Azur 640T

Good Gear Guide

  • Review
  • Specs
  • Images
  • User Reviews
  • Buy Online

It seems strange to introduce a digital radio tuner to countries that have yet to fully adopt digital radio.

Pros

  • Easy to set up, easy to use, accurate tuning, attractive and well designed

Cons

  • LCD screen could have been bigger

Bottom Line

A good FM tuner, but DAB support is not yet useful

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 700.00 (AUD)

At the time of writing, there was no full-service digital audio broadcasting (DAB) in Australia or New Zealand. Europe and the US have DAB, but with different standards, broadcast technologies and business models. Consequently, the Azur's strongest feature is yet to be of much use to Australians.

It's otherwise an excellent analog FM tuner, with support for radio data service (RDS; not DAB, but a way of sending messages to enabled receivers). I tested the 640T using our Yamaha 02R96 digital audio production suite through Dynaudio Acoustics BMGA Professional Studio Monitors at the Auckland University of Technology. It was simple to set up and easy to use.

Tuning was extremely accurate, with the excellent sound expected from high-spec digital gear. Naturally, I couldn't find any DAB stations, but the specifications show it will translate DAB signals well, assuming we adopt the standards it was designed for (which looks likely).

It features Natural Contour switching between normal, 'lively' and 'warm' modes to fatten up thin-sounding DAB and for adding depth to FM signals. It has a clean, simple front panel and remote, although for an RDS-capable tuner the LCD screen could have been bigger. There are also inputs for another tuner and coaxial and digital outputs.

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the PC World newsletter.

Be the first to comment.

Post new comment

Users posting comments agree to the Good Gear Guide comments policy.

Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.

Most Popular

Tethering tutorial: How to use your iPhone as a modem
Capacitive vs resistive touchscreens
How to pick the right size TV for your living room
LCD vs plasma vs LED TVs buying guide
Samsung's rugged Galaxy S4 Active is coming to Australia

Best Deals on PCWorld

Home EntertainmentView all »
TVsView all »
ProjectorsView all »
MonitorsView all »
Digital VideoView all »

Compare & Save

« 1 of 14 »
Deals powered by WhistleOut
Use WhistleOut's technology to compare:
Mobile phone plans & deals
Mobile phone models
Mobile phone carriers
Broadband plans & deals
Broadband providers
Deals powered by WhistleOut
Guides and Articles
National Broadband Network NBN 100Mbps Plans
Visualising Mobile Phone Plans
SIM Only Mobile Phone Plans
National Broadband Network NBN 25Mbps Plans
iPhone 5, 4S & iPhone 4 Plans - Compare Deals &...
Deals powered by WhistleOut
WhistleOut