Radio silence.

[chebby]

I have just noticed that the "Digital & analoge radio" forum has far less threads and less posts than the "Turntables & LPs" section here (despite the TT & LPs section being a relatively new addition).

How many here have FM (or DAB/FM) tuners or listen to internet radio/freeview radio via their hifi as an 'equal' source?

Do you consider radio a 'hifi' source or is it just something you have on in the car/kitchen?

Radio (in all of its digital and analogue forms) is my 'Desert Island' source. I could live without CDs or LPs but not radio. I could live without TV too (except as a means of playing movies.)

How important is radio to you?

 

[The_Lhc]

Most of my radio listening is in the car, but with 20 hours of car-based commuting a week that's hardly surprising. The missus will generally put the radio on when she gets up in the morning, but she doesn't really care what she's listening to it through, I'll fire up the Sonos and stream it from t'net if I feel like it. Or sometimes from the Sky box but that requires the TV to be on if you want to know what station you're on. We don't have a tuner connected to the hi-fi (although there's one in the receiver) because we don't have a good enough aerial to justify it. We're in a valley running off a small repeater transmitter and most of the national stations are borderline reception for us, so it's not worth the effort.

We have no DAB reception at all in our area.

I probably don't view it as an equal source because I don't know of any stations that play the stuff I like.

 

[nads]

Out of the UK but.

Swedish raio is OK for noise in the car. but if I am going on a trip I sort out tunes on the i Phone.

the only radio i sit down an listen to is 6 Music Via the Squeeze box. At work we can not stream radio so back to the iPhone.

 

[daveh75]

chebby:How important is radio to you?Not very, these days.

I listen to BBC 6 Music(or R2 if i cant get DAB reception) when in the car/van.

When listening at home, 6 Music is always on in the background, but we rarely sit down an listen properly.

I also listen to R5L or talkSPORT,if i'm watching sport on foreign satellite and no English commentary is available..

Despite having good FM/DAB reception, i /we no longer have a single FM/DAB tuner/radio in the house.All our radio listening is via DTT,satellite or interweb.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I'd pay my Licence Fee for BBC Radio alone.....

 

[Craig M.]

radio 2 in the car, otherwise never listen to it.

 

[Clare Newsome]

As I don't have a TV in the house - just the projector and Sky+ HD - I don't just switch the box on to watch news/browse: far more likely to turn a radio on or go online.

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Clare Newsome:I'd pay my Licence Fee for BBC Radio alone.....

I would willingly sell my house and all it's contents to help the BBC...Clicky

But seriously, I know what you mean and feel similarly. Providing they don't kill 6music obv.

 

[the record spot]

Clare Newsome:I'd pay my Licence Fee for BBC Radio alone.....

Ditto that. £140-odd well spent.

 

[plastic penguin]

chebby:

I have just noticed that the "Digital & analoge radio" forum has far less threads and less posts than the "Turntables & LPs" section here (despite the TT & LPs section being a relatively new addition).

How many here have FM (or DAB/FM) tuners or listen to internet radio/freeview radio via their hifi as an 'equal' source?

Do you consider radio a 'hifi' source or is it just something you have on in the car/kitchen?

Radio (in all of its digital and analogue forms) is my 'Desert Island' source. I could live without CDs or LPs but not radio. I could live without TV too (except as a means of playing movies.)

How important is radio to you?

Very - I've posted a few threads on that section over the past few months, but radio, sadly, and above other mediums, is probably hit the hardest by modern technology.

Why invest in tuners when you have radio on freeview?....I don't agree with it, but what can we do?

 

[chebby]

For the purposes of this thread I am counting internet radio, BBC iPlayer, DAB, FM, Freeview etc. all collectively as 'radio'.

I use them all.

 

[chebby]

plastic penguin:....but radio, sadly, and above other mediums, is probably hit the hardest by modern technology.

Why invest in tuners when you have radio on freeview?....I don't agree with it, but what can we do?

Quite the opposite, radio (of all the hifi sources) has expanded the MOST with recent technology.

