
Rear: HDMI monitor output (video only); Zone two RCA-type stereo analog audio output; line-level RCA-type analog subwoofer output; four Neutrik Speakon connectors (Front L/R, Center & Sub, Side R/L, Rear R/L); two coaxial RF inputs (F connectors); Auxiliary One: RCA-type stereo analog audio inputs, coaxial digital audio input, component video input, HDMI input (video only); Auxiliary Two: RCA-type stereo analog audio inputs, composite video input; ethernet port for network and internet connectivity; phone jack; RJ-45 port for display control; RS-232 jack for touchscreen control systems; DC triggers.

Front: Two USB ports for Xbox control; Auxiliary One (shared with rear): RCA-type stereo analog audio inputs, coaxial digital audio input, component video input, HDMI input (video only); Auxiliary Two (shared with rear): RCA-type stereo analog audio inputs, composite video input; auxiliary power outlet.

DIMENSIONS
24.25 x 17.75 x 22 inches (hwd)

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: Starting at $25,000 (as reviewed, with five 100-watt channels of  Bryston amplification and optional Wii, Apple TV, and gaming accessories kits: $26,800)
CONTACT: 801.523.2600, se2labs.com