Radiosophy HD101 - The ultimate Radio Disney receiver

[Radioman100]

Oh, and lookee what I found on eBay. A stereo receiver with a fan in the back. Didn't have to look hard.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Technics-AM-FM-...oryZ3279QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[R.F. Burns]

Oh, and lookee what I found on eBay. A stereo receiver with a fan in the back. Didn't have to look hard.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Technics-AM-FM-...oryZ3279QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And of course it also had the optional dust colony. Looks like they got a good crop this year.

 

[hipporadio]

Oh, and lookee what I found on eBay. A stereo receiver with a fan in the back. Didn't have to look hard.

I’d hardly look at that rummage sale reject! OH BOY! ...You can “buy it now” for a whopping ONE-HUNDRED BUCKS [$76 if you endure five-hours of additional drama]... And it even has a built-in graphic EQ for its proud new owner to abuse.

What is this brilliant move by Technics? ...Creative cost-cutting? Do pancake fans from mainland China cost less than hefty heat sinks? It wouldn’t surprise me if they did, and therein presents the problem... What happens WHEN the cheapie fan finally dies, but the component in dire-need of heat relief lives on? SIMPLE ANSWER: That component WON’T be living-on for long... POOF! :'( Has Sony been taking lessons from the former Panasonic? We're talking about a $200-plus “luxury item”—I mean, “Beta Test” HD Radio. Shame on you Sony... Those Digital Pioneers deserve better!

But I digress...

...I own a hefty SONY ES-series A/V receiver with an internal power supply that satisfies the appetite of FIVE rather-large power amplifiers and NO SHORTAGE of DSP components... NO internal fans there!

...But I recall paying more than a hundred-bucks for it too ;D

 

[Mike Walker]

Lots of high-end components have fans!

 

[Radioman100]

Lots of high-end components have fans!

Lots of professional audio gear has fans too.

This really is a silly argument, but not a totally unexpected one from the anti-HD people. After all, if your 1935 Atwater Kent doesn't have a fan, why should your 2007 Sony?

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Back to the origional topic of this thread:

Radiosophy HD101 - The ultimate Radio Disney receiver

???

And the answer is emphatically ..... NO IT IS NOT!

The ultimate Radio Disney receiver would be portable and battery powered for kids who are almost always "on the go".

I searched for any kids complaints about Radio Disney AM's fidelity before the drastic (1/2) fidelity reduction and additional hiss added by the conversion to the very noisy HD radio adjacent channel saddlebags. Were there any?
If not, then HD radio does far more harm then good.
I doubt very many kids know or care anything about HD Radio, or that an HD Radio will be at the top of many kids Christmas lists.

HD Radio merely destroys fidelity (especially on AM), and then expects listeners to rush out and buy new digital HD replacement radios to get back the full fidelity that was lost on all their analog radios by the conversion of the stations to hissy HD Radio.

A great scheme for the HD cartel and it's promoters, but just a scam for the listeners and the general public.
The AM and FM bands are the public's airwaves and broadcasters are only limited licensed trustees, who are not doing the public any favors by implementing this destructive HD Radio fiasco.

 

[LinoNYC]

I searched for any kids complaints about Radio Disney AM's fidelity before the drastic (1/2) fidelity reduction and additional hiss added by the conversion to the very noisy HD radio adjacent channel saddlebags. Were there any?

Probably not...almost none of these stations have a measurable audience.

Ofcourse kids find AM's fidelity just fine, that's why Top-40 and CHR are still so popular on AM.

If not, then HD radio does far more harm then good.
I doubt very many kids know or care anything about HD Radio, or that an HD Radio will be at the top of many kids Christmas lists.

HD Radio merely destroys fidelity (especially on AM), and then expects listeners to rush out and buy new digital HD replacement radios to get back the full fidelity that was lost on all their analog radios by the conversion of the stations to hissy HD Radio.

A great scheme for the HD cartel and it's promoters, but just a scam for the listeners and the general public.
The AM and FM bands are the public's airwaves and broadcasters are only limited licensed trustees, who are not doing the public any favors by implementing this destructive HD Radio fiasco.

-Numbers 1,3, 7,13 and 11 from Ol' sup's files.

Lino

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Actually - I think the original subject line is probably appropriate. Take this system that is supposed offer fantastic fidelity, then cram the sound through tiny 3 1/2 inch speakers that have big magnets, too much power driving them, and maybe a tuned duct at 240 Hz, and slap a fancy label on it. Charge $200 or so and you have a trendy piece of junk. 3 1/2 inch speakers are NOT high fidelity, the radio will NOT put out any bass unless you like boomy 240 Hz stuff. NOT the platform I would use to showcase IBOC, for sure. But kids, who have probably never heard a quality audio system in their lives - it might sound impressive were it not for the fact that analog broadcasts will sound just as "good" through the crummy speakers. And the price - charge $50 for the thing instead of $200 and it might be worth the money. Because the fuel to truck it across country from the port of Los Angeles has gone up.