I can do timed recordings of radio plays etc from Freeview onto my DVD recorder's internal HDD and replay it later via my DAC. I can 'listen again' to most anything from the BBC during the week on iPlayer. (My wife likes to 'wind down' after work with the afternoon play which she would otherwise miss.) And of course there are now umpteen thousands of internet radio stations from all over the world in the sort of quality and variety only dreamt of 30 years ago (even with a good short wave receiver).

If I am listening to radio on Freeview (for instance) I can 'pause' it. That was never possible on FM (still isn't.)

Premium quality is still courtesy of my Naim FM tuner and roof aerial (good reception here) but all the other forms of 'radio' access are wonderful to have and not that far off in outright quality in a lot of cases. (Except DAB which we only use on portables.)

 

[crusaderlord]

i dont listen to much convensional live radio but have moved to internet streaming of the bbc i-player and radio paradise as my main mediums when i want a 'radio' experience

i dont own a tuner - i was going to buy one a year ago but went for the wadia dock instead and stream through the i-touch. i am glad i chose the internet based feed

 

[plastic penguin]

chebby:plastic penguin:....but radio, sadly, and above other mediums, is probably hit the hardest by modern technology.

Why invest in tuners when you have radio on freeview?....I don't agree with it, but what can we do?

Quite the opposite, radio (of all the hifi sources) has expanded the MOST with recent technology.

I can do timed recordings of radio plays etc from Freeview onto my DVD recorder's internal HDD and replay it later via my DAC. I can 'listen again' to most anything from the BBC during the week on iPlayer. (My wife likes to 'wind down' after work with the afternoon play which she would otherwise miss.) And of course there are now umpteen thousands of internet radio stations from all over the world in the sort of quality and variety only dreamt of 30 years ago (even with a good short wave receiver).

If I am listening to radio on Freeview (for instance) I can 'pause' it. That was never possible on FM (still isn't.)

Premium quality is still courtesy of my Naim FM tuner and roof aerial (good reception here) but all the other forms of 'radio' access are wonderful to have and not that far off in outright quality in a lot of cases. (Except DAB which we only use on portables.)

You're right, I think modtech has many advantages, so I'm not against it per se, but in the case of radio, I honestly believe it's a case of quantity over quality...

 

[John Duncan]

I'd certainly pay the license fee only for radio, despite my consumption of it being fairly modest - Radio 2 at the weekend, Radio 5 when I'm in the car on my own, occasional iPlayer usage. But I don't really think of it in hifi terms.

 

[mikegtar]

Radio is very important to me and I listen to it a lot.

For hifi listening it tends to be Classic FM, BBC radio 4, 2, 3. This is either when I'm doing the housework, reading or just relaxing. It's a different type of relaxation than watching the telly and one which I value greatly.

In the car radio 4 and Classic FM are the main stations I have on.

The DAB radio In the kitchen is normally tuned to radio 4 or the world service when I'm cooking/eating.

At night time before I go to sleep I'll listen to radio 4 or the world service on the Bose wave music system on my bedside cabinet. Sometimes radio 2 if there's a program that I want to listen to specifically, e.g. a documentary on the Carpenters a few nights ago. The Bose is good for falling asleep to because of it's warm soothing cozy sound which isn't exactly hifi but still good quality in it's own way. It's also quite convenient to use - just press the sleep button on the top right hand side of the remote once to turn it on and it will turn itself off by gently lowering the volume after half an hour, press the sleep button multiple times to extend the length of time it stays on for in half hour increments. Lights off, snuggled beneath the covers, nothing left to think about, feeling sleepy, heading for the land of nod with the radio as my trusty companion, in some ways this is my favourite time of the day.

Radio is great !

 

[chebby]

plastic penguin:....but in the case of radio, I honestly believe it's a case of quantity over quality...

A 'hifi' forum is not perhaps the best place to say this, but I am into content more than 'ultimate' quality. I work from home 90 percent of the time and this means having the system on for 8 or 12 hours a day. Even an extensive collection of CDs (or LPs) would soon get very boring no matter how much 'better' in terms of bitrates etc.

As for quantity over quality in terms of content, well it depends purely on your tastes. I have been listening to Radio 4 since I was 16 and have not got bored with it yet.

Add R2, R3, R7, R6, BBC local radio and BBC iPlayer (to cherry pick stuff I want when I want it) then I am very happy. Last FM, Spotify, Radio Paradise, Jazzy Groove and lots of other stuff from internet radio (often at respectable bitrates) gives me the chance to experiment and mix it up a bit. (Spent a morning recently listening to nothing but pre-war jazz.)

