I listen to Jazz FM a lot in my workshop but when they switched from DAB to DAB+ I bought a Denon DNP-800NE purely for that and continue with my beloved TU1800 for BBC as it's so easy to switch stations, sounds good enough and is internet free. Use a Wi-fi link at the moment which isn't great (might run a CAT cable but it's going to be a pain) but the main thing is I want to get all the great American jazz stuff and the DNP can do it but it's a major PITA for a simpleton like myself that just wants to press a button, store a few favourites and surf without staring at a tablet/ monitor/ phone etc. I don't do apps (have an old Nokia and my vintage I-pad doesn't play ball with a lot of stuff now). My amp (Cambridge Audio CXA80) will take digital which I use for both tuners and a CXC transport (even has XLRs on it) and is running Quad 57s and an REL.
I used to have a portable radio thing in the kitchen that brought all the internet stations up on a screen and you just scrolled and pressed and used the headphone out to my separates- sound was surprisingly good but the main thing was useability.- just want station name and poss what's playing. When it died went back to a TIBO DAB+ which is OK but lost all those stations.
The only solution I can see at the mo is to make space for a spare computer with decent sound card and plug it in but want the workshop to be my escape from that...
Never bother with FM now despite decent antenna and reasonable reception (have an old Leak Troughline along with various other Denon, Technics etc tuners sitting unloved at the mo)
Anything under a grand (UK sterling) would be marvelous
I see Audiolab do a 6000N with presets on the front but it sounds like this has 'app synchronicity' issues. Also Arcam but again app based by the look of it to work effectively. Also it's radio stations with real people/ DJ's and human involvement that I want- can surf You-Tube, Spotify (used to subscribe) etc. anyway. Don't mind the adverts as you get those on everything else now as well anyway; 'skip-ad in 6s', pop-ups, algorithms making you think you're finding new music
Thanks cm6td- have just been reading the instructions for CXN and you are totally right. It seems to be the only bit of kit out there that is pretty much switch on, set the WiFi up and listen/ explore with a reasonable display. The reviews seem pretty good for sound quality as well- the sound quality and useability of the CX amp/ transport does it for me.
The Denon will just stay on Jazz FM- it wants me to set up an HEOS account but I'm going to use it effectively as one large preset box. Have had mixed fortunes with Denon in the past- DRM 24-HX chewed up a fortune in cassettes (after second warranty fix gave up on it and have a Technics RS-BX747 that's still going!), have had AV amps break as well. Still love the TU1800 though.
Having said that have had broken Cambridge Audio subs and AV amps
I'm not IT illiterate- used to programme Fortran77, build computers from scratch including software installs, drivers, music software, keyboards etc; I just want to escape all that and listen to music.
Has the O.P. ruled out using a P.C.? He doesn’t want “apps” and “phones” but never mentioned PC. iTunes used to have an internet radio section by genre. It was part of the Operating System so technically not an “app”. I used it to pull in Classical Stations from all over the world. You just simply hit the iTunes icon on the menu bar and it was as idiot proof as could be. He could probably find old Mac from 15 years ago for a few bob that still has whatever versions of the MacOS ran iTunes. Something tells me that this would also be off the table for him, although the reality is that the Cambridge is just a PC decked out like an audio component
A music service like Amazon, Spotify or whatever has 60 million songs to listen to. Jazz all day, never hear the same song. A streamer setup or Bluetooth speakers connected to the computer..
The Cambridge DAC CXN V2 is absolutely the best I heard in that price range. I have it connected to my network switch via ethernet. My host is ROON based on my Mac mini. I have also streamed directly from TIDAL.
I'll also recommend the original Squeezebox Radio. It is a traditional table radio size box with pretty decent mono sound for casual or background listening. It uses the Logitech Media Server system, but has six preset buttons that allows you to go directly to an internet radio station of your choice. On top of that, you can also access your own music collection if you've stored it on a PC running LMS. But the latter is not necessary to simply get internet radio.
A Raspberry Pi with Volumio or similar might work if you are ok with using a mouse and connect it to a TV. Then you would not need a touch screen or smart phone. Just a thought. Cost is around $100 without the TV.
I don't want to belabor the point, but the CXN(V2) isn't app based. There is an app available, but it's unnecessary for what you want to do. Everything related to internet radio can be set up and controlled entirely from the front panel or the infrared remote, with no need to ever use an app.
The Yamaha WX-C50 is like a cheaper version of the Node, uses MusicCast and has presets you access using the app. But the Node has presets that can be selected with their optional remote control. Once you register your up to 40 presets in the Bluesound app you can select them by typing in the desired number on the remote 10-key. Easy peasy. Used Node 2s can be had on Audiomart or eBay.
