Until recently there were hardly any Dab/Dab+ Tuners and suddenly at least four come along . What-Hi Fi seems to ignore them in their Awards and Buyers Guide , but annoyingly keep the Denon TU 1800DAB in there which went out some years ago . Yamaha have just brought in the TD 500 which appears on a Dealer`s website but not on Yamaha UK`s , only their European website . The 3 others are the Onkyo T4030 , Sansui DR201V and Rotel RT 11 . Has anyone on here actually purchased one of these machines ? Perhaps WHF could consider doing a Test on them sometime ?
Dab/Dab+ Tuners are like Buses
- Thread starter RoadieRoger
- Start date
nopiano
Well-known member
DAB tuners are pretty much relegated to table radios and next-gen car radios it seems.
For hifi, everyone seems to be streaming internet radio, though even HD has a way to go before licking good FM. But with aerials hard to come by I'm sure streaming is the way to go.
The old Denon is still good I'm sure; tuners can go on forever. My Hitachi is my oldest component in daily use.
For hifi, everyone seems to be streaming internet radio, though even HD has a way to go before licking good FM. But with aerials hard to come by I'm sure streaming is the way to go.
The old Denon is still good I'm sure; tuners can go on forever. My Hitachi is my oldest component in daily use.
Have an RT-11 and IMHO it is excellent. Reception is great using the supplied indoor aerial (which did surprise me) on both FM & DAB. The functionality is not earth shattering...but then again why would it need to be. Of course, you are dependent on the signal strengths in your area so try to get a reasonably local demo or see if you can 'borrow' your preferred unit for the weekend and try it at home.
Personally I think that the streaming space is immature...technology is changing so fast and it cost, in general, a lot to keep up. I am therefore goingt o bide my time with good old, relaible FM & DAB, until the space has matured somewhat.
Personally I think that the streaming space is immature...technology is changing so fast and it cost, in general, a lot to keep up. I am therefore goingt o bide my time with good old, relaible FM & DAB, until the space has matured somewhat.
Thanks Nopiano and Baldrick for your replies , I am only interested in receiving radio, not the all singing and dancing add ons that come with streaming/ internet radio . I just want to press a switch or a button to quickly access the station of my choice , must be very simple for my Wife too ! The RT11 looks nice in black-my colour of choice . Better still if the DAB comes with a remote .
RoadieRoger said:
Hi RR
No problem. One can only receive plain old lovely radio with the RT-11 (and it is DAB+ ready too).
I also have an Onkyo that seems to try to re-lock stations when I switch it on each time. Am pleased to say that the RT-11 is pretty much instataneous at start up and station change, at the touch of a button, is 1-2 seconds, once you have them programmed (30 memory slots which I find more than enough for my musical tastes.
I have the RT-11 in black, and the screen brightness is dimmable so you can set it up just as you like.
And yes, there is a very well made, IMHO, remote that comes with it replicating almost all of the on unit functions.
As I said...would recommend an audition if you are sure that streaming is not for you. :wave:
Thanks Baldrick I am only 5 miles from the Wenvoe mast and 10 miles from the Rotel Agent . The RT 12 would look even more attractive on my sideboard and would really be future proof . The Internet Stations would be of interest ,but not the music download stuff . I must have a demo of these machines sometime . I notice that the Rotels have number buttons for programming , the others seem short of a few buttons which might complicate operations .
BigH
Well-known member
FM radio is good but there is hardly anything worth listening to, since getting internet radio never switch my Denon on.
RoadieRoger said:
Hi RR
Indeed, the RT-12 would future proof things somewhat but you are paying a real wedge more for that than the RT-11. I have the same decision to make and decided that IMHO the technology is too new/not settled enough at present and that I would therefore bide my time.
I would expect the two units to handle DAB & FM aboutthe same so the question is whether internet radio is really for you...I have frankly been disappointed with what I have heard but that may be due to my setup.
Good luck with your choice.
Balders
Thanks for your useful comments Baldrick . You are right about paying a lot of money for something that might not live up to expectations , £370 more to be precise .
chebby
Well-known member
nopiano said:
Any qualified aerial fitter will be able to supply a DAB (or FM/DAB) aerial and fit it to your mast.
A vertically aligned half-wave, open dipole FM aerial will serve most reception areas vey well on DAB or FM.
nopiano
Well-known member
chebby said:
Fair point, and if I was only 5 miles from Wenvoe I'd be fine. Instead, roughly equidistant from Oxford and Wenvoe (and just beyond the reach of local boosters) we have weak FM, hence my 6 element on the chimney pot! It was dedicated FM aerials I was meaning that seem to have all but vanished.
Any idea what the version you illustrate costs to buy and install, Chebby?
chebby
Well-known member
Sorry I don't know. I had a completely new mast, new digital terrestrial aerial, new FM aerial and all new double insulated coax (two lengths for TV and radio) installed on our roof for £186 a few years ago. (That included removing all the old rig and cabling.)nopiano said:
Just adding an FM/DAB aerial and cable to an existing mast should cost a lot less. ATV (who I linked to earlier) charge £15 for the aerial alone. (Without fitting or cable.)
RoadieRoger said:
Hi RR
No problem. Don't get me wrong...the future is a move to Internet Radio, no doubt hastened by the bandwagon effect, but I think that the technological change occuring at present is such that if you buy now you are likely to be obsolete (perhaps too strong a word...but I cannot think of another more appropriate one at present) within 6 months or so...unless yo uare buying high end kit for a sizeable wedge where they have been able build in expansion/addition as the technology improves, etc.
