2. analog
  3. 147212-2319

Are analog, non-compressed, FM stations a thing of the past?

For many years I have enjoyed the best FM broadcasts I could receive.  Usually from stations playing great Jazz and classical music. 

I have been lucky from the start having, in their day, the best FM tuners from Yamaha and Sansui.  Over the last 10+ years my tuners of choice have been the best from Magnum Dynalab.   

My question/concern is if broadcasts worth listening to, sound wise, will still continue to be available?  I realize there are limitations on the audio signals modulated on FM as to the audio spectrum covered.  However it seems the days of quality FM broadcasts my continue to dwindle and a decent FM tuner/receiver may be all that the broadcasts justify?  When, living in Madison, Wi., I had a MD-108 and Etude and the two local public broadcast stations did have signals that a very good tuner could make the best of, including a wonderful Jazz program hosted by one of the best percussionists in the Madison area.   

Sorry, perhaps just an old guy lamenting the quest of generations past for....as some magazine called it...the absolute sound. 

Perhaps the best thing about great FM stations signals and music broadcast was the ability to hear some music that I might choose to own the LP/CD/SACD etc. 









whatjd

Showing 4 responses by n80

n80
2,100 posts
 
I can't answer your question but I'm interested in the answer as I enjoy good broadcast radio as well. 

Of course most folks are listening to 'radio' over the internet now.

If you do not mind I would also like to add a question regarding a good FM antenna. (If you do mind let me know and I'll delete). There is a lot of junk out there with ridiculous claims and appearance. I would appreciate any experience or expertise you or anyone else might have for maximizing signal quality.


n80
2,100 posts
 
We have a very good classical station out of Davidson University, WDAV. They don't seem to be affiliated with NPR but they do fundraisers twice a year. Almost no talk and very few ads other than various programs "brought to you by.....". The DJs are excellent and quite knowledgeable.

I'm about 30 miles away and the signal is good but sometimes falters. I need to get an outdoor antenna. Are FM antennas directional?

As mentioned by lowrider57, even near a large metropolitan area the rock radio scene is poor and tend towards classic rock with a short list of songs in the rotation and never anything new. There is one decent station but it is low signal and I can barely get it. An outdoor antenna might help with that as well.

My concern with new rock music is that most of it is already super compressed in production and then additional compression by the station can't help that already ugly situation.
n80
2,100 posts
 
@whatjd : It is a dedicated music streamer. In other words it receives music over the internet (Apple Music, and other services, etc) and plugs into your hi-fi system and also allows you to play music in other rooms wirelessly if you have the proper speakers to pair with it. It does this in 'cleaner' fashion than a typical PC/pad/cell phone. You can get a very wide variety of 'radio' stations broadcast over the internet.
n80
2,100 posts
 
You can do this with your computer or cell phone and get different levels of sound quality depending on how you configure things. If you have iTunes just go to 'Music' then  'Radio' in the menu bar and browse the many radio stations available.
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