Currently have the Cambridge Audio 651a amp in my rack. And I have a separate old analogue NAD AM/FM tuner. My speakers are Paradigm Monitor 7 Floorstanders. I should say right now I really like Cambridge Audio stuff. 

I am looking to add a streamer soon, but, there is only so much room in my rack (PVR, CD player, DVD player). I am not interested in Internet radio at all.

 

So I was thinking, what if I got rid of the 651a (It hurts to even write this) and replace with Yamaha R-S500 which has AM/FM included. This means I can remove the NAD tuner and gain some space

.

Both the 651A & the Yammie  are 2 x 75w. There are differences  between the 2 (eg Yammie has phono, 651 doesn't). But there is nothing the Yammie doesn't do that really worries me.

 

So my question comes down to SQ. Obviously I want the same or better sound quality.

 

Your thoughts?

 

PS I know I could get a bigger rack, but that won't happen.

 

 

So my question comes down to SQ. Obviously I want the same or better sound quality.

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

 

As a general rule, at a given price point, a dedicated amplifier will always sound better than a receiver.The Cambridge ( as a straight amplifier ) should have better SQ than the Yamaha ( as a receiver )

 

We are not talking earth shattering differences here, but my opening statement still stands. The biggest variable however, is the speakers and how they respond to amplification. In your case you have the Paradigm Monitor 7 speakers which are an easy- peasy load for almost any amplifier and not ruthlessly revealing, so in this instance it may not actually matter that much and logistical factors may prove to be be the basis upon which you make the decision i.e rack space.

 

You also appear to like the SQ of the Cambridge very much and I am from the school of thought that...... if it ain't broke........

I would keep your current set up and save for the eventual speaker/amplifier upgrade

Keep the CA...better resale down the track and buy a small digital receiver. I have one attached to my 851A sound sure beats normal stereo fm and crappy am.

Agree stick with the Cambridge

Add an open box type shelf to the top of the rack to increase space

Or

I configure my stackable rack shelves with space below the bottom shelf so the floor is a shelf only needs to be 100mm fo fit the tuner

Do NOT move to Yamaha you will be disappointed its not a compromise it's a step backward.

I can't agree re switching to digital radio. I tried it myself and was most disappointed. FM on an internal aerial, for fairly poor signal strength, beat DAB+ for both the "classical' stations here in Sydney. Classic FM broadcast a concert by a guitarist, which I had attended, on the evening I got it - so I could do a good comparison. FM broadcast the concert. DAB+ didn't even sound like a classical guitar was playing, there was no sign of the hall acoustic, and it sounded like the vibrato had all been carefully edited out.

 

Even the worst sounding compressed FM stations were better than the DAB+ equivalents. I'd go so far to say that DAB+ in Sydney is actually worse than old DAB in the UK in many cases. The potential advantage is wiped out by worse bitrates and probably poor encoding.

 

Of course, cyclingsteve may get different results from different stations and bitrates, and may have a lousy FM signal; but your sig says Sydney, and I'd bet our experience will be closer to yours.

 

My suspicions were confirmed later by my partner. She has damaged hearing, yet prefers hissy AM to clear DAB+ for listening to Radio National, because she can actually make out what people are saying through the hiss, but can't on the DAB+ signal with its background silence.

 

I actually bought the digital radio to get rid of the hiss on AM stations to help her!

@@Eggcup The Daft...nah Im in Perth WA mate ...could have been that hacking thing that messed up my sig. Anyway I have perfect Fm and DAB where I live and the sq is very very good ...ABC Jazz is unbelievable.I think like all things being transmitted its almost hit and miss dependant on where you live and the strength of the signal! Im obviously one of the lucky ones

Edited January 28, 201511 yr by cyclingsteve

@@Eggcup The Daft...nah Im in Perth WA mate ...could have been that hacking thing that messed up my sig. Anyway I have perfect Fm and DAB where I live and the sq is very very good ...ABC Jazz is unbelievable.I think like all things being transmitted its almost hit and miss dependant on where you live and the strength of the signal! Im obviously one of the lucky ones

With DAB+ the problem is not usually signal strength but bitrate per station. There are probably a lot more stations on the Sydney multiplex so lower bitrates. I get good, though not outstanding, ABC Jazz through the TV - never checked it on DAB.

The "your sig" was a reference to Jeddie, the OP here. Sorry for the confusion.