HiFi quality radio? - Chebby et al to the rescue, please

Charlie Jefferson

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Up until quite recently I've listened almost exclusively to Radio 4, and as such, not needed anything else other than a kitchen transistor radio and Sky box into DAC in the living room to do so.

However, I have found myself sampling more and more Radio 3, in the car (car radio), and on the train/on foot (iPad), and wondered what would be the best sounding option for listening in the evening when I have my hi-fi (see below) in the equation.

Availale options:

1) a Videologic DAB tuner gathering dust in the garage (and an outside DAB aerial available too).

2) Sky box into DAC

3) iPad streaming to DAC

4) a new tuner? (less than £300 budget if this was the way to go)
 

chebby

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In my case the best Radio 3 is from FM with a rooftop aerial.

Next is TuneIn Radio Pro app from my iphone via AirPlay. (Gets the whole 320k.)

Then Freeview Radio 3 from my Humax (and, of course, that means I can record a radio programme without being around). In your case this would be the Sky option.

Lastly, DAB. Sounds ok (with rooftop aerial) but more for convenience really. (More 'ok' than I would have expected from past experience.)

If you elect to get an FM tuner then spend £50 to £100 on ebay for a really good condition Denon TU-260L (or similar) and spend the rest of your budget on a cracking good rooftop FM + DAB aerial installation. (Not of those awful circular 'omnidirectial efforts!)

[Late Edit] Quick, quick this looks good (new in box)...

Denon TU260L II
 
Like Chebby I'm an avid radio listener - a dedicated tuner will be hard to beat. The good thing is there seems to be more choice on the s/hand market (perceived comment).

Denon, Marantz, Rotel, Arcam... all have their boots [still] firmly in the tuner market.
 

Charlie Jefferson

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chebby said:
In my case the best Radio 3 is from FM with a rooftop aerial.

Next is TuneIn Radio Pro app from my iphone via AirPlay. (Gets the whole 320k.)

Then Freeview Radio 3 from my Humax (and, of course, that means I can record a radio programme without being around). In your case this would be the Sky option.

Lastly, DAB. Sounds ok (with rooftop aerial) but more for convenience really. (More 'ok' than I would have expected from past experience.)

If you elect to get an FM tuner then spend £50 to £100 on ebay for a really good condition Denon TU-260L (or similar) and spend the rest of your budget on a cracking good rooftop FM + DAB aerial installation. (Not of those awful circular 'omnidirectial efforts!)

[Late Edit] Quick, quick this looks good (new in box)...

Denon TU260L II

That's the very model of tuner I used to own! Sold it because my former abode had terrible FM reception and when I moved house I invested in a DAB tuner and aerial. The latter, my wife now reminds me, is no longer in situ. I agreed to it's removal last year prior to house renovation work. (She is now grumpily, yet semi-gleefully reminding me that she thought it was a mistake, and said so at the time! She likes being proved right, of course).

Will try the app you mention, and proceed from there.

Thanks.
 

Andrew17321

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I have found that the internet 320 kb/s AAC is by far the best, using Sonos through a Rega DAC into an amp. Better than any FM I have received through a good tuner. Using the same stream via the TuneIn Radio app on an iPad and streaming to a DAC should be equally good, providing that the iPad streaming (Airplay) is up to the job.

Andrew
 

bigblue235

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I was lucky enough to move into a flat with a good quality FM feed pre-installed. But I never use it, I just use Internet radio through my iPod and Apple TV. Sometimes use the Sky box. I don't notice much difference in sound quality, and I enjoy the flexibility and sheer choice.
 

Charlie Jefferson

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bigblue235 said:
I was lucky enough to move into a flat with a good quality FM feed pre-installed. But I never use it, I just use Internet radio through my iPod and Apple TV. Sometimes use the Sky box. I don't notice much difference in sound quality, and I enjoy the flexibility and sheer choice.

I think I agree.

I bought the Tunein app and streamed a few Radio3 programmes, and they all sounded pretty good. I think I'll leave the DAB tuner to gather even more dust.

Cheers all.
 

bigblue235

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Good stuff, glad you're sorted.

The other thing I find handy with TuneIn is the ability to record. I don't imagine many of us still have a recording device connected to the tape loops. Ah, those were(n't!) the days.
 

chebby

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bigblue235 said:
Good stuff, glad you're sorted. The other thing I find handy with TuneIn is the ability to record. I don't imagine many of us still have a recording device connected to the tape loops. Ah, those were(n't!) the days.

TuneIn Radio Pro recordings are not transferable to iTunes though :-(

I am now using our Humax HDR-Fox T2 to record from Freeview radio. Obviously the recordings are not going to be 'permanent' (like cassettes), but I am looking into using USB memory sticks for stuff I want to keep. (They are almost cheap enough to label and keep for this purpose.) However, I don't know yet whether I will be 'locked' into having to play them back on the Humax or even whether they will only play back on our specific Humax (and no subsequent Humax machine - or other PVR - we may own in future).

Ideally I will be able to play back/download the contents of the memory sticks on a computer and import/convert the files to iTunes.

I need to research this (or open a new thread) as I don't have any spare memory sticks to experiment with.
 

Sospri

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chebby said:
bigblue235 said:
Good stuff, glad you're sorted. The other thing I find handy with TuneIn is the ability to record. I don't imagine many of us still have a recording device connected to the tape loops. Ah, those were(n't!) the days.

TuneIn Radio Pro recordings are not transferable to iTunes though :-(

I am now using our Humax HDR-Fox T2 to record from Freeview radio. Obviously the recordings are not going to be 'permanent' (like cassettes), but I am looking into using USB memory sticks for stuff I want to keep. (They are almost cheap enough to label and keep for this purpose.) However, I don't know yet whether I will be 'locked' into having to play them back on the Humax or even whether they will only play back on our specific Humax (and no subsequent Humax machine - or other PVR - we may own in future).

Ideally I will be able to play back/download the contents of the memory sticks on a computer and import/convert the files to iTunes.

I need to research this (or open a new thread) as I don't have any spare memory sticks to experiment with.

I have the same Hunax as you and yes you can download onto a memory drive and play them on a computer, I have done this with TV films ect, many times.....
 

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