BW Broadcast RBRX1 FM Receiver

May 11, 2011

Kari Nevalainen

To begin with, the BW Broadcast RBRX1 FM receiver from the UK is totally unsuitable for audiophile use, at least the individual I had for a short review. Not because it looks and feels and smells like a pro tool, what it predominantly is, of course. The RBRX1 is not just a receiver:

It has more utilities than required from a hifi-tuner. For example, for re-transmission applications, the RBRX1 adds DSP enhanced MPX output that reconstructs a clean peak level and bandwidth limited waveform; RDS PI code checking prevents translators and repeaters from being hijacked or jammed; Plan-B silence detection technology automatically switches to either of the analogue and AES/EBU digital inputs, or to the built in flash memory to keep broadcasting in the event of reception loss. And so on. BW Broadcast does have another, less expensive (c. 1500 euro) model, RX1, which is more like a hifi-tuner.

What prevents the RBRX1 from being an audiophile grade tuner is its unpleasantly noisy fan that starts immediately when the device is powered. That's what the heavy application of DSP means: intensive processing and increasing heat. In the pro-environment the sort of wheezy noise may be acceptable but audiophiles won't stand it for a minute, unless the tuner is kept in another room behind closed doors. Also, what's the point of striving for better SN ratio values (65 dBf (mono/ stereo): 70 dB/68dB), if the device at the same time adds mechanical noise that can be heard from the distance of 30 metres.

Secondly, the RBX1 is an extremely versatile receiver with all sorts of adjustments and settings going much beyond the level of a standard hi-fi tuner. Adjustments are provided for over 50 parameters, including audio and IF bandwidths, de-emphasis and blending for stereo, HF and ultrasonic noise as well as control of blending levels and attack & release times.

All adjustments, plus factory presets and user stored settings, can be accessed from the front panel or via Ethernet and serial connections. Despite rather small screens, the RBRX1 is fun to use: the user interface is obvious and easy to learn. But if one likes the style and spirit of vintage tuners, there's none of it here. This is a pro world product. Nothing sentimental.

Despite or because of all the technology, digital especially, that has gone in the RBRX1, the specs although not bad aren't the best among modern top tuners (see below). The RBRX1 has only balanced analogue and digital outputs/inputs.

Thirdly, the RBX1 is heck of a receiver (cable antenna) in tuning to stations and a strong signal handler. The stations lock dead firmly and the signal is super strong from station to station. Stations that were weak or non-existing with lesser tuners (such as mine) are picked up by the RBRX1 and conveyed with clarity and without distortion. I didn't try the RBRX1's all the resources to capture distant stations but I'm sure this would be the tuner for the purpose.

As to the sound quality, the RBRX1 beat my QUAD FM4 six-zero, no doubt about that. In the bass particularly the improvement was clear and evident (0.5 octave lower) but also throughout the rest of the audio band. As if the RBRX1 had unveiled and unlocked the sound to become more full range, more three dimensional, more spacious, in short: more of almost everything. It was like the difference between an average and top vinyl player. The whole nature of the sound changed. The only doubt I had concerned the cause. Was the effect of the RBRX1 only due to the better signal, and how would it sound against other top tuners given an equally strong signal?

I once had an opportunity to review the Accuphase T-1000 comprehensively, and found it to be a wonderful sounding tuner especially when completed with a quality DAC. Without direct comparison it's very hard to say, if not impossible, how the RBRX1 would perform against the T-1000 or the new T-1100, and what the relative merits of each would be. I have a feeling that the T-1000 brought forward more highest frequencies and was cleaner still - had more of the famous digital brilliance, but this is only a remote guess. Anyway, having heard the RBRX1 now I'd not hesitate to compare it with the T-1000, so promising was the sound despite that badly disturbing fan noise.

Just recently I was able to audition the classic McIntosh MR-78 and compare it against a bunch of minor tuners. Here I can be more confident and make the claim that neither the RBRX1 nor the T-1000 sound equally "analogue", gentle and airy than the MR-78. The MR-78 is a technically solid transistor based tuner from the 1970s but with much less DSP (it features some early programming). To what extent it's the digital processing that puts the the RBRX1 and T-1000 on one side of the line, and the MR-78 on the other, I don't know. But I know that to my taste (vinyl lover) at least, both the RBRX1 and the T-1000 would have hard time to better the huge, warm (not dull) and musiclly favourable sound of the MR-78.

At some point I will try to have all three present at the same time, and then I will report more of their sonic differences and similarities. Till then, happy listening to FM radio, one of the greatest audio sources.

www.fm-receiver.com/rbrx1

www.noretron.fi

RF Performance:

50-dB quieting sensitivity (mono/stereo) 13.5 dBf

THD, 1 kHz (mono/stereo) 0.07% / 0.06%

Stereo separation, 1 kHz 54 dB

S/N, 65 dBf (mono/stereo) 70 dB / 68dB

Capture ratio, 30 dB 1.1 dB

Capture ratio, 50 dB 8.4 dB

Capture ratio, stereo, 30 dB 1.3 dB

Capture ratio, stereo, 50 dB 13.5 dB

Adjacent-channel selectivity 82 dB (noise limited)