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View Full Version : I need a new Amp/intergrated DAB Receiver



BraveHeart
31-01-2009, 01:38 AM
Ive got about 250-350quid burning a hole in my pocket and i want a new amp, i want it to have a DAB receiver too.

I can only seem to find one so far, its this denon >> Denon DRA700-ae DAB/FM Receiver available from Weymouth HiFi (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. I was trying to order it from richersounds (for 249quid) but it turns out thiers are ex display or ex faulty etc,so those aint no good to me, iam wondering if theres any others out there with DAB ? is there ??

thelostone
31-01-2009, 12:08 PM
My best advice i can give to you mate is to try some review sites and see what they say about different makes,amps.Dose it matter what colour,size? i ask this because i had a dennon and ended up changing it because it was to big to fit under my tv.Do you have an HD tv? there are some out there with hdmi in/out puts in your price range and you want one that is as future proof as poss saves you having to change it a little later on down the line.There are quite a few Dennon,cambridge audio,sony,yamaha and onkyo to name a few and there others.You could try ebay if you no what you are looking for you could get a better spec one for your money people are always upgrading.There is also a site called gumetree you could have a look on there.Lastly see if your local richer sounds has some were that you can listen to a few of the amps that you are interested in,at least you can listen and have a play with them.When i brought mine they gave me so many days so if i were not happy with it i could change it for another amp dont if they still do no harm to ask.I hope i have helped mate all the best and let us no how you get on

BraveHeart
31-01-2009, 08:13 PM
My best advice i can give to you mate is to try some review sites and see what they say about different makes,amps.Dose it matter what colour,size? i ask this because i had a dennon and ended up changing it because it was to big to fit under my tv.Do you have an HD tv? there are some out there with hdmi in/out puts in your price range and you want one that is as future proof as poss saves you having to change it a little later on down the line.There are quite a few Dennon,cambridge audio,sony,yamaha and onkyo to name a few and there others.You could try ebay if you no what you are looking for you could get a better spec one for your money people are always upgrading.There is also a site called gumetree you could have a look on there.Lastly see if your local richer sounds has some were that you can listen to a few of the amps that you are interested in,at least you can listen and have a play with them.When i brought mine they gave me so many days so if i were not happy with it i could change it for another amp dont if they still do no harm to ask.I hope i have helped mate all the best and let us no how you get on
its going to be hidden away mate, and its primary use is to listen to dab/fm radio via earphones and also be connected to my computer for listening to the computer, colour doesnt matter, size doesnt matter, make doesnt really matter.

What does matter is that it is pretty power output (similar to what i already have), it also has to have dab/fm and also has a remote control, apart from those things nuffin else is that important.

thelostone
31-01-2009, 08:33 PM
ok mate that makes life eaiser :woot:in that case mate as i say the best thing is to google what you want and see what you come up with.Imo any of the big makers will do you

BraveHeart
31-01-2009, 08:39 PM
ok mate that makes life eaiser :woot:in that case mate as i say the best thing is to google what you want and see what you come up with.Imo any of the big makers will do you
thats what i says mate, i did google and i can only see that denon one. iam finding it impossible to find another that has dab on it.

thelostone
31-01-2009, 09:23 PM
Yamaha 6.1 Channel DAB AV Reciever Titanium (95w x 7) RXN600DT - Yamaha Amps & Receivers from MultizoneAV.com (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Amazon.co.uk: Used and New: Yamaha RXV559DAB AV Receiver with DAB Radio (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. as far as i no most come with a remote but you can always email them if you see one you like to check all the best mate
the first is a little more than you want to pay but as you can see there are others

BraveHeart
01-02-2009, 06:52 AM
Yamaha 6.1 Channel DAB AV Reciever Titanium (95w x 7) RXN600DT - Yamaha Amps & Receivers from MultizoneAV.com (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Amazon.co.uk: Used and New: Yamaha RXV559DAB AV Receiver with DAB Radio (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. as far as i no most come with a remote but you can always email them if you see one you like to check all the best mate
the first is a little more than you want to pay but as you can see there are others

the 2nd one you list looks a good deal for what i need it for.

