Sam here and fm radio for me has been unlistenable since maybe 1995
l found an independent radio station out of toronto canada that plays 24/7 1st press commercial free vinyl and the sound is outstanding vinyl voyage radio
http://www.vinylvoyageradio.com/p/schedule.html monday is 24 hours of 80's
I cannot remember a time when the national radio in the UK was so bad (local radio was always dodgy - hardly good for traffic and little else).
Recently there was a bit of an outcry when it was revealed that Zoe Ball (a BBC morning show disc jockey) was getting paid a £1.36 million annual salary.
This outcry was 2 pronged as not only is she getting paid far too much for a job many would do for free, but her manic presentation style is one guaranteed way of inducing further headaches in most listeners, many of whom will be stuck in traffic.
Unfortunately it would seem as if the UK audience is simply too small to support niche stations specialising in various genres as they do elsewhere.
The vast amount of recorded popular music from the past 80 years nowadays never makes it to the airwaves. Slowly, gradually the event horizon seems to have increasingly crept forwards to the year 1980.
Of course it must be an incredibly difficult job to be a presenter that can carry their appeal across all ages, races, and social groups, but right now no one is succeeding.
So for me, it's Classic FM if I fancy hearing a human being playing some popular singalong classical stuff - or, after a usual few minutes of FM channel skipping in vain - nothing.
Just got a Yamaha CT-800 tuner ....no ariel from the prior owner ..its been in their loft for a good few decades ...i've grabbed a couple of the wire in plastic Y ariels from amazon ...reception is rather fuzzy a cleanest Viking FM (Yorkshire) and ok Radio 4 (BBC) a poor Classic FM ...I'm in the UK ...i'm not sure if its the tuner or the ariels (inside) more but going from AFM mode to Mono FM does clean all of them up more ....plus of course i guess giving it some hours running after at least 20 years of loft time might well resolve a few issues ...but for a 1973/4 piece of kit its looks alone are almost worth it plus those illuminated meters and tuning scale ...
I believe it depends on how much compression the fm station uses. The stations that use a lot of compression sound bad on a good system and the stations that use very little sound much better.
durkn ... There is still great quality analog audio being broadcast ... I just heard a live song played on it & the sound quality is outstanding. If you’ve given up on FM, you are missing out...
I am still into FM. But the fact is that almost all FM is digital, even though the signal itself is still analog. Radio stations play from HD drives, signal processing is sometimes digital and STLs - which many stations use - are frequently digital.
But you mention a special thing: live broadcasts. Although these are often also run through digital processing, there can be some real sonic gems in live broadcasts.
Absolutely... There is still great quality analog audio being broadcast.
I've had Yamaha, Mcintosh & Magnum Dynalab tuners. I have an FT-101A & it sounds really good. I had been using a set of OK Audioquest IC's & when I switched to another brand reference quality cables, it sounded much better. When a good station playing a good quality song came on, it was shocking how good that tuner can sound.
My MD-102 arrived last night. It's got the upgraded audio section with big caps in it. It is a significant upgrade in sound quality. It's like putting on a MFSL LP.
I found myself listening to songs I have heard before, but it's a whole new listening experience. I listened to an entire Prince song since the sound quality was so good, and I can't usually make it through one of his songs...
I just heard a live song played on it & the sound quality is outstanding. If you've given up on FM, you are missing out...
Lou here, and in Philly, FM is alive and well, at least for me. The 2 college stations, Temple (WRTI 90.1) & UPenn (WXPN 88.5) are what I listen to most. 90.1 does classical all day & jazz at night. 88.5 does an eclectic mix of new music & deep cuts. On occasion, they will play music commercial free for a month or so at a time doing every almost every song in their library from A to Z. We also have very good sports radio stations too.
With the exception of a few local stations, college radio (if you have a college located nearby) and NPR, FM is essentially an animated corpse.
Most FM markets are dominated by a few large media companies which create stations around a specific and narrow niches. Then they market their stations to advertisers as being able to target specific listeners, or reach a broad cross section with one ad purchase. Implicit is programing that does not stray outside of a pre programed, bland and inoffensive content. Yawn.
