Best car radio tuner.

[OKCRadioGuy]

Don't overlook modern GM factory car stereos for FM.  They are simply amazing units that rival the famed Sony HD tuner for selectivity.  They are an EXCELLENT DSP radio that adjusts down to a more narrow IF window in their software defined filter when it detects adjacent interference.  They are wonderfully made radios.

[spunker88]

For FM, probably the stock radio used in a 2010 Toyota Corolla, while renting it to go to Yakima in late August 2010. Here's a picture
http://image.motortrend.com/f/2010_toyota_corolla/2305892479134536533+ppromo_mt_large/radio.jpg

This radio COMPETES with the Grundig G8 as best FM radio I've ever owned. Without IBOC, all I can hear on 101.7 (next to strong 101.5) is NOTHING. I've heard KBLD 91.7 Kennewick, and a weak KUMA 92.1 Pilot Rock, OR in Yakima right next to KDNA 91.9, 10 mi away! It's also brought me 92.7 KNCW Omak, and various Seattle's on the Manastash Ridge near Ellensburg, and KMNT 104.3 (fadey but there) right next to KMCQ in Bothell. No other radio beats that one!

-crainbebo

Looks like the same unit in the 2010 RAV4 which is great. I imagine its DSP based. It has really good adjacent selectivity and is very noise free on AM, although the bandwidth is set noticeably narrow on AM.

Has anybody ever tried the Sony CDX-GT700HD. It's Sony's only HD built in car radio and I'm wondering if it rivals the XDR-F1HD or if its just a cheap HD radio.

[pianoplayer88key]

I've heard good things about the AM Stereo Delco radios from the 80s-90s or so, but don't remember actually experiencing one.  Anyone know anything about the performance of those?

Also, are there any car radios that, as set up from the factory / with the supplied antenna, are...
A - sensitive enough to get (1) full quieting (crank up volume so program is painfully loud, then during non-modulation NO noise would be audible even in an anechoic chamber) or (2) full HD decode (if it had that capability) on a signal that would be too weak to detect as a QRSS CW or PSK31 signal on something like an Icom, Perseus, etc. with a full-wavelength beverage,
B - selective enough to get a threshold fringe signal on a first-adjacent to a strong local that would splatter all across the LW, MW & SW bands on a SiLabs DSP radio (with no antenna hooked up to that DSP radio),
C - with audio quality that would make an untuned crystal set seem like a bad cell phone connection,
D - with overload resistance so that a signal that would completely overwhelm a Perseus, Icom, Drake, etc. with no antenna would be no problem for this automotive radio?


Ok, so I wouldn't expect one to be quite *that* good, but aren't good car radios supposed to be leaps and bounds better than home units? :p
Or on the other hand, is it possible that some of the not-so-good car radios out there are so poor they'd make a $5 Coby pocket radio seem like a high-end multi-hundred-thousand-dollar-cost-to-factory-per-electrical-component rig with a longwire antenna?

[Tom Wells]

I've heard good things about the AM Stereo Delco radios from the 80s-90s or so, but don't remember actually experiencing one.  Anyone know anything about the performance of those?

Also, are there any car radios that, as set up from the factory / with the supplied antenna, are...
A - sensitive enough to get (1) full quieting (crank up volume so program is painfully loud, then during non-modulation NO noise would be audible even in an anechoic chamber) or (2) full HD decode (if it had that capability) on a signal that would be too weak to detect as a QRSS CW or PSK31 signal on something like an Icom, Perseus, etc. with a full-wavelength beverage,
B - selective enough to get a threshold fringe signal on a first-adjacent to a strong local that would splatter all across the LW, MW & SW bands on a SiLabs DSP radio (with no antenna hooked up to that DSP radio),
C - with audio quality that would make an untuned crystal set seem like a bad cell phone connection,
D - with overload resistance so that a signal that would completely overwhelm a Perseus, Icom, Drake, etc. with no antenna would be no problem for this automotive radio?


Ok, so I wouldn't expect one to be quite *that* good, but aren't good car radios supposed to be leaps and bounds better than home units? :p
Or on the other hand, is it possible that some of the not-so-good car radios out there are so poor they'd make a $5 Coby pocket radio seem like a high-end multi-hundred-thousand-dollar-cost-to-factory-per-electrical-component rig with a longwire antenna?

The Delco stereos were wonderful.  I sometime had Cadillac rentals and CQUAM AM steros were wonderful.
Late 80s GM car radios weren't bad at all.
The IF bandwidth got cut on all the others somewhere in the early 90's and they were were awful ever since.

Any car radios that will do waht you'd like?

No, and such selectivity only comes with double/triple conversion of IF frequencies.
C is contradictory with most other wishes.
D is makes demands upon the complexity of other circutiry beyond what is consumer-oriented.

For A and B, the best car raidio I ever encountered with stereo FM was the Blaupunkt Richmond (1983).

Everything in your wish list negates the crystal-clear reception you enjoy from simple crystal radios.
All signal manipulations and shaped responses degrade the purity heard in a simple crystal receiver.

