How Many TAS Readers Listen to FM?
Robert Harley -- Fri, 08/29/2008 - 10:42
I received this letter from a reader, and frankly, didn't know how important a source FM is to TAS readers. I'd love to hear from you about how much you listen to FM, and whether you'd like to see more tuner coverage in TAS. —Robert Harley
Mr. Harley-
Pardon me for asking such a random question - as in not related to any recent article or equipment review in TAS. I have been curious for some time now as to why analog radio itself appears to be a forgotten musical medium and analog radio tuners are all but forgotten equipment in audiophile magazines today, including TAS?
I have a Magnum Dynalab MD 102 analog FM tuner, with the Musical Fidelity X-10 V3 tube buffer in between my tuner and pre-amp. The musical results are fantastic, assuming my FM signal is good. And to help me in that regard as a clear signal can be a challenge in Boston, is the Magnum Signal Sleuth model 250 which really brings in the signal and cleans it up pretty well. No question that signal strength can be an issue, and may be the answer to my inquiry. But in most instances, I can get a very good quality signal.
I question whether I am missing something that everyone else has figured out, or if I am some sort of "fringe" audiophile that still listens to analog FM as a great source of music (and by the way, it's free!). I definitely listen more to my disc and vinyl collections at home and the iPod hookup in my car, but the radio is a great solution for a music source when you want variety, you want to hear the new artists developing and you want to hear what the new trends in popular and alternative music are. Also, in Boston I'm blessed some great Sunday morning jazz broadcasts which I look forward to and have picked up many new (and old) artists as a result.
When some of my friends listen to my tuner setup, they are blown away with the purity of sound that you can get via a good analog signal and corresponding receiving equipment. Is there any possibility of an article in the future regarding this topic? Maybe the article is part retro-review of the classic tuners from the 70's and also an analysis of todays leading edge audiophile equipment focused on this medium?
-Jeffrey Mead
I listen to FM only on Sundays. The rest of the time, when I do have time, I listen to vinyl, CDs, or SACDs. There are certain shows that are only on Sunday that I enjoy.
I listen to the local NPR station (KRPS -Pittsburgh, KS) quite a bit. Especially since I got a new Onkyo tuner with HD. The complete absence of background noise is eery!
Unfortunately, other than that, there just isn't much to listen to. There are a couple of good oldies stations and a classic country station that I like, but that's about it. Too many stations share the same music format, it seems.
And the sound quality is uniformly poor once you stray from NPR. Most stations compress the life right out of their signal. It's a shame, because I remember when the FM dial was nearly empty, commercials were practically non-existant, and the sound quality was superb.
My tuner (Onkyo T-4555) also has Sirius and XM capability so I may try one of those services. You can't have too many choices!
My local NPR station garners about 90% of my FM listening, with the remaining time spent with a university-based classical station. Several months ago I felt adventurous and purchased a Sangean HD Radio tuner
(http://www.sangean.com/product.php?model=HDT-1&prod_id=19), thinking that one of the commercial stations might do something interesting with their second HD channel. The proponents of HD radio have argued that the capacity for second and even third channels would promote greater variety in programming. No such luck in my city, at least thus far. The HD second channels are all modest variations on usual FM formats.
I am playing the Sangean through the AV input of an Arcam Solo, so I have had some fun comparing the sound of the two FM tuners. I do not notice much difference with NPR's news programing, but the Arcam sounds a touch warmer with classical programming. We have one AM station broadcasting in HD, and it definitely sounds better through the Sangean.
For my tastes, other than NPR, terrestrial radio is largely ignorable. While traveling this summer my rental car had a Sirius tuner, and I discovered that I really liked the programming and the sound of their channel 72 , which is devoted to jazz. The next vehicle I purchase will have satellite radio, and I may purchase a component satellite tuner for home.
I do all my FM listening through the Internet.
I can get every station I used to listen to on FM easier with a cleaner signal.
The Internet also offers numerous Web-only stations such as Kitchen Radio - www.kitchenradio.ca - that rival the best FM stations in terms of quality and diversity.
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
Is the sound quality from Internet radio as good as FM (or better)?
Internet radio comes in many sound quality levels.
