Cambridge Audio Azur 640T

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

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.