Where I live in NC the FM band is full of stations. A few are better than others, but WSGE 91.7 at Gaston College has an excellent playlist and variety. WNCW 88.7 out of Spindale too.
I'm still using my Carver TX-11 tuner, connected to my TV antenna which is chimney mounted. Works well. Maybe not CD quality or even 320kbps mp3 quality, but definitely listenable and enjoyable for casual listening.
We also have a good classical station, 89.9 WDAV out of Davidson College that has some great programming.
FM might be getting long in the tooth, but it isn't dead yet.
And as others note, it is just easier to use than connecting your phone via Android Auto or even messing with music loaded on a flash drive, even though I do that from time to time, especially if I've downloaded something from Tidal to my phone.
FM Radio, anyone?
I was a kid in the 70s. I remember listening to Detroit Tiger baseball on WJR AM 760 on summer evenings - the voice was Ernie Harwell. And I remember listening to music on our local FM stations, and FM sounded so much better than AM (well, of course it did!).
I remember the glow of the dial on higher end FM tuners, or on receivers. We had a Pioneer that was nice. But a neighbor had a beautiful Marantz with the heavy horizontal tuning dial. Today I own a Model 19 and a 2215b.
So, today I also own a McIntosh MR87 and I plan to showcase it in a whole house audio rack, with a rooftop antenna for the best possible reception. I also have a Magnum Dynalab MD-108 and I’m not sure where to put it, but it sure is pretty!
Yeah, I know, the SQ is crap compared to just about anything else these days. And radio stations just aren’t as good as they used to be, or as I choose to remember them (the exception being WXRT in Chicago). But I cannot let go! Anyone else?
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- 55 posts total
- 55 posts total