I look for at least 64 kbps through-put rates.
Kitchen radio has 128 kbps and sounds very good.
Of course you are trading one kind of distortion for another.
FM has multipath, Intermodulation distortion, birdies, high frequency roll-off, and noise.
Internet has compression artifacts which can manifest as phasiness and midrange suck-out.
Both can suffer from too much compression and processing.
A high bit-rate doesn't guarantee good Internet radio sound as some stations keep their compressors and processors on their Internet feed even though they aren't necessary.
A high bit-rate Internet radio feed will, with all other aspects (processing) being equal, give you a cleaner and more convincing signal than FM.
Also I dare you to get a listenable signal from an FM radio station located in Boston if you live in Denver except through Internet radio...
Steven Stone
Contributor to The Absolute Sound, EnjoytheMusic.com, Vintage Guitar Magazine, and other fine publications
I must say Robert, that the letter you posted could have just as easily been written by me. FM is my primary music source and to that end I invested in a Magnum Dynalab MD109 tuner and haven't looked back. I have many good quality FM stations in my area and the sound quality that I am experiencing is beyond belief. I love it.
I was the one who originally wrote to Mr. Harley about listening to FM. Reading the comments, my sense is a minority use an analog FM tuner as a music source. Living in Boston, I have many choices of music stations, so the opportunity for variety is there for me. I have to say, as the most recent post suggests, the FM source can be a GREAT source of high-quality music, especially with some of the high-end analog tuners out there. I usually listen to FM in the mornings before going to the office, Sunday mornings for jazz and days where I want to hear what is new in rock, alternative, etc. It is not like I listen to FM primarily - Exclusive to my car which tends to be a mix of iPod, CD and radio, I'd say that the majority of my at home listening is a toss up between CD and vinyl, with vinyl creeping past the digital listening.
I have found internet radio to be OK, but not great in terms of fidelity. I hear a difference between an analog signal and a digital signal; I just think the dynamic range is greater. But internet listening sure makes sense from a cost of equipment perspective.
The biggest challenge is the signal - stating the obvious, that makes or breaks the listening experience. I'd agree with Syd's posting, his experience is exactly like mine.
I would be interested in an article in TAS about analog FM radio, along with a review of equipment that is out there in the market today. The best thing about FM broadcasts, that expect for the initial equipment investment, the music is free and represents no storage issues whatsoever!
-Jeff
Quote:The best thing about FM broadcasts, that expect for the initial equipment investment, the music is free and represents no storage issues whatsoever!
That's true. It's like having a giant music server that streams music to your home---without the cost or hassle.
I listen to a lot of FM, and here in Portland, Or, we have a few great sounding stations, a lot of crappy sounding ones.
The great ones, on my fully refurbished and modded 60's vintage Dyna FM-3, sound very good, indeed, no noise, multipath, or other anomolies.
Our "Adult Album" station, KINK, plays most of their music from a server, which sounds quite good, with CD's, even an occasional vinyl.
They have been on the air from 1968, starting as a "Progressive FM Station", and are about as close as we can expect in 2008.
I have "DX"ed FM for decades, and will continue.
Mike
VinylGuy
I've got an old M-D FT101A tuner, a Signal Sleuth amplifier, and a rooftop antenna that I use to pull in WBGO, a jazz/blues NPR station 50 miles away in Newark, NJ. If you become a subscriber, they send you a monthly program guide that details special concerts, etc. I enhance my CD and vinyl collection by capturing "live" concerts, not commercially available, onto a TEAC reel to reel deck. The sound quality is wonderful, and the recording process is a pleasurable way to spend time collecting otherwise unobtainable performances.
I listen to FM radio quite a bit, but in my city, we have a 24-hour classical music station that produces most of their own programs and takes care to broadcast good sound. I don't have a fancy tuner - just a Denon TU-1500RD sourced from eBay. It still sounds great, and lets me audition lots of music I would never otherwise hear.
I'd welcome TAS coverage of radio gear, including Sirius XM.
