I have an RP3 and Brio-R (connected to Monitor Audio Silver RX6 speakers) and the sound is (to my ears) fantastic. Way above what I was getting with my ordinary amp before, so much more detail and clarity, and it sounds more like musicians playing in my room than a mere recording.
I can only think that there is something wrong with the amp you bought. Especially if there is a hum. See if you can isolate where the hum is coming from:
- Does it happen when the turntable isn't connected to the amp?
- Does it happen when nothing is connected to any of the amp's inputs?
- Does it happen when only the turntable is connected and nothing else?
- Does it happen when other input channels are selected, or only on the turntable input (number 1)?
- Does it get louder and quieter when the volume knob is turned, or is it constant?
Finding out these things might help you to work out why the hum is happening. If it happens when nothing is connected to the amp, it's most likely faulty wiring inside the unit. If it happens only when certain things are connected to the amp, the fault might be in that component of in the cabling between them.
In my old setup, I had hum which turned out to be caused by the HDMI cable coming out of my next-door-neighbour's Sky box to his telly, which went inside the wall behind my hi-fi! Hum can potentially come from all sorts of sources. However I have to say that this hum is a lot less with the Brio-R than with my previous amp, as it's better at isolating the channels. Hopefully you can identify the source of the hum, and if it's within the amp itself, take it back for a replacement.
There are others here who know more about sources of hum so hopefully can advise you further.
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