I was reading up about it on the internet and i found this page from yamaha's website >>>

To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Iam used to amps etc, but not totally into amp geek stuff, so i dont know hardly anything i guess, lol, but i did notice that in the pictures that it has what looks like a screw on thingy for the dab aerial and also the fm aerial, its first ive seen that. do you think this amp would come with those aerials or are they summit you need to purchase seperate ???

p.s
i see it has a "tone control" button on the thing, but does that mean your restricted to preset tones or would it be adjustable ?

thelostone
01-02-2009, 12:26 PM
I think the "screw thingy" that you are on about mate is an F connector the sort you find on the back a sat box.you might be lucky and get a little indoor one come with the amp like you do with the fm type or you could get one of these
** DAB TUNER - RIBBON AERIAL /ANTENNA -' F' CONNECTOR on eBay, also Digital, Tuners, Home Audio Hi Fi, Consumer Electronics (end time 09-Feb-09 22:44:26 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/**-DAB-TUNER----RIBBON-AERIAL-%2FANTENNA--'-F'-CONNECTOR_W0QQitemZ390023267465QQcmdZViewItemQQims xZ20090111?IMSfp=TL090111111001r8942)
As for the tone control on my c.a amp you can by pass this and use the presets or the bass,treble insted.Never had a yamaha amp before so i can not tell you about these mate but i would think these would be the same.The best thing is to give your local richer sounds a ring and they will be able to help you more

BraveHeart
01-02-2009, 10:45 PM
ok thanks mate.

Yes my amp i have just now came with an fm ariel and a mw one, thats why i was wondering if the yamaha's came with similar aerials, i know its not that big a deal to buy them but its much handier if they come supplied with the amp.

So, off hand, is that about the only reasonabley priced amp/recievers, the yamaha and denon ??

thelostone
01-02-2009, 11:14 PM
Sony DAVDZ210D from Jack in the box (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. thats something different discontinued so you may get a good deal
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. They are a good make
Remember google is your friend:grin:best of luck with what ever you choose bud

BraveHeart
01-02-2009, 11:30 PM
Sony DAVDZ210D from Jack in the box (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. thats something different discontinued so you may get a good deal
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. They are a good make
Remember google is your friend:grin:best of luck with what ever you choose bud
thanks mate.

the surround system looks good, but i dont need one of those.

the onkyo looks a goody though, how would you rate that mate ?? is it "just ok", is it "good" or is it "very good" ?? just thought i would ask as you obviously know your stuff.

thelostone
01-02-2009, 11:41 PM
I have heard good things about them mate but i have never had one so can not coment to much best thing is to google Onkyo TX-SR653E reviews and see what they say
AVForums.com Home (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. this could be a good place to start

BraveHeart
02-02-2009, 12:05 AM
I have heard good things about them mate but i have never had one so can not coment to much best thing is to google Onkyo TX-SR653E reviews and see what they say
AVForums.com Home (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. this could be a good place to start
ye looks a good one mate, looks like it direct from the manufacturer too with a 12months warranty which sounds good, eh,

p.s
hmmm, doesnt say if its got a remote control in that advert on play.com.

thelostone
02-02-2009, 12:24 AM
p.s
hmmm, doesnt say if its got a remote control in that advert on play.com.
Onkyo Europe - Imaginative Sight & Sound (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. read the bottom line of the features list mate, like i say google is your friend

BraveHeart
02-02-2009, 12:27 AM
Onkyo Europe - Imaginative Sight & Sound (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. read the bottom line of the features list mate, like i say google is your friend

yea i seen that mate :), but it still dont say if its sold with a remote control on the play.com site, iam just now trying to figure out how to contact the seller via play.com, i dont know if i can, hmmm.

BraveHeart
02-02-2009, 12:29 AM
ahhh, just noticed on the site it says ""complete with all accessories and a 12 month manufacturers warranty"" :)

BraveHeart
02-02-2009, 12:51 AM
OK mate, ive went ahead and order it :)

thanks again for all your help in sticking along with me with this, cheers mate :)

BraveHeart
02-02-2009, 01:56 AM
ive just edited this post as its already answered in the thread, wooops, soorry. lol.

BraveHeart
03-02-2009, 04:36 AM
Ok, while iam waiting on my amp ive been reading up a wee bit on it, i see in the manual it says it uses "Power Consumption 630 W".

