chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 i was listening to my boris rose ALTO records lp of Bud Powell trio, WJZ broadcast 1953 it sounds so clear n stuff, it doesnt sound like AM- was AM like better fidelity back n the day n stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazztrain Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 i was listening to my boris rose ALTO records lp of Bud Powell trio, WJZ broadcast 1953 it sounds so clear n stuff, it doesnt sound like AM- was AM like better fidelity back n the day n stuff? Perhaps it sounded better back then because there was less talk. AM radio turned into "talk radio" years ago and largely left music behind. My recollection is that the radio industry made a big deal about the superior sound quality that was possible with FM radio. Also remember that most of AM radio is in mono. On the other hand, my understanding is that many FM stations use an unnatural amount of compression to make their signals sound louder or "punchier" than they would otherwise. This comes at the expense of a more natural sound that would normally be possible and introduces some distortion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 AM sound quality is very much dependent on proximity, signal strength, & lack of interference. It doesn't have to sound crappy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kh1958 Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 It never sounded better in my day, but perhaps Boris Rose had a serious antennae that minimized the interference and distortion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 The airwaves are clearer at night, so intereference is less. Plus, if he was recording off a station that had a transmitter right there in the city, the signal would be quite good. When I was a kid, night time meant AM radio sleuthing. I used to listen regularly to WLS out of Chicago, KMOX out of St. Louis, WNOE out of New Orleans, KOA out of Denver, some stations out of Des Moines & Memphis, etc. etc. etc. Signals were strong when they weren't drifting (I think the amplitude modualtion meant that they'd be there for an hour or two, drift away, and then come back, but that's just speculation), and basically, if you were a "full powered" station for 24 hours and were anywhere in the South or Midwest, I could pick you up for at least a little while in East Texas. Anyways, in the late 60s, when AM radio was the voice of American Popular Music (and playlists were aything but standardized), all this regional access was a godsend for a kid like me who wanted more than the local dawn-to-dusk stations could offer. It was really cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 I for one will mourn the loss of that erie sound of a distant AM station late at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrdlu Posted March 25, 2007 Report Share Posted March 25, 2007 It was great when that's all there was. We were very happy with it, including music broadcasts. At night, you could pick up stations from up to 400 miles away, still sounding reasonable. Radio was still pretty big back then. For various reasons, when FM started to take off, I didn't listen to radio stations much anymore, and I still don't. (One reason is my large collection of sounds at home.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alocispepraluger102 Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 (edited) It was great when that's all there was. We were very happy with it, including music broadcasts. At night, you could pick up stations from up to 400 miles away, still sounding reasonable. Radio was still pretty big back then. For various reasons, when FM started to take off, I didn't listen to radio stations much anymore, and I still don't. (One reason is my large collection of sounds at home.) some of the greatest music listening at night came many years ago from wcfl in chicago where sid mccoy(the soul train voice), later with yvonne daniels(wife of eddie)hosted an all-night jazz show, sponsored by budweiser, king of beers, and the sound boomed night after night. i would love to have some of those tapes, but i fear they are just memories grower ever more faint in my rear view mirror. Edited March 26, 2007 by alocispepraluger102 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 My dad always spoke with fondness of finding a station out of Memphis late at night when he was a kid that played "race records". It opened up his ears, that's for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold_Z Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 On the other hand, my understanding is that many FM stations use an unnatural amount of compression to make their signals sound louder or "punchier" than they would otherwise. This comes at the expense of a more natural sound that would normally be possible and introduces some distortion. Yeah...the compression has really made some stations unlistenable for me. Not all stations use it but it seems to be the way pop, oldies and rock fm has gone. Sucks. It does seem to me that AM