How much better would Arcam T32 be...

... over my Denon 260L MKII?

This may sound like a stupid question given the Arcam is usually around £600, but I've seen one and really fancy it as I listen to a load of radio. Arcam and Leema seem to sit well together sonically.

I doubt many have compared the two, but any pointers appreciated.
 

chebby

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An excellent tuner assuming your aerial and reception is really up to scratch now. (And you are confident that FM isn't going to be switched off in the next couple of years before you invest a lot of money.)

£600 would get you the forthcoming Arcam AirDac (£399) and an iPod Touch (16GB £199) and many thousands of stations with better quality bitrates than you'd get via DAB or Freeview.

I can't even begin to describe the wealth of stuff you could listen to. (I am still haven't scratched the surface of the podcasts the BBC has to offer for instance.)
 

chebby

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John Duncan said:
Isn't that...streaming...though?

True.

Sorry PP.

Buy a cracking FM only tuner / plug any old aerial into it / fail to pick up your favourite local stations with any reliability / have the ones you can get, switched off in 2015 / then rely totally on Freeview radio from a 20 year-old DVD recorder plugged in via a TV headphone socket and a SCART (or whatever it is you do now).

For gawd sake don't do anything easy :)

Thanks John. I forgot.
 
Well I can pick the stations I need on FM with the Denon, but as it's a DAB+ tuner it'll come in handy when the switchover occures. The Denon is excellent for the money (I'd say on par with the old Marantz with a little extra warmth), but it was only £130 when new.
 

JamesMellor

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Just a quick one

I was listening to an interview on Radio 4 today , the 2015 date is gone ( the switch over requires 50% of listeners to be on DAB ) , there is some hope for 50% by 2017 but the goverment spokesman admitted he thought it'd be 2019 . Think it was on you and yours at about 12:40 .

James
 

chebby

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JamesMellor said:
Just a quick one

I was listening to an interview on Radio 4 today , the 2015 date is gone ( the switch over requires 50% of listeners to be on DAB ) , there is some hope for 50% by 2017 but the goverment spokesman admitted he thought it'd be 2019 . Think it was on you and yours at about 12:40 .

James

So if PP bought a DAB+ enabled tuner, then he would be doing his 'bit' to bring FM switch-off a little bit closer :)

I don't know why the Government don't just count every computer, tablet, smartphone, television and set-top box as a 'digital radio' (to skew the figures) and switch off FM straight away!

(Actually I have a suspicion it's because a certain occupant of Number 10 Downing Street* is a vintage Roberts Radio nut.)

* Do an 'edit' and 'find' for 'Downing' on that link.
 

JamesMellor

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:) Yeah I guess :) I think what I meant is there is about 6 years left of FM , I find it hard to believe the Goverment would manipulate the stats to achive thier ends :shame:

James
 
chebby said:
JamesMellor said:
Just a quick one

I was listening to an interview on Radio 4 today , the 2015 date is gone ( the switch over requires 50% of listeners to be on DAB ) , there is some hope for 50% by 2017 but the goverment spokesman admitted he thought it'd be 2019 . Think it was on you and yours at about 12:40 .

James

So if PP bought a DAB+ enabled tuner, then he would be doing his 'bit' to bring FM switch-off a little bit closer :)

With respect - a person who loves radio - why do you take pleasure from FM being switched off earlier? I just don't get it...

Clearly you're pro streaming, which is fair enough. Can't argue against the flexibility of PC/Mac-based radio. But I have that flexibility with Freeview + the Sky box. I probably pick-up 20-30 stations on Freeview. The Sky box allows the same stastions plus an extra 15-20 that Freeview doesn't accommodate.

Above all else the FM tuner allows me an extra 7-8 channels. Doesn't sound alot on the surface, but the hours/years of enjoyment I've got up until now is priceless IMHO. I can grab a T32 for less than £400. Good or EDITED?

A few months ago I was hankering after a Creek T50, but they're are as easy to find than rockin' horse EDITED.
 

chebby

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plastic penguin said:
chebby said:
JamesMellor said:
Just a quick one

I was listening to an interview on Radio 4 today , the 2015 date is gone ( the switch over requires 50% of listeners to be on DAB ) , there is some hope for 50% by 2017 but the goverment spokesman admitted he thought it'd be 2019 . Think it was on you and yours at about 12:40 .

James

So if PP bought a DAB+ enabled tuner, then he would be doing his 'bit' to bring FM switch-off a little bit closer :)

With respect - a person who loves radio - why do you take pleasure from FM being switched off earlier? I just don't get it...

Clearly you're pro streaming, which is fair enough.

I listen to FM almost every day (not all day) and have listened to FM every day for most of my adult life. I have often used it as a primary source. Why on earth would you think I would want it switched off?

It was just a little irony that in buying a DAB capable tuner (primarily for it's FM performance), you will be adding to the stats that will help the Government decide to switch off FM just a little bit earlier.

99 percent of all radios sold nowadays are both DAB and FM. But even if all their buyers only used the FM part of their purchase, the Government would still count all of them as DAB listeners for the purposes of their stats.

Do I now have to join some stupid pro or anti 'camp' like analogue vs digital or film vs digital cameras?

I will (and do) listen to radio in every which way I want to and leave the 'pro streaming' / 'anti streaming' idiocy to all those who want to join a 'side'.
 
chebby said:
plastic penguin said:
chebby said:
JamesMellor said:
Just a quick one

I was listening to an interview on Radio 4 today , the 2015 date is gone ( the switch over requires 50% of listeners to be on DAB ) , there is some hope for 50% by 2017 but the goverment spokesman admitted he thought it'd be 2019 . Think it was on you and yours at about 12:40 .