I don't think the FM reception will reach Bedfordshire from Boston! (even the Lincolnshire one). Love getting the green bars on the Leak Troughline as close together as poss or the signal strength needle on the Yamaha CR-800 receiver to the right.
Remember watching a programme on Charlie Parker where all the sax guys stood around his statue in Kansas and someone played Parker's Mood beautifully. Have fond memories of the amazing quality of the busking in Chicago and the guy in the (amazingly huge) record shop not understanding me asking for Magnetic by Steps Ahead ( someone said he means Maargnetic!)
Weirdly it's interesting to hear the New Jersey morning traffic reports here in Blighty!
I think it was a ROKU unit I used to use in the kitchen- it was so simple; just had a list of stations you scrolled down and pressed on- how I found the 1920's network.
OK fidelity isn't going to be an issue with the 1920's radio network but WGBO (listening to Art Pepper through Sennheiser HD580 phones from Onkyo CR505DAB off computer at the mo and it's pretty good) , Jazz FM etc. have always sounded great through my ESL57s, REL, CXA80 (soon to be Quad 22/ II again)
Am going to go for a CXN after payday and get the Quad 22 going again (keeps dropping a channel); used to take it back to the factory in Huntingdon for servicing back in the day- think they've started doing service again as my current repair guy obviously isn't that great.
To recap all I really want is a good sounding simple to use way of getting internet radio stations sans apps/ phones/ hassle
The Node 2i is great, but you do need a computer or smartphone to set it up and create presents... probably not for you. I'm in Kansas City. We recently got a great FM station that is all, well curated classical music. It's been 6 years since we had such a station. Jazz? In this "city of jazz" where Charlie Parker is from, we have to settle for the occasional jazz show on Public Radio. So no...FM isn't a great option here.
I've heard good things about the Logitech device mentioned above, but it's not intended to be audiophile or even CD quality, but it's versatile and gets internet radio with minimal fuss.
Why would you not bother with fm? In Boston I have two fantastic radio stations, both of which come in crystal clear with a good antenna and have terrific fidelity. The stations are 89.7 wgbh (classical & jazz) and 99.5 wcrb (classical) I’m using a winegard 6010 fm antenna in the attic, and a cambridge audio t500 tuner, a great tuner. I can place my ear right up against my speakers and I hear hardly any noise whatsoever, just clean pure free music. I will never give up my fm.....just to mention, I’m not in Boston, I’m about 30-35 miles south. Even when wearing my akg k550 reference headphones, I hear hardly any noise, just hear high quality fm broadcast music. Some of the jazz on 89.7 sounds phenomenal. Most other stations on the fm dial are compressed garbage, however.
+1 on the Squeezebox. eBay US shows plenty used. Check eBay UK if you can’t make a deal. I hear ya 'bout FM. Why bother with poorly programmed commercials when there is so much eclctic ad free out there?
You could try a Volz VR-80. After you learn you gave station names just tell Alexa to play them: Linn Jazz or WGBO etc. A little practice will perfect it. Of course you must have wifi.
The CXN(V2) doesn’t have a touchscreen. It has a screen to display the stations and presets, and you turn a knob to scroll through them, and push the knob in to select the one you want. I think that’s about as close as you’ll get to an old fashioned tuner.
I was originally going to get the CXN but got the Denon instead and have since regretted it (money was tight at the time and the DNP seemed to fit the bill). As I said I don't do smartphones or tablets! Just want basically an internet radio version of tuners of old pref with no touchscreens (I hate touchscreens) but no-one seems to make them.
If this for your workshop background listening, how important is ultimate fidelity? The reason that I ask is because the simplest solution is Bluetooth. You can place an Internet Radio app on a tablet or smartphone. You then can select stations by genre and country. The latest Bluetooth codecs sound pretty good. In my office I can only listen at low levels and Bluetooth is just fine, a “proper” system would be wasted. If you find Bluetooth doesn’t cut it, you can always attach your phone or tablet, with the aforementioned app, with a special cable to the Inputs of your amp. If you want to get more complex, connect a computer or a streamer (streamers are computers made to look like audio components) to your amp. You can either do this digitally if you have a DAC (frequently included in amps or a standalone) or via analog inputs. The go to streamer for audiophiles as an entry level product is the Bluesound Node2i, which can be connected by Ethernet or WiFi, but honestly, if your source is going to be restricted to Internet Radio, particularly at low levels, I would buy a cheaper streamer
You might consider a Cambridge Audio CXN(V2) streamer. I’m not certain of the price in the UK, but I believe it meets your budget requirement. It streams internet radio stations, and you can search for stations and create presets using the screen and the controls on the front panel or on the infrared remote. It always displays the name of the station you’re listening to, and the bit rate. Whether or not it shows the name of the piece of music that’s playing depends on whether or not the station is transmitting that information.
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