 

[Radioman100]

Back to the origional topic of this thread:

Radiosophy HD101 - The ultimate Radio Disney receiver

???

And the answer is emphatically ..... NO IT IS NOT!

The ultimate Radio Disney receiver would be portable and battery powered for kids who are almost always "on the go".

I searched for any kids complaints about Radio Disney AM's fidelity before the drastic (1/2) fidelity reduction and additional hiss added by the conversion to the very noisy HD radio adjacent channel saddlebags. Were there any?
If not, then HD radio does far more harm then good.
I doubt very many kids know or care anything about HD Radio, or that an HD Radio will be at the top of many kids Christmas lists.

HD Radio merely destroys fidelity (especially on AM), and then expects listeners to rush out and buy new digital HD replacement radios to get back the full fidelity that was lost on all their analog radios by the conversion of the stations to hissy HD Radio.

A great scheme for the HD cartel and it's promoters, but just a scam for the listeners and the general public.
The AM and FM bands are the public's airwaves and broadcasters are only limited licensed trustees, who are not doing the public any favors by implementing this destructive HD Radio fiasco.

HD Radio on AM has been part of Disney's plan for Radio Disney since day one. Long before HD was even available.

They never had the intention of pumping out 3 kHz audio on most radios long-term when they bought up a lot of relatively inexpensive AM signals. Deny it all you want, 95% or more of all AM radios made today have terrible fidelity and don't extend beyond 3 kHz, 4 kHz if you're really lucky.

As far as kids wanting it, Disney promotes HD on the Radio Disney website. Their street teams also promote it. After hearing the difference, it wouldn't surprise me if the kids (and parents that also have to listen to it) would like something better than 3 kHz audio.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

They never had the intention of pumping out 3 kHz audio on most radios long-term when they bought up a lot of relatively inexpensive AM signals. Deny it all you want, 95% or more of all AM radios made today have terrible fidelity and don't extend beyond 3 kHz, 4 kHz if you're really lucky.

I don't have to deny it. Some guy named Shredderman totally busted the low bandwidth on AM myth:

http://www.mindspring.com/~shreddermanrulz/myth1.htm

 

[Mike Walker]

Using an RF generator I picked up at a hamfest, I have run tests on many AM radios. MOST of the AMs I have can pass 7-8khz. It's at a reduced level sure, but clearly audible, even when "center-tuned" on analog radios. AMs CAN sound "bright and clean" with proper engineering, and the limiting of (analog) bandwidth to 5khz is just as troublesome to me (perhaps more so) than interference from HD sidebands. Ok, they both bother me. A LOT!

If I owned an AM station, I'd be trying to get my signal heard in clear, digital stereo by a variety of means, including the internet, and if possible a deal with an FM HD station to occupy one if it's multicast channels. I'd be FAR more reluctant at this point to convert an AM to HD itself. Too little bandwidth for quality analog AND digital. Something's gotta' give! Several things actually, including QUALITY for existing listeners, COVERAGE AREA for those trying to receive you digitally, and BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR...that's gotta' give too, because it just isn't compatible with spewing grunge into your neighbor's channels!

 

[Radioman100]

They never had the intention of pumping out 3 kHz audio on most radios long-term when they bought up a lot of relatively inexpensive AM signals. Deny it all you want, 95% or more of all AM radios made today have terrible fidelity and don't extend beyond 3 kHz, 4 kHz if you're really lucky.

I don't have to deny it. Some guy named Shredderman totally busted the low bandwidth on AM myth:

http://www.mindspring.com/~shreddermanrulz/myth1.htm

Oh yeah, he totally busted it, if you're talking about ultra cheap, analog tuned radios that pick up half the band when "tuned" to any frequency.

Let's see ol' Shredderman plug a spectrum analyzer into any digitally tuned mass market radio made in the last 10 years.

 

[Tom Wells]

No one in their right mind would listen to AM on a digitally tuned mass market radio from the past 10 years.
They're designed to sound bad everywhere. Even at the xmttr site, they sound bad. That is a very important factor.
At least old radios sound better and better the closer you get, and could be actually tuned with real reactive components.
The sound from varactor-diode tuning on AM is just one of several detrimental features considered acceptable.
Well, it's not acceptable, any more than e coli in milk.