James

So if PP bought a DAB+ enabled tuner, then he would be doing his 'bit' to bring FM switch-off a little bit closer :)

With respect - a person who loves radio - why do you take pleasure from FM being switched off earlier? I just don't get it...

Clearly you're pro streaming, which is fair enough.

I listen to FM almost every day (not all day) and have listened to FM every day for most of my adult life. I have often used it as a primary source. Why on earth would you think I would want it switched off?

It was just a little irony that in buying a DAB capable tuner (primarily for it's FM performance), you will be adding to the stats that will help the Government decide to switch off FM just a little bit earlier.

99 percent of all radios sold nowadays are both DAB and FM. But even if all their buyers only used the FM part of their purchase, the Government would still count all of them as DAB listeners for the purposes of their stats.

Do I now have to join some stupid pro or anti 'camp' like analogue vs digital or film vs digital cameras?

I will (and do) listen to radio in every which way I want to and leave the 'pro streaming' / 'anti streaming' idiocy to all those who want to join a 'side'.

No! IMO there is no pro or anti club. You've been contributing to my previous threads for long enough to know my reluctance towards streaming (or to invest in the format).

Why do I not conform or subscribe to the latest formats? Because it terrifies me. Can't be anymore honest than that. Or I don't trust myself to fully exploit the newest technology.

All I'm looking for is to fully ultilise the Leema's talents, currently I'm not doing (Leema £1280, Denon £130, Pro-ject TT £200, RS6s £600 and up until recently had a £400 CDP).

Given the Naim CDP has improved the SQ very noticably I need to upgrade the TT, speakers and tuner. Without question radio is the most used medium in our house, so logically a tuner is the first point of call.

I've seen a T32 within my budget, hence the origins of the thread.
 

stevebrock

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would £400 be best spent going in the 'speaker pot' ?

PS i have no knowledge of tuners but had a TU260L MK2 years ago and thought it was great!

With a speaker upgrade it will improve everything
 

floyd droid

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plastic penguin said:
stevebrock said:
would £400 be best spent going in the 'speaker pot' ?

Pretty much like you. A £1600 amp with £1000 turntable and £800 speakers, is investing in a Gyro sensible?

:?

images


Perfectly sensible if Steve thinks the upgrade in sq is worth the money , then why not.

I would quite happily stick a Gyro coupled with a Sme iv in a system comprising of an amp/speaker combo way below 2400 quid, and be happy as a pig in the proverbial. Of course I have a good idea on what that combo comprises of and would pitch it up against anything I've seen on here. :)
 
floyd droid said:
plastic penguin said:
stevebrock said:
would £400 be best spent going in the 'speaker pot' ?

Pretty much like you. A £1600 amp with £1000 turntable and £800 speakers, is investing in a Gyro sensible?

:?

images


Perfectly sensible if Steve thinks the upgrade in sq is worth the money , then why not.

I would quite happily stick a Gyro coupled with a Sme iv in a system comprising of an amp/speaker combo way below 2400 quid, and be happy as a pig in the proverbial. Of course I have a good idea on what that combo comprises of and would pitch it up against anything I've seen on here. :)

No sour grapes, only nice plump ripe ones.

I've suggested on a couple of occasions to upgrade his speakers to something like Totems, which should give him a (very) worthwhile upgrade. He already has his sources up to scratch - I don't as yet.
 

stevebrock

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With all due respect PP, I really think you under estimate the RS3, yes they are £800 but I reckon if Gandy stuck £1000 on them they would still sell!

Is there that much of a gap between £800 & £1200 speakers? (arros)

Theres nothing complicated about them, simple crossover, paper cones and most of all they work in my living room.

I'm going Gyro first then speakers

I demoed the Gyro/Tecnoarm with the Elicit R/RS3 - yep there was an improvement - not much though until Gary stuck on an SME IV - everything snapped into place the soundstage and imaging is impeccable. The Gyro looks the dogs in Black with those weights spinning!
 
stevebrock said:
With all due respect PP, I really think you under estimate the RS3, yes they are £800 but I reckon if Gandy stuck £1000 on them they would still sell! Is there that much of a gap between £800 & £1200 speakers? (arros) imaging is impeccable.

First no - how can I underestimate a product if I've never heard it? By your comments you seem to be OVER estimating the RS3. TBH, I'd put my RS6s up against Regas anyday.

I know they are beelzebub to you, but with top-notch amplification they're a different animal. Why would i persist with them if they were lacking? Can they be beaten? Of course they can, but not below £1000 mark. That isn't the first time I've mentioned that.

Arros £1200? more like £1500 (black and basic finish) - £1600.
 

Craig M.

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Comparing stuff on price is dumb, particularly when comparing British products against foreign. You aren't paying distributor or import fees on British kit for a start. Totem Arros cost about £1000 in Canada, for example.
 
stevebrock said:
Fair do's I will get the Arros after the Gyrodec

No, don't buy the Arros on my say-so. You mentioned the dealer that had the Rega turntable also is a dealer for Totem. I said while your at it blag a pair of Arros, they should be a good benchmark, and see how the RS3s stack up.

I have read good things about Rega and Totem...
 

BigH

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plastic penguin said:
stevebrock said:
With all due respect PP, I really think you under estimate the RS3, yes they are £800 but I reckon if Gandy stuck £1000 on them they would still sell! Is there that much of a gap between £800 & £1200 speakers? (arros) imaging is impeccable.

Arros £1200? more like £1500 (black and basic finish) - £1600.

They are £1,295 at a dealer Steve visits.
 

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