I must admit I cannot stand the ubiquitous 'Radio Gold' style commercial stations with the same nasal congested, 'Smash/Nicey' cretin DJ clones, and adverts for cheap bedding warehouses every 5 minutes (!) and identical 'safe' playlists. But they are easily avoided! (Maybe this is what people think of when they think of radio?)

 

[chebby]

Mikegtar!

My lost (radio) twin!

Put it there (virtual high-five).

 

[John Duncan]

Aw, a forum bromance...

 

[8009514]

Radio in my house is main souce of music for my wife and is one reason why we went DAB. Classic Gold on most of the day, (not available on FM). On Sunday its Radio 4 for 'The Archers' omnibus, (I go out). When I get the chance its Planet Rock, (again not available on FM). 3 Dab receivers spread through the house, the DM37 and two Pures. In the car its Radio2 until I can get a Pure Highway to put in. Radio very important but just as background musc really. Hard to listen seriously to anything when the shower is running.

 

[DIB]

Since I got my Naim Uniti a couple of months ago I've been listening to the radio even more, especially Internet radio. Reception for FM and DAB via a cheap £5 indoor aerial is OK, but I tend to listen to most things including BBC radio via the internet, the quality is excellent. I'm pretty fond of Radio Paradise too, ad free and the guy on it must have the most laid back voice going. Plays some pretty cool stuff though.

.

 

[bay24]

I listen to radio via my freeview box into my 740c dac and love the sound. Probably listen to it as much as I listen to CDs although if 6 music goes that will drop dramatically as I don't know of any other station which has such a varied playlist of music which I like. I think Internet radio could be my next thing to look into!

 

[matthewpiano]

I listen extensively to BBC Radio 3. For me it is still a paragon of high quality broadcasting both in terms of the sound quality (on FM) and the content. I even managed to have it on in the shop for an hour the other day!

One of my favourite programmes is 'In Tune' with Sean Rafferty, which I usually listen to in the car on my way home and then continue listening to on the hi-fi when I get in. The other night there was an interview with Martin Roscoe in which he mentioned a performance he was giving at the RNCM. Off the back of that I booked a ticket and, consequently, enjoyed a night of top class live music making last Saturday.

I usually listen to 'Breakfast' on Radio 3 as well but sometimes I switch to Ditchy and Salty on Real Radio if I feel like something lighter.

Another favourite is Radio 4. Some of the radio plays and discussion programmes are excellent.

 

[mikegtar]

chebby:

Mikegtar!

My lost (radio) twin!

Put it there (virtual high-five).

Virtual high five right back at ya Chebby !

Forgot to mention I also listen to radio on the internet when I'm browsing. I can't comment on sound quality in hifi terms as the sounds comes from the PC speakers at the moment, but it's certainly good enough for background listening.

I too recently started listening to pre-war jazz on the internet radio. Radio Dismuke is the channel on my favourites bar. I've listened to that sort or music on an off for quite a while and the odd programme on tv, radio or a movie soundtrack here and there prompt me to seek out more of that type of music every so often. TV documentaries on Leslie Hutchinson and Al Bowlly, films such as Grey Gardens (We Belong Together, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein from the Musical "Music in the Air" was quite a catchy tune that I liked immediately and sounded like the archetypal piece of music from that era), even Blade runner (Vangelis' One More Kiss Dear really sounded as if it had been written in the 20's or 30's). I think it was after watching the documentary on Hutchinson that I discovered radio Dismuke.

Bit worried about all this DAB / FM switch off malarky though. Suppose I'll have to get a converter for my wireless hifi set at some point .....

 

[chebby]

Nice old Radio! We don't have anything that old. We had a collection of old Roberts classic radios but I sold them all and got a brand new R737 about six years ago.

The Roberts Stream 83i looks ok (and may be our next portable) but it's not the same as the mock leather and hardwood of our old Roberts R737

(Ours is burgundy.)

I felt a bit of a 'traitor' buying a Pure Evoke Flow. (BBC Radio 4 always sounded great on old Roberts Classic radios.)