Please tell me that its not going to use 630watts constantly, lol, is it ??? i guess they are meaning 630 if you had every speaker and everything connected and amp turned up full blast, eh ??

Iam just going to be using the amp to listen to sound through my earphones, mostly be listening to the radio direct from the tuner thats integrated.

Or sometimes i listen to sounds from my computer also through the earphones, basically the computer is connected to amp with a standard cable that plugs into the little sound output socket on the back of nearly all computers, and at the other end of the cable theres two phono jacks that can plug into any of the audio inputs thats on the amp, then i can listen to sound from my pc through the amp, games/videos/news clips, etc etc etc. (is that the best way to do it for what i need it for ?)

Thats all i use the amp for, as i say, iam hoping that wont use 630watts of electricity, lol.

Also, i see the two best options to select for listening using earphones (stereo), looks like the best options are "pure" or "direct", which option gives best sound quality for my needs, anyone know ??

appreciate any help, cheers.

thelostone
03-02-2009, 08:33 PM
I understand that Pure Audio is cutting off lots of circuitry inside to deliver the "purest" audio that it can
Direct Stereo causes the input stereo signal to bypass the DSP circuitry so the pure signal is output without any processing or data loss whatsoever.
More or less the same realy
Just to throw a spanner in the works if you mean pure direct
Pure Direct is a special listening mode that causes the signal to bypass all but the most basic audio circuitry, and even turns off the display to prevent any chance of noise interference. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. provides the purest possible high-fidelity sound from all sources including USB and HDMI inputs.
As for the electricity question i would think the louder you have it the more"juice"it will use.I can not see it using 630watts just to power a pair of headphones........unless of course they are a rearly BIG pair of headphones:roflmao:

BraveHeart
03-02-2009, 09:45 PM
I understand that Pure Audio is cutting off lots of circuitry inside to deliver the "purest" audio that it can
Direct Stereo causes the input stereo signal to bypass the DSP circuitry so the pure signal is output without any processing or data loss whatsoever.
More or less the same realy
Just to throw a spanner in the works if you mean pure direct
Pure Direct is a special listening mode that causes the signal to bypass all but the most basic audio circuitry, and even turns off the display to prevent any chance of noise interference. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 1 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. provides the purest possible high-fidelity sound from all sources including USB and HDMI inputs.
As for the electricity question i would think the louder you have it the more"juice"it will use.I can not see it using 630watts just to power a pair of headphones........unless of course they are a rearly BIG pair of headphones:roflmao:

cheers mate.

well according to the manual you can see online it says theres two options, one for direct and one for pure, but i dont think theres one for puredirect.

pande_monium
04-02-2009, 02:04 PM
I'm sorry guys, I just popped in today and saw this thread... a bit too late to offer any advice... nevertheless, here's my penny's worth.

Direct / Pure Direct Mode
As TLO has already pointed out, it bypasses the DSP circuitry. This is effectively correct. Additionally, it also removed ANY and ALL enhancements made to the source signal. This could be Bass or Treble or Loudness... etc.
Reason for this mode is to deliver the sound to the listener in just the way that the source intends to deliver it... without ANY modification whatsoever. Imagine if you may, the frequency chart of the song. Now, every bit of manipulation to the sound, by you as the user, causes the frequency chart to change. Pure Direct/Direct/Direct Audio just tries to deliver the sound to the listener without any modification whatsoever. Amps implement this by creating a direct channel as well as an 'enhancement' channel. When one chooses Direct, the enhancement channel is completely bypassed/circumvented/ignored/disregarded... thereby ensuring that there is minimal external interference.

DAB + Amp combo
Since your main requirement is to listen to DAB via headphones, you do not need an amplifier - as long as your DAB has a pre-amplifier built in. However, these are very few and hard to find. Hence a combination of DAB Tuner (something like the Denon/Yamaha you saw at RS) and a decent Amplifier should do the trick.
Again, since you do not need/want home-cinema, a stereo integrated amp is best suited, simply because of its ability to reproduce stereo in the best possible manner. In fact, you do NOT want a home cinema amp if your major requirement is listening to music... especially within this price bracket.

As pointed out by TLO again, Google is yoru friend and if you have any particular models reviewed, we'd be most happy to do so. However, the shortlisting must be done by yourself, as you understand your needs/requirements best.