 

[Radioman100]

No one in their right mind would listen to AM on a digitally tuned mass market radio from the past 10 years.
They're designed to sound bad everywhere. Even at the xmttr site, they sound bad. That is a very important factor.
At least old radios sound better and better the closer you get, and could be actually tuned with real reactive components.
The sound from varactor-diode tuning on AM is just one of several detrimental features considered acceptable.
Well, it's not acceptable, any more than e coli in milk.

If you asked 100 people on the street which was better, I'm confident at least 95 of them would tell you that digitally tuned radios are better.

That's the problem with the people in this forum. You do not in any way, shape or form represent average listeners.

 

[Mike Walker]

Digital tuning is (of course) about convenience, not quality. Now SOME digitally-tuned radios DO sound good. It's pretty narrowband, but the Grundig YB400 has VERY low distortion, and great bass extension (through headphones). With the caveat about hf bandwidth, the AM in the Eton E5 sounds quite nice, as does the AM in my 2006 Chevy Equinox (GREAT bass extension, if the AM station is up to it. And if they're still broadband, and using the right amount of pre-emphasis, it sounds quite "fm-like". I mean that in a GOOD WAY!)

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Oh yeah, he totally busted it, if you're talking about ultra cheap, analog tuned radios that pick up half the band when "tuned" to any frequency.

Let's see ol' Shredderman plug a spectrum analyzer into any digitally tuned mass market radio made in the last 10 years.

I don't know - he had a couple of higher end units on there.

How many digitally tuned portables have YOU seen for sale to the public? Or digitally tuned clock radios. I've got the feeling that digital tuning is still not cheap enough to make it to the mainstream.

One thing about Shredderman's page that should be disturbing to all radio enthusiasts - look at how many of them were, essentially, giveaways or combined with some other function. Radio and a lamp. Radio and a flashlight. I don't think hardly anybody buys a radio. They buy things that have radios in them. MP3 player and radio. Car radio with CD player and iPod jacks. Clock radio. FM tuner and TV computer board. Boom box with CD and radio. Is it only - DX'ers that buy radios that don't do anything else but receive radio stations?

 

[vsa]

That's the problem with the people in this [HD RADIO] forum. You do not in any way, shape or form represent average listeners.

I agree with you completely. HD radio boosters should never forget this.

 

[Len14043]

Digital tuning is (of course) about convenience, not quality. Now SOME digitally-tuned radios DO sound good. It's pretty narrowband, but the Grundig YB400 has VERY low distortion, and great bass extension (through headphones). With the caveat about hf bandwidth, the AM in the Eton E5 sounds quite nice, as does the AM in my 2006 Chevy Equinox (GREAT bass extension, if the AM station is up to it. And if they're still broadband, and using the right amount of pre-emphasis, it sounds quite "fm-like". I mean that in a GOOD WAY!)

I own a YB400 and both the AM and FM are superior to the CC Radio. Strong stations don't bleed over the entire band. I use the YB400 to receive out-of-market stations and play it through a full-range audio system. Its a great unit indeed. The only downside lies in its difficulty for non-radio person to operate. Its definately meant to be used by a radio enthusiest. On my Radiosophy 100, the FM is on par with the YB400 but the AM sucks. It would be nice to see how AM IBOC performs on a top-notch radio. Perhaps Mike could shed some light on the Accurian concerning AM.

 

[KB1OKL]

My wife asked me what I want for Christmas. I'm a radio-geek, so I usually want a radio. This year I actually can't decide between the Radiosophy for my bedside (I moved my Accurian to the living room, where it's connected to my "main" audio system), or a Kaito KA2100.

The Radiosophy would restore the ability to listen to HD in bed. The Kaito has GREAT analog am and fm reception, great FM stereo, a really nice, room filling sound, good shortwave (I STILL LISTEN, in fact I just bought the '08 edition of "Passport to World Band Radio), and is perfect "lap size". So the Radiosophy will being really good sound on what I listen to mostly...public radio, and classical music on WFDD's (Winston-Salem) HD2. The Kaito will receive EVERYTHING else, and is PORTABLE. If I didn't have any other lap-sized shortwave radios, the choice would be easy. But I do (A BUNCH of 'em...Grundig, Sangean, Eton, Sony, etc.) So I'm undecided. The BEST choice, of course, would be BOTH radios

I wonder what you'r going to do when the Shortwave bands are all full of IBUZ? Because it's starting already.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I wonder what you'r going to do when the Shortwave bands are all full of IBUZ? Because it's starting already.

Are you saying that AM IBOC hash is putting harmonics onto the shortwave bands? If so - YIKES! - that is going to raise quite a few international objections! Or are shortwave stations experimenting with the Ibiquity system. Given the 5 kHs shortwave channel allotments, IBOC would be even worse than it is in the United States!