I grew up in the NY metro area, and moved beyond Top 40 in the late 1970's. I was a WNEW listener. I really enjoyed the wide and varied format of that station. At any given moment, you could hear classic rock, the latest British Punk or New Wave, local NY area artists, and everything in between. This level of variety was mirrored by the sheer number of stations available in the general NY Metro radio market. From one end of the dial to the other, just about every frequency had a station and there was something from everyone. I began my exploration of Jazz through WBGO. I took a deep dive into Punk through WHBI. And so. To pre teen and teenager it was an audible cornucopia. Given teen age perspectives, you don't appreciate what you have in front of you until it is no longer available.
I am a fan of Streaming Radio, for many of the reasons listed above. The sheer variety available online makes me giddy. I can listen to anything I want, when I want, there is something for everyone.
Since this is a quality oriented forum, it is important to note that most internet streams are about the same quality as commercial FM. One does have to seek out higher bit rate streams to compare to NPR and other local left of the dial stations. In general though anything above 256kbs sounds excellent except when compared to a live or HD simulcast on an NPR or similar station.
WFCR 88.5 in Western Massachusetts plays locally-hosted classical all day, punctuated only by NPR news and then in the evening from 8:00 to 11:00 produces a show hosted by Tom Reney, a nationally recognized jazz expert. Nothing better for a jazz fan such as myself, and the station's technology is top notch. I listen through a thoroughly maintained and updated Dynaco FM3 feeding directly into a VTL ST-85 amplifier (the Dynaco has a front panel volumn control). The amp drives Thiel 2 2 speakers. It sounds as good/better than my Pioneer Universal Disk player through a Bel Canto eOne 3.0 DAC into the same amp and speakers. Totally dimensional and natural sound.
A few notes. The station now feeds a system of transmitters thoughout Western Mass, Connecticut, and the Albany area of New York (at different frequencies.) It also streams over the internet. And Tom Reney, who originated and did all the broadcasts for more than 30 years now hosts only Monday and Tuesday evenings, although he still oversees the "Jazz a la Mode" show. The two folks handling the other nights are also quite knowledgeable. However you can pick it up, I highly recommend it.
Prices for tuners have gone the same way as people buying dvd's.That should tell you something.I only listen to sports radio because I would rather control what I listen to, than depend on some disc jockey (do they still call them that?).
FM radio via "The Current" from Minnesota Public Radio is excellent for alternative/new- release rock. Their other FM music station includes live programing of well recorded and live classical music. (These can also be accessed via internet radio.) I listen in my home office via a Magnum Dynalab 105 modified tuner into PrimaLuna preamp. Depending upon the recording broadcast, both can sound excellent nothwithstanding multiplex stereo signals.
For people who love jazz I recommend KCSM-FM 91.1 in San Mateo, CA, may be one of the only remaining fully curated 24 hour jazz stations in the country.
What timing! I just bought a Magnum Dynalab tuner (MD-90) and have rediscovered FM broadcast radio! I listen to classical and rock and have been looking for jazz, but everything sounds gorgeously analogue. Great way to relax after working all day!
Bunch of good stations still - I am in Northern NJ and use a McIntosh MR71, Fisher FM-1000, MX-110Z, Marantz ST-8...
Philly, NYC and NJ stations are all decent form classic rock to jazz to classical. My favorite is the Temple University station, which is mostly jazz and classical. it is on all day on Saturday and Sundays.
"
For me some posts are unreadable since maybe, well you get the idea." -millercarbon
For me, some posts are unreadable since maybe... Well, you get the idea. I'm presently listening to WJFF 90.5 FM playing a set by Sonny Rollins. Exceptional!