Staying within this price bracket (and perhaps RS being the easiest to source), a combination as below would prove pretty good.
DAB - Denon TU1800 Black / Cambridge Audio AZUR 640T V2 Silver
Amplifier - Nad C325 BEE

If you're after the typical warm British sound, then I'd strongly suggest the Cambridge Audio / Nad combo. Otherwise, the Denon combination would perhaps be more of a Label winner.

Anyway... that was my rant... albeit late. Hope your amp turns out great.

PS: Almost forgot about the power consumption issue. The amp's max/min consumption are usually listed. As you said, this would be 630 as the max and a much lesser standby as the min consumption. The amp will use power anywhere between this range depending upon the amplification, source selected, enhancements used, etc.

BraveHeart
05-02-2009, 09:20 PM
ARGHHHHHHHH.............! I DONT FOOKIN BELIEVE IT MAN.........!!!!

the amp has been damaged in transit by the courier and that was the last one the supplier had, so now iam in the process of getting a full refund, ffs, lol, typical of my luck :(:machinegun:

So now its back to the drawing board for me, so can i have some more ideas again please for what i need, thanks guys ??

BraveHeart
06-02-2009, 01:01 AM
ARGHHHHHHHH.............! I DONT FOOKIN BELIEVE IT MAN.........!!!!
the amp has been damaged in transit by the courier and that was the last one the supplier had, so now iam in the process of getting a full refund, ffs, lol, typical of my luck :(:machinegun:
So now its back to the drawing board for me, so can i have some more ideas again please for what i need, thanks guys ??

ive now ordered this one we spoke about earlier >>>> http://www.yamaha-uk.com/pdf/product_bulletins/RX-V559DAB.pdf

thelostone
07-02-2009, 12:23 AM
Sorry to hear that mate,I think the one you have picked will be more than good enough for what you need bud all the best

BraveHeart
07-02-2009, 04:54 AM
Sorry to hear that mate,I think the one you have picked will be more than good enough for what you need bud all the best
ok, cheers, lol, we shall hopefully get this one in the post without damage like the last, we shall see and i will report back.

BraveHeart
11-02-2009, 05:02 AM
Ok, got the yamaha amp.

My thoughts on it firstly were WOW... looks a cracker, real quality etc, and it is.

But, theres always a but aint they, lol.

I was/am a bit dissapointed in the clarity of the sound, i have the treble turned up full and bass turned down a bit, but its still that kinda way you want more clear sharpness if you know what i mean ?? i know that my earphones arent the best, but still, my other older amp was able to give a more clear crisp sound, i like those high sounds rather than a soft sound, its probably just me not liking the correct sound thats the prob or most likley my earphones that just cant cope with the brilliance of the yamaha amp, i dont know, but for me its too kinda dull sounding, i need more crisp/clear sounds, dont get me wrong though, if your the type of person that likes the opposite type of sound its excellent, and the bass is tremendous, my earphones produce great bass, thats one thing about them, lol.

Anyways, i thought about getting new earphones, but iam not long after buying these ones and they cost me about 100quid or summit if i remember right, so i think thats a no go option, i dunno, and then i thought about possibly adding a good slimline graphic equaliser, that would sort out the clarity at all ends of the scale, wouldnt it ???
If so, what would i buy to add to this, keep in mind i only have limited space, so it most likley would need to be pretty slimline.

Hope you can give me some ideas please.

ohh, can i ask this, i spoke earlier about the electricity power this amp uses (630watts), and i was worried that it might use that kind of wattage constantly, but one of you thought same as me and says that you didnt think it would if just using earphones, but now iam still wondering as iam turning this amp up nearly full blast a lot of the time as i like loud blasting music, so i wonder in that case through earphones if it will use loads of power ??? i thought surley not as its not as if its driving huge speakers, but now iam defo unsure, and the price of lekky etc nowdays it is slightly worrying.

thelostone
11-02-2009, 08:49 PM
Tbh mate i dont no if adding a graphic equaliser would help, every maker/amp will sound different thats why i said see if your local hi-fi shop or richer sounds has a room were you could "hear" these amps so you could make your own mind up.I can not help you with the electric bud may be you could email yamaha see what they say all the best