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FM tuners - Are they OBSOLETE ?

As much as I a have liked tuners in the past - and probably kidded myself that older ''vintage'' tuners sound better (after owning quite a few), I really don't see much use for them except maybe a nostalgic bridge to days past, or bragging rights to pride of ownership with McIntosh gear or whatever.

With the newer technologies giving access to hundreds of stations around the globe, it just seems like THE proposition to discover new music.

I of course know that some high-end tuners sound very good - but let me tell you - a clean 128 digital feed into a DAC (from a digital transport like the Wadia or Cambridge Audio's new ID-100), is pretty impressive...

Sort of make kilo-buck tuners seem futile and very expensive by comparison.

What do you think ?
soniqmike

Showing 3 responses by mapman

mapman's avatar
mapman
21,921 posts
 
Depends on what local FM stations are available and also if they broadcast over the internet as an option and what the sound quality is there. Good internet radio sound quality these days is generally quite affordable and capable of trumping what I have heard on FM in terms of sound quality over the years in most regards, especially background noise and overall distortion.

FM tuners in the car still rule.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,921 posts
 
Soniqmike got it right.

The only problem with internet radio for most is the possibility of giving up looking for the gems because of too many choices and limited time, much like what many experience with 100s of cable or satellite TV channels today

"This weekend they have a 2-day music special in honor of Bob Dyland's 70th birthday."

Wow, gotta find that!

SOme of my favorite themed programs on teh internet I have heard have been on WWOZ New Orleans, which should be a cornerstone of any American music fan's channel set.

My Logitech Squeeze Radio has buttons for 6 presets. Mine include the local am news channel, RAdio Paradise, my custom pandora channel, WWOZ, and a couple of prgressive rock focused internet stations, including Stellar Attraction.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,921 posts
 
Not obsolete in the sense of no longer having any real value or merit, as is the case say with typewriters since the advent of the home computer, but certainly of limited interest to most compared to the latest and greatest gadgets available that leverage the internet for music content along with all the rest.
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