[nocomradio]

 Of all my vehicles, the best radio (which I still have and listen to regularly) is a circa 1990 Blaupunkt Savannah CR127. It has a pretty decent AM section for DX'ing and the Fm isn't too shabby either. I keep thinking I should try to scare up another for when this one finally tanks, but its still going strong.

[austingrace]

I remember dodges not having the best radios in them. I will agree that GMS have good radios in their cars as well. A lot of radios ford uses are really good on reception as well.

[rbrucecarter5]

The 2003 to 2008 Pioneers are the best tuners around!  I have four of them.  The 2009 models, I don't believe to be as good as the previous models due to the fact that the FM senitivity is now at 11 dbF versus 8dBF(best)on the older models.  The selectivity on the older Pioneer models at 80dB.(best)    I know from my readings, Sony and Panasonic have rating of 75dB for selectivity (not as good as 80dBf).  And their sensitivity is at around 10dBf, not as good as 8dBF.  Pyle is a pile of shit!

Things to look for when shopping, that I have learned myself from user manual specs and websites, is the SENSITIVTY and SELECTIVIY.  For sensitivity, 8dbF is best.  Lower number is best for sensitivity and higher number for selectivity like 80dB or above.  The older Pioneers that have the "D" in SupertunerIII are the best.  Other brands that I may consider, Kenwood or Alpine, in that order.   

Read each of the user manuals specs for "FM usuable sensitivity" and "FM selectivity" for each of the brands and then make your comparison. 

You have to be careful with Pioneers - the Supertuner 3 is the one with 11 dBf sensitivity.  You want the Supertuner 3D.  the D is the one with 8 dBf sensitivity.  They still make them, if you look carefully past all the HD radio crap the marketers have put in there.  It probably takes the supertuner 3D to handle to defective HD system!

[John Holcomb II]

ROZ radio 2001 Town And Country limited.
Austen you'll aprisheate this.
3-band graphic EQ with sliders, AM Stereo, CD/Cassette made by Infinety. took a lot for it to blend from stereo to mono on FM. AM  had better sound then a lot of radio's, and AM Stereo sounded nice.
the stock radio in the Lexis RX-360 does good on FM too.
but i love the ROZ radio. its great for blind people. you dont have to go into menus to control things. Its all right there.

[dxer2_2000]

You are all forgetting about the Blaupunkt "Digiceivers" w/ "Sharx" - selectivity feature similar to "Dynas" in the Onkyo T-4970 tuners. Any of these Blaupunkts are high quality FMDX car stereos. I'd say better than the Pioneer 3-D in the selectivity dept. The Blaupunkt's also have RDS, which Pioneer doesn't.

Also doesn't blend as aggressively as the Pioneers, letting through the stereo much more easily.

[rbrucecarter5]

> B - selective enough to get a threshold fringe signal on a first-adjacent to a strong local that would splatter all across the LW, MW & SW bands on a SiLabs DSP radio (with no antenna hooked up to that DSP radio),

I will say this about Delcos from the 70's - they used an IF frequency of 262 kHz - half that of conventional AM radios.  It made a huge difference in selectivity. 

Just as the narrow ceramic filter trick works for FM, it should also work for AM.  CCrane Radio EP's have a +/-2 kHz ceramic filter in their narrow AM bandwidth IF, and selectivity is sharp enough you can actually hear the "swoosh" as you tune across an AM station, like you do with very expensive communications receivers.  It might be possible to find the LTM455IW ceramic filter for sale somewhere - worst case is you would have to buy the 80 dollar radio and sacrifice the narrow bandwidth to get the ceramic filter.  But that would give you the selectivity if anything would.

Bad news is that even extreme selectivity may not give you enough help.  I have a similar problem here in Houston - the best oldies signal is KONO 860 San Antonio, which is right next to local KEYH 850.  KEYH is not a good neighbor.  They slop high frequency audio all over the first adjacents.  I can null them at home with the ferrite bar antenna in portables, but I cannot get rid of them in my car. 

As will all extreme reception situations, there are trade-offs.  You will trade audio bandwidth for selectivity. 

Knowing your reception scenario - I think your only option is to get Sirius XM satellite, they are on channel 79.  It costs each month, but the amount of money you will spend trying to get an over the air solution could end up being many times what you would spend simply getting satellite - which was my ultimate solution since their Houston outlet is so bad at night they cannot even be heard in my subdivision, and they are too weak for reliable HD decode - even with my large loop tricks.  I get WOAI to decode, but not KMIC!  Satellite solves my in car oldies problem as well.  I sure miss central Florida, where just about every FM frequency had a station, and you could always find a song you wanted somewhere.  In Houston, between just weird formats, foreign language babbling, every frequency another useless KSBJ translator or rim shot country - both AM and FM are black holes.  If I didn't have satellite, I'd have to stream or go without.  I don't know who programs these garbage stations locally, but they are seriously out of touch with the potential audience.  Just about everybody I know had given up on over the air stations as uses iPods, iPhones to stream, or satellite.