It is the same in the area of downloaded music vs. CD...I am in the same mind (although the technology is more mature here IHMO) so again I am sticking to my CDs for the moment (and until my CDP packs up/needs changing) and will review again then.
Having said that my RA-11 does allow me to listen to downloaded content from an iPad, via a bluetooth link...and I am thinking about looking into an add on wireless link from PC to amp (AudioEngine W3...if that will work)...my concessions to the new technological age at present
Regards, Balders
Chebby that was a timely posting to nopiano as far as I`m concerned . This very afternoon I have constructed an open half wave dipole for my FM Tuner signal to go in the loft . My stereo signal has been dropping out on the weaker non BBC Stations recently which I put down to high pressure co- channel interference . Now in my loft I had a Slim Jim aerial for listening to the Airband which I made out of 2 mm solid copper wire pinned to a 3 metre plank of wood . Also up there is a 3 section directional FM aeriaL which I thought was giving me my signal .Each aerial is fed into a co-ax splitter box and today I found the switch was in the wrong position and feeding the Air Band frequency signal to my Sony 500ES Tuner . My recent change of Amp has resulted in more listening and finding this faux pas .
I googled FM Aerials and noted a Company had tested Aerials for FM and DAB listening . The best compromise in their tests showed the open half wave dipole was the best if you only wanted one Aerial . I constructed mine from waste box section aluminium and it seems to be well and is superior to the directional FM aerial and obviously the Slim Jim . Years ago I must have tried the closed circular half wave FM dipole which testers say is rubbish .After 30 years on the floor there it was a bit corroded and won`t be tried again . I try not to go in the loft as the slates are not tight or lagged and it is cold and very dusty up there ! With hindsight I should have shown more curiosity .
My main Air Band Aerial is on the chimney and is a folded dipole ground plane with 2 of the 4 legs missing , the birds perch on them and weaken them . It is 30 years since I modified it and put it there , but at my age I don`t intend to go up there again . My main TV Aerial has been up there for 42 years and even after the digital switch over is still pulling in the signals , even though it`s pointing at the Mendip Mast . It must be getting the Wenvoe signal 5 miles away on the side .
I googled FM Aerials and noted a Company had tested Aerials for FM and DAB listening . The best compromise in their tests showed the open half wave dipole was the best if you only wanted one Aerial . I constructed mine from waste box section aluminium and it seems to be well and is superior to the directional FM aerial and obviously the Slim Jim . Years ago I must have tried the closed circular half wave FM dipole which testers say is rubbish .After 30 years on the floor there it was a bit corroded and won`t be tried again . I try not to go in the loft as the slates are not tight or lagged and it is cold and very dusty up there ! With hindsight I should have shown more curiosity .
My main Air Band Aerial is on the chimney and is a folded dipole ground plane with 2 of the 4 legs missing , the birds perch on them and weaken them . It is 30 years since I modified it and put it there , but at my age I don`t intend to go up there again . My main TV Aerial has been up there for 42 years and even after the digital switch over is still pulling in the signals , even though it`s pointing at the Mendip Mast . It must be getting the Wenvoe signal 5 miles away on the side .
Yes Amiga that new Yamaha DAB Tuner is pricey when compared with the Onkyo , Rotel and Sansui for £100 less in some cases .The Yamaha is listed on the European site , it would be interesting to see the prices over there . I guess they price them for what they think people are prepared to pay . Yamaha will have to drop that price, as the competition is a lot cheaper . Funny, Yamaha did the same with their Motorcycles and Scooter , they pushed up the prices 3 times in just over a year . Then they realised they`d overdone it .
When digital Radio sets came out they were silly prices and obviously people wouldn`t pay the prices , now they are down to a quarter of the original prices . Look at the price of the Denon Amplifier 720AE , it was £350 not too long ago and now it`s going for £199 .
When digital Radio sets came out they were silly prices and obviously people wouldn`t pay the prices , now they are down to a quarter of the original prices . Look at the price of the Denon Amplifier 720AE , it was £350 not too long ago and now it`s going for £199 .
Amiga I have just been in to a German Hi Fi Supplier`s site and with the Euro worth 86 pence today, the prices of the Rotel RT 11 and RT12 Tuners are £5 more and £2 more respectively over here when compared with Germany . The Yamaha CDN 500 is £ 499.95 here and normally £492 in Germany , but at the moment on special offer of £430 over there .
A few months ago the Euro was worth only 80pence , so then our prices would have been cheaper .I couldn`t find the price of the new Yamaha DAB to compare with the UK price of £349 .
A few months ago the Euro was worth only 80pence , so then our prices would have been cheaper .I couldn`t find the price of the new Yamaha DAB to compare with the UK price of £349 .
I was looking for a tuner recently i.e. Yamaha and they are hard to find and as mentioned missing from the UK wesite.
Only one UK supplier list them and at £350 I find this extortionate to get Dab as an extra.
I ended up with a Yamaha T-S500 FM/AM for £208 at Pixmania ( a rare and presumably discontinued beast).
To me the FM quality is far superior than Dab (referencing it with my Teac FM/Dab Unit).
Why are the Dab tuners so dear????
AmigaNut
Only one UK supplier list them and at £350 I find this extortionate to get Dab as an extra.
I ended up with a Yamaha T-S500 FM/AM for £208 at Pixmania ( a rare and presumably discontinued beast).
To me the FM quality is far superior than Dab (referencing it with my Teac FM/Dab Unit).
Why are the Dab tuners so dear????
AmigaNut
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