What Hi-Fi? Verdict
Cutting-edge performance for those with a Sky subscription – but it comes at a hefty price
Pros
- +
Improves on the standard Sky+ box in almost every way
Cons
- -
There’s no getting around that price
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Those who want the best from their Sky subscription service should take note of
the modified Amstrad DRX895 from Russ Andrews.
Pay the princely sum of £611 and you get an Olympic athlete of an Amstrad box – with upgraded components in the power supply, optical digital output section, tuner and HDMI circuitry.
The 1TB HD box and upgrades are guaranteed for two years.
Obvious improvements – at a price
The modified box’s picture is cleaner, crisper and far more vividly coloured than standard.
The improvements are as obvious with the News on BBC HD as they are with Top Gear reruns on lower resolution channels such as Dave. The box’s sound quality takes a significant jump too.
It gains refinement, subtlety and dynamic expression making listening to music stations far more enjoyable.
The only thing standing in the way of a whole-hearted recommendation is that massive price tag.
Charging £611 seems mighty steep when Sky asks just £250 for the standard version. If you’ve got that sort of money to spend, though, you won’t get a better picture from your satellite dish.
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