[Guyferd]

Hi
I am in the market for one good fm/am tuner. I think I've narrowed down to a few:
-Sony SRF-S84 (sold by fixup.net and highly recommended)
-Sony SRF-M95 owing to its digital tuning, as opposed to analog on the S84's

Those who've owned either of the above units, can you comment on your tuner?
Also, are there any other good ones? I think all I need is very good reception and sound quality . I won't mind paying extra if the digital ones can sound as good or better than the analog(but I heard generally analog tuners are better?

)

Thank you in advance

 

[D555]

In my opinion the Sonys can have great sound quality but are hampered by mediocre reception. The Sonys have poor ability to reject stong signals thus local stations can swamp the dial and appear all over interfering with other local stations.

All things considered, I consider the Sangean DT-210V the best pocket-sized radio today. To me it is the best combination of reception quality and sound and it does not need to be "modified" to get these results.

 

[fiddler]

I love my SRF-S84 which I modded myself (as per Xin's instructions). I found this and the KSC-35 to be an incredible combination. The bass was just deliciously fun. Unfortunately I forgot to bring it here, it's at home and I miss it.

 

[Guyferd]

Where can i find the mod instructions?
Is it this page? http://www.fixup.net/tips/srfs83/srfs83.htm

Thanks ..

maybe I will go S84's route and then have someone to mod it for me as I know nuts about soldering/electrical stuffs

 

[fiddler]

Yeah, that's the one.

I could do it for you, but I'm in the UK... Damn, I know I have a bunch of those caps left over from when I did mine, but I left those at home too... damn damn damn.

I wonder what would happen if you say... used Black Gates instead of the Panasonics Xin suggests? I would imagine BG caps would especially be beneficial for the signal coupling caps... I don't know if they would fit though. Actually they probably won't. I remember it's really quite tight in there...

 

[Guyferd]

Using BG for those portable radio does sound abit like an overkill

but if it sounds great.. y not

So the mod just involves changing the cap right?(some from 100 to 220 etc)
Hrm, I think I should be able to ask a friend for some help.

Oh yes btw, how's the s84 so far? reception wise/sound quality?

Thanks alot

 

[fiddler]

I haven't heard it in a long time (it's at home as I mentioned) but from what I remember reception was decent, even in the rural area where I lived, and the sound was the best I've ever heard FM radio sound.

The output caps, if you use BG, it would probably have to be 100 uF for it to fit... actually, the 100 uF 6.3V N series BG is the right width, but twice the height! So there's a good chance it won't fit. Probably overkill, as you said. I found a very very noticeable improvement with the Panasonics Xin suggests.

 

[Guyferd]

I am currently using my iRiver Slim-X for radio tuning purpose, and it sucks bad

..
The reception is barely passable.. and the sound is too 'digital' with so much background noise.
Hrm but that is when I'm on the train. When I was at home, the reception is pretty ok

Still, i tink I would go for the S84.. the reviews seem so favourable

 

[TMC]

If you don't need AM also consider SRF-S54. I think it's was is los that found it has a bit better reception than S84.

 

[D555]

The Sangean DT-210V is very, very nice radio. Nice large digital readout. Quality FM circuitry, good selectivity, the AM is excellent.

The Sangean has solid, balanced sound, has a bass boost that isn't ridiculous (if you like bass boost), the headphone out is quiet with no annoying hiss at low volume levels (or even at no volume). Highly recommended.

 

[Oddball]

My mom wants a nice little portable radio tuner but she doesn't have very good eyesight anymore. How big are the displays on those radios, especially the Sangean DT-210V? Can anyone give me approximations on the sizes?

 

[dead of night]

Quote:

Originally posted by D555 The Sangean DT-210V is very, very nice radio. Nice large digital readout. Quality FM circuitry, good selectivity, the AM is excellent. The Sangean has solid, balanced sound, has a bass boost that isn't ridiculous (if you like bass boost), the headphone out is quiet with no annoying hiss at low volume levels (or even at no volume). Highly recommended.

The C Crane catalogue rates the performance of the 210 as "slightly below" the 200. In your opinion, how does the 210 compare to the 200?

 

[Music Fanatic]

I like the S84 a lot for "mobile" use. But for portable (or "transportable") use, I prefer the Sony ICF-SW100, which has great selectivity, reception, and receives shortwave and longwave to boot.

 

[kvirat]

i now have Sangean DT-210V. i was pretty disappointed at the first time when i got it. the size is bigger than i thought. how big? i would say it is the same size as ipod mini. (it is bigger in term of pocket radio)

but when i turned it on, i was impressive with the rich sound. it is better than my old sony srf m80v, if u can get the good signal though. however, the reception does not much improve in my area. i quite agree with D555 that if u can't get a good reception, u can forget about good sound.
anyway, sound quality is still far from audiophile world..

 

[austonia]

this has been discussed before, but here's what I found...

iRiver iFP-39x MP3 player with built-in digital tuner had superior reception and clarity then a $90 Sony T615 pocket radio. the iRiver also records from radio to the buil-in flash memory.