I’ve been considering getting one of these (or similar Yamaha) for a while now…

http://www.richersounds.com/product/mini-hi-fi/denon/dm40-dab/deno-dm40-sil

…but will it be a noticeable step back from my Cambridge Audio A5 amplifier. I know the CA amp isn’t high-end by any means but I’m happy with the sound of it. The only thing that bugs me is there’s no remote control.

Ta!

You want to give Richer Sounds some money so you can take a step backwards?

For the sake of having a remote control…

I’d rather gave the Cam A5 than some crappy Denon rubbish.

^ Probably not the best placed to give advice on budget audio. As far as he’s concerned anything that isn’t naim is shit.
It’s very subjective, you just need to listen to stuff, but of I were you I’d stick with the current amp and add remote control devices.
Looked at a Chromecast audio?

Actually, Del, my first integrated amplifier back in the day was a Cambridge A&R A60. It was a toss up between that and the rival Cambridge A5. So I do know what I’m talking about, I have never said that anything other than NAIM is shit and you can shove your ignorant comment up your capacious backside.

When you’ve finishished talking through it, that is.

Chill Mr Woppit.

OP – seems like you’ve got £150+ burning a hole in your pocket and you’re trying to justify a purchase. If you’re happy with your current setup but just want a remote, how about the Cambridge Audio Topaz AM10? Exactly the same price as your all-in-one at Richer Sounds.

I’d rather gave the Cam A5 than some crappy Denon rubbish.

Denon are not, and never have been, crappy rubbish. I still have my Denon CD player from around ’82-3, and it was head and shoulders above anything else at the time, or even later. I also have a Cambridge Audio DVD99, which is equally as good or better than anything else when I got it, certainly nothing close in price.
Denon were the first Japanese audio company to design equipment that was tunes to Western audio perceptions, previously Japanese audio tended to be rather thin and treble-biased, just like Japanese music is.

The Denon mini systems are actually pretty good.
Very good, actually.
I preferred the amp on ours to my old NAD 3130.

But you can buy a secondhand Mission, Creek, Marantz etc, depending on taste, for about the same price that will be much, much better.

Find a local place that stocks (and repairs, important with old amps) used stuff and make friends with them.
If they have a big old Marantz amp, buy it.
🙂

My Denon is a DCD-1500, and came out in 1987, later than I remembered, seeing as how I bought my first CD in 1982, because the vinyl then was absolute rubbish, thin, often using recycled plastic with bits of the labels mixed into the matrix. Utter crap, so I bought CD’s and recorded them in the audio dealer I worked in on Saturdays onto metal a chrome tapes, until I could afford a good CD player. Retailed around £800, I got it trade, 30% off.
Hardly a crap item, easily compared to the Philips/Marantz top-end players at the time.

I’ve got a predecessor to that powering some B&W DM14’s right now. Had it over 10 years. Lovely little compact amp.

It was just a simple question Mr Woppit!

I’m not in the audiophile league – if the £150 doesn’t get spent on this it will probably go on rendering the end of the shed, or some other boring DIY job.

Remote would be useful (but certainly not necessary) for when the wife is yawping from upstairs and I can’t be bothered to get up to turn the music down. It’s an aid to marital harmony. 😀

And having a CD player would be handy for the very rare occassion I fancy putting one on (and my old Marantz CD player takes up too much room, and is now in the loft). Main listening is from vinyl or spotify via phone or laptop.

😆

Your Cambridge 5 is a fine example of top-class English budget HiFi. As I said, when I started out on “The Long Road To NAIM” I bought an “A+R A60” (made in Cambridge) who’s main competitor in 1977 was the “Cambridge A5”.

I wouldn’t swap it for an inferior (IMO) Denon all-in-one. Separates are always going to sound better anyway, generally speaking.

You might want to consider attaching a Chromecast Audio dongle to stream your Spotify favourites.

If you can stand the monthly price hike, I would also recommend moving from Spotify to Tidal, for superior sound quality…

Happy days.

The amps on Denons are surprisingly capable.

However not everything Denon is great – people hear talking about CD players – a mate has one and it is pretty poor if you ask me. Not sure of the model though.