We have a very good early morning classical broadcast (and again in mid afternoon). That station accompanies us to and from the office. By late afternoon, I use Roon (most days) for 1-2 hours. At the office, I use SONOS, but in past years it was an NAD receiver playing FM stations. FM sounds better than SONOS/Pandora to us. In either case, this has been, for me, an interesting discussion. Thanks to all who participated.
Most of my listening these days is in digital formats but there is still room for analogue formats as well.
The format is not important in itself just whatever serves the music best. Good to see others still enjoying FM. Be sad to lose it completely.
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Very well-stated. I have a āniceā digital system. Roon/Quobuz+streamer+DAC+electronics and floor standing speakers. I have an SACD and another CD transport. To my ears, an analogue system sounds definably better whether that comes from a turntable or FM radio or an open reel deck. Tubes sound better to me than solid state. (I have no opinion on cables or switches etc.) FM programming is certainly not the role it once held. We are fortunate to have HD channels locally. I also miss when Musical Heritage Society sold pre-recorded CR02 cassettes. Analogue formats are inconvenient if you treasure sitting for long periods.
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It is true that digital formats can be more convenient and that does have its value. Certainly as I get older I prefer not getting up so many times to change a record over as I did in my younger days. But it is good that both analogue systems and digital can still exist side by side. Nice to have a choice and it is much healthier to have both available.
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FM does have the advantage that with the right (for you) channel, you need not walk over and select the next song or album. That said, it is not particularly healthy to sit for extended periods, to avoid movement, to find creative ways of not engaging in exercise. (Would be an interesting thread: `how many of you go to the gym?ā). In either case, I personally become restless so the arising is not a burden but actually a relief. Regardless of the music, I am quite often moving around the home (or office).
Lolā¦true. I am not advocating a totally sedentary existence. As in most things in life it is about finding the correct balance between extremes.
Currently NAD C425 combined with Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna on the roof here in Oakland. The NAD has a nice full sound. My Arcam AV receiver on the video system does a decent job. The antenna is well worth the investment and install. Iāve been an FM listener my whole adult life. My radio "bugā might have started when my dad gave me a pen sized crystal radio oh so many years ago. I used to fall asleep listening to the top 40 (AM) station. Spending college years and beyond mostly in San Francisco (home of KSAN, KSJC and KPFA) or LA (KCRW, KJZZ) has reinforced my appreciation for great DJs. I seek out stations with good, adventurous music (usually college or public) in whatever market Iām visiting. Internet radio is fun but SQ is lacking IMO.
Crystal radio. Now that is a great memory. Combine that with listening to AM late at night and DXāing to receive stations 100s of miles away. Having to wait for songs to be replayed again in the cycle etc.
But FM stations, college based often, with either emerging DJs or seasoned professionals with discussions of songs/albums being played and black/silent background if you had a good tuner.
They did not make tuners like this in the day; except for Sequerra
Nikko, Gamma I FM Tuner. (Not my picture). I havenāt had it on in 15 years, except once or twice just to check that is working; but it is wired into my pre-amp and can be used with a flip of a power switch on the tuner and changing the source on my preamp. I bought used with a Nikko amp and preamp back in about 1979.
edit: even my local NPR station I stream.
edit2: heck, itās even hooked to a small external FM antenna. When restoring our house, I had the electrician run some extra 75 ohm cableTV cable from near the stereo cabinet to outside the house. I have this connected to a short FM broadcast antenna, hidden by fence structure (so not high). Certainly gives me really nice reception, including FM stations from about 100 miles away. Not that I need any of this or use it, as noted.
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My son was a DJ at the UGA FM station. He did a classical program.
That must be a great memory. I listened to two FM stations, that for the University of Cincinnati and that for the University of Alabama. I barely recall the call letters this many years later. There was a station in Philadelphia to which I listened, and there is a famous one in Chicago. (Unrelated: there are several legendary vinyl stores in Chicago.). There was something about a DJ sitting in a control room and spinning records. Of course, there were FM stations that played King Biscuit Flour Hour, live.
We grew up in NC listening to WLS AM. I would lay in bed with a transistor radio sitting on my ear.
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Transistor radio resting on an ear was the hallmark of the young music lover at that time. Mine was a GE.
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Oh, and my GE transistor radio had a bad circuit necessitating that I squeeze its case to maintain a signal. So I would listen while pinching that in order to maintain the signal. Later I would wire a table AM/FM radio to the speaker in our large B&W television. The great thrill was when our Zenith console stereo arrived and there was so much broadcast music available which varied throughout the day. AM was for Rock and FM for classical.
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It was part of our upbringing here that we had to make our own. Simple crystal system with a mini ear piece if I remember. Probably kept us quiet for a few hours!
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I use āICEcast and Butt software applications via a PCā to send analogue sources from a Stereo Receiver to Roon. The Receiver has an integrated analogue tuner. This endpoint is connected to the receiver via analogue signals to the PCās line inputs and the PC casts analogue sources (LPs, Tapes, CDās, Tuner ) to Roon via the ICEcast/Butt applications. Old School stuff never diesā¦it just fades away
Somewhere at the onset of the MP3 era, many audio things faded in interest. More than a few people believed that MP3s were equal in quality to that which came before. I am an Apple fanboy so this is not an indictment of Apple, but when the iPod, iTunes etc emerged, it did not appear that other media were any longer important. Yet when I see a stereo system in a movie or TV show, I immediately look for a turntable as though (in my mind) that indicates the actor/character knows the sound of music.