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New member Username: GamelannealPost Number: 5 Registered: Feb-09 | I took time today to listen to PSB B25's vs. the EPOS ELS 3 minis that I started my 2 channel system with. The PSB's were noticeably bigger in sound and more live (6 ohm vs. EPOS 4 ohm). So, I'm gonna work with those speakers and try to find a simple receiver to do it justice. I'd like to give HD radio a try since most of my listening is radio and I have a rather large antenna already installed at my place (reviews on HD radio seem to focus on the poor signal reception). However, I have found only one HD radio stereo receiver (amp) on the market: the Denon DRA 697 CIHD for $900. It looks like all they did was add the radio plus $300 to the original DRA 697 CI. Any experience with this receiver out there? The lack of hype about HD radio makes me think it's nothing special, but the radio quality I hear from my plain radio receiver is lacking. -Neal, who is finding difficulty in making a hi-fi 2 channel system (radio / CD) under 2 grand. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 3194 Registered: May-05 | The PSB Image B25s are very good speakers IMO. Are they better than Epos? Its more a matter of taste than anything else. PSB has an excellent synergy with NAD, as both are owned by the same company and use each others equipment in voicing. The NAD 725BEE is an esxcellent stereo receiver and sounds very good with the B25s IMO. As for HD radio... Are there any stand alone units on the market? I haven't heard HD radio, so I have no comment on whether it is actually superior to standard FM. If you can find an acceptable HD tuner, I'm wondering if they also do AM/FM. If so, you could save a few bucks and get an integrated amp. The NAD 325BEE is the same thing as the 725BEE, minus the tuner and maybe one or two convenience options. If you can't find a suitable HD tuner, have you played with internet radio and/or satellite radio? I believe satellite radio is lower quality than FM (if FM reception quality is good), and internet radio vaires as to compression from station to station. But they may be worth looking into. Some people report good results with them in conjuction with an upsampling DAC. Just some food for thought. Sorry if I confused the issue more. |
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Gold Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 1784 Registered: May-06 | Since you already have the antenna send me a PM (Private Message) if you would be interested in an analog tuner from the mid 70's. http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/kenwood.html |
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Gold Member Username: ExerciseguyBrooklyn, NY United States Post Number: 2409 Registered: Oct-04 | You'd be hard pressed to find a better tuner, HD Radio or otherwise, than the Sony XDR-F1HD http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XDRF1HD-HD-Radio-Tuner/dp/B00168Q248 http://www.ham-radio.com/k6sti/xdr-f1hd.htm http://home.comcast.net/~dlp85x/review.htm HD Radio takes sometime to get use to, at first I didn't know quite what to make of it, I listen to a lot of AM/FM radio, and my ear was trained accordingly; when I first listened to FM HD Radio, it sounded flat compared to analog FM, which when good, is very good, The FM HD Radio sound can be best described as being similar to cable TV music stations like Music Choice. The Sony is a extremely strong FM tuner, it pulls in fringe stations solidly and is a noise free you can get. The FM HD Radio stations are more than a little compressed sounding (they can squeeze as many as 3 stations on a single frequency), but I think all the added content is great. AM HD Radio is not quite FM sounding, but better, and since almost all of the content is talk, does it really matter? AM HD Radio is also more prone to fading in & out between analog & HD Radio, which can be problematic. Antenna quality/placement is much more important with HD Radio than I've experienced with terrestrial radio. The Sony HD Radio tuner has it's flaws, like the inability to shut-off the HD Radio tuner, a problem when AM HD Radio signal strength just isn't there, but the thing is sensitive, solid, sounds good, and is fun, as it nearly doubled (maybe tripled) the content available on the FM band. |