If you like Classical music, here in the Rust Belt Renaissance city of Dayton, OH, we have a fabulous Classical station network 88.1/89.9/89.1. Their on-air ID is "Discover Classical" (DiscoverClassical.org). They are music 24/7/365. And, they use no processing - no limiting or compression - on their air signal. Makes soft passages sometimes disappear at low volumes but otherwise, spectacular sound. I use a Denon TU-680NAB. Wonderful tuner! Denon marketed it to radio stations as an off-the-air monitor (a necessity for a U. S. radio station) back in the 1990's. Had it gone over a few years back. I sold my Magnum Dynalab "Etude" because I like the sound of the Denon better. Also, for Jazz fans, Jazz24.org comes from KNKX in Tacoma. Great Jazz; very good DJ's; excellent sound. Secondarily for Jazz, I go to WZUM.org in Pittsburgh. A little more white bread Jazz but decent selection and sound; lots of hat tips to Pittsburgh's many native Jazz artists.
https://radioparadise.com/ public radio streaming at Blue Book CD quality , I give them money every year along with my Qobuz subscription. After I play a few songs on Qobuz Roon Radio kicks in that is pretty good. Can't imagine listening to FM radio in my house with all the commercial free high quality options available. I do listen in FM in the car but if I am in there for any period of time I use the radioparadise app and run it into the car radio. girlfriends audi auto fires up the last music service you phone was on via bluetooth.
88.5 jazz from Minneapolis and PBS 99.5 from St Paul are both superb. Why I know not but jazz station is owned by Mpls. School Board .99.5 has over 90,000 recordings and is is 3rd highest feeder of classical music to other PBS stations .
Rock stations all stink , not surprising since they play rock .
Exactly, and it all started in 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico. Do you think Velcro was the only thing we got from that encounter? Nope, microwave oven technology and dynamic compressed music.
No where it all comes from? Beamed out of the sub level basement in the Pentagon, 1 floor above the nuclear reactor.
And who benefits? The pharmaceutical companies, and the government gets a nice docile public doped up on Prozac.
Sam here and all digital music stations have dynamic compressed music that depresses you and they give you prozac. Sometimes the conspiracy theory is conspiracy fact!
Seattle has excellent FM still. Far left end of the dial has a bit of Jazz, Bellevue College broadcasts a massive variety.... KEXP is hard to grab sometimes but I have two NAD tuners that can play it nice and clean. Best part about an FM tuner is that there is very little to fuss around with once you have a good antenna/placement.
I have Bluetooth speakers throughout my house and play internet radio stations all day long. Is it reference sound? No it is not. Is it good background music? Yes very much so. We do have access to some decent local radio while in the car. I have a one hour commute each way and can find plenty of radio to listen to.
Unlistenable because of content or quality? If stations broadcast and stream, listen to what’s preferred. My Magnum Dynalab sounds great, nothing like vinyl or great digital, but the personalities of the DJ’s and the presentation is entertaining and isn’t what this is all about, being entertained?
WBGO Jazz 88.3 Newark, NJ is outstanding with great Jazz programming.
+1 WKCR out of Columbia U in NYC has some of the most interesting programming anywhere. This weekend is a case in point. To celebrate Charlie Parker’s centennial (he would be 100) they are featuring classic, archival, rare and bootleg and bootleg recordings and very interesting commentary of this pivotal Jazz artist 24/7 for eight (!) days. Fantastic. Check it out (on line if outside the NYC metro area).
WGBH 89.7 Boston, as well as WCRB 99.5 Boston both sound terrific. I use a Cambridge Audio t500 tuner as well as a Marantz st6000. My antenna is a large Winegard in the attic aimed towards Boston. I’m a bit over 30 miles away in the burbs...
FM here in west NC is basically 'not to my tastes'. I have a receiver that can supply it, but generally not worth the trouble.
I will thank all for their suggestions; having been listening to streamcasters for nearly a decade now, the world is at ones' fingertips. *S*
There's some Euro 'casters that have eclectic formats that make for a fun listen. And the fact that the limited amount of commercials are in a language I don't speak makes bathroom breaks a non-issue. *L*
'Hip-ed' the spouse to streamcasting on her 'puter, so there's no conflicts in that department...😁👍
FM radio, like all broadcast radio, is geared to morning and afternoon drive time as people go to work and back home. In some markets, off rush hour programming has added syndicated shows to attract listeners but the ad rates are much lower, reflecting the lower number of them.
What you’re missing completely is that 1- many stations subscribe to programming services that tell them which songs to play and when to play them. Here in Tidewater & Central Virginia, there are 4 Classic Rock stations that play basically the same songs daily but in a different orders. If you don’t like the majority of those songs, you won’t like those stations. 2-Satellite radio has siphoned off listeners that spend a lot of time driving and wish to control their programming by using the stations on it dedicated to specific artists and genres. 3-Most people don’t even own an FM receiver anymore. They listen to music on their laptops, tablets, smart phones, etc. 4-When I was on the road for work I used my cd player far more than I listened to any radio stations.
To your other point about FM signal compression - that is going to be constant whether the sound source is digital or analog, and most major radio stations stopped using turntables decades ago.
CFNY-FM out of Toronto kept me musically au courant all through the 80’s. Phenomenal station at the time, since trashed. I still have about four dozen 2-hour cassette tapes of the station that I made at the time. They’re still playable and I listen to them occasionally for auld lang syne.
Also CJRT (classical) and CBC out of T. O. were wonderful as well. And the women of T. O. kept me VERY happy. Just hung up from talking to one who still calls me and I haven’t been to the town in nearly 30 years. Wonderful burg.
SE PA, where I am now, is close to an FM desert by comparison. Once upon a time I had a 240" [sic] custom-built FM antenna cut specifically for 88 - 92 mHz pointed at Philadelphia. That’s gone, (WXPN now has a local repeater; it's NOT "hi-fi") and my Technics ST-9030 tuner has been put up for sale. And I’ve really not found the equal on the internet. So sad...
I am lucky enough to live in an area with a dedicated classical music station, WQXR, FM 105.9 out of NYC. I probably would not give FM a second glance if not for WQXR. Recently, I emailed them to find out if they were 100% digital recordings, and they confirmed that they are. WQXR is on probably 5-6 hours a day in my house, so I guess you could say FM is alive for me.
Interesting side note: Almost all of my listening equipment is tube based, both restored Sherwood and Fisher Receivers. I sent them out for their annual check-up to my repair guy, Dave451 on AudioKarma. While at the tube hospital I substituted my old SS gear, Pioneer SX-626, Sansui 8010, and HK3490. I knew I preferred the old tube gear but never realized how much the tube gear augmented listening to FM. The digital recordings broadcast on FM sound so much more musical on my tube receivers.
BTW, there was a time when there were actually two classical stations broadcast out of New York City, the second one being WNCN, FM 104.3. WNCN is now WAXQ, otherwise known as Q104, a Q station for progressive rock/classical rock. They took over from the classical format in 1995.
FM radio is largely a wasteland, like AM, unless you are lucky enough to have 1 or 2 station worth listening to.
Hi Sam there I think the iPod killed the radio not the dynamic compression. I believe you give to much credit to the mainstream majority Joe and Jane's who listen to music..
Seattle and Tacoma are blessed with great music on FM, in particular John Kessler’s show All Blues on Saturday and Sunday evenings. He is also a great bass player, try and catch him live sometime.
My tuner is an ancient 1965 McIntosh MX-110 Z with a Rimo filter mod and the all important magnum dynalab antenna.
Sam here and i now believe that when fm radio stations stopped playing vinyl people lost interest because digital audio with it's dynamic compression is unlistenable.
Got rid of my tuners years ago. The only time I listen is rarely in a rental car away for local flava. That station blows bubbles. Stinkin' commercials, greatest hits, sounds like 128k or 96k stream. Since you'ver never defined 1st press I'm sure it's good enough for you.
I'm rather enjoying new (to me) Billy Childs Acceptance
My Magnum Dynalabs tuner is in its box and in the closet because as a jazz music lover, I found it pretty useless here in Charleston, SC. I installed a Sirius FM receiver and get a very good signal, especially late at night.
Detroit metro area still has some good public radio stations. WDET and WRCJ both broadcast in high quality terrestrial. When I had a decent analog tuner, I would listen on some evenings and weekends. My tuner's gone and I stream the same material. Frankly, sounds better.
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