I enjoy FM as well. McIntosh modded MR78, Signal Sleuth and outdoor antenna and it's an awesome source, though limited by availability of programs. I like the convenience of Internet Radio but the quality just isn't as good as a good, clean FM signal. I have recorded numerous hours of jazz off of FM onto my Alesis Masterlink and made some nice compilation CD's of music I would not have come across. When I find something I like, I do hunt for thr LP or CD, and have built up my library nicely from this.
Has anyone heard or had experience with "HD Radio"??
I guess it's a digital signal over the top of the analog broadcast, from my understanding of it.
Iffy about how well that would work in a moving vehicle, or how it would sound at home.
Anyone????
Mike
VinylGuy
I listen mostly to classical music via a Magnum-Dynalab Etude tuner. Over the past 20 years my FM-listening has diminished radically, owing to the dumbing down of classical music programming in both New York and Philadelphia (I live in central New Jersey). Except for the occasional live Met or Bayreuth concert, I hardly listen at all. Having said that, I'd welcome a bit more coverage, given that other TAS music lovers are undoubtedly better served by the medium than I am.
I use an Etude as well to listen to and record on reel-to-reel the BSO live every Saturday night and not much else.
I continue to listen to FM via a 'cherry' Tandberg 3001A tuner and a KLH Model 21-II table radio. There are two public radio stations (WKAR - Lansing, MI and WCMU - Mt. Pleasant, MI) that I can receive that have classical and jazz programming. I can receive many other stations, but the ones worthwhile for me are the two I mentioned. FM does still open one's listening to a variety of music that one might othewise miss out on. Both of my sources -- I am the original owner for both -- continue to give great service despite their advancing age. The Tandberg is seductively musical when the material permits. Good vintage analogue FM tuners are the comfort food of audio equipment -- a bit like visiting times past. Twirl that knob!
I also listen in my automobile and over the internet. WKAR has excellent "reach" in my area of Michigan (flat terrain) so one can easily drive for 2 hours and keep listening. An internet favorite for me is WRTI in Philly.
Bob Bubeck
To quote an old Journey song, I was "raised on radio." While I love vinyl and disc, I am one of the (relatively) lucky few whose area is served by several really good FM stations (classical, jazz and blues, classic rock, modern rock, classic country), so most of my day is spent accompanied by FM radio broadcasts. I know that we DXers are a dying breed, but I love the variety, that I always get to hear new music, and the surprise of not knowing what's coming up next. Now, if radio would only go back to the "free form" format whereby disc jockeys got to choose and play their own music, then I'd be in pure musical heaven.
Living in Mansfield, Ohio I must say there is nothing on the fm dial here. I listern to XM, no commercials more variety, I have a Delphi Skyfi for the car and a Polk for the house. Having said this I miss the NPR station I used to listen to when I lived in Columbus. I don't think I could go back to listening to music on commercial radio, way to many commercials, not enough variety.
*** I received this letter from a reader, and frankly, didn't know how important a source FM is to TAS readers. I'd love to hear from you about how much you listen to FM, and whether you'd like to see more tuner coverage in TAS.
I am not the “TAS reader” but the nature of your question indicates TAS absurd stupidity on the subject. Do you think TAS need to explore another domain of audio where TAS is I incredibly incompetent and inept but trying to erect itself in a position of some kind of stupid authority? Stick to whatever you badly but what has well-oiled.
Romy the Cat
*** I received this letter from a reader, and frankly, didn't know how important a source FM is to TAS readers. I'd love to hear from you about how much you listen to FM, and whether you'd like to see more tuner coverage in TAS.
I am not the “TAS reader” but the nature of your question indicates TAS absurd stupidity on the subject. Do you think TAS need to explore another domain of audio where TAS is I incredibly incompetent and inept but trying to erect itself in a position of some kind of stupid authority? Stick to whatever you badly but what has well-oiled.
Romy the Cat
Good morning.
An update to an earlier post. I recently upgraded my Controller to an Onkyo Pro, which has HD radio. If the station has an HD component, I have it prioritized to the digital signal, and I prefer that one over the analog, on all the stations I have compared. Also, some "HD-2" channels are now present, with one being a Blues channel, and one a Jazz channel..both commercial free!
I would like some coverage, in the reviews, about this, another viable music source to add to the stable, along with my vinyl, CD, and SACD sources.
Mike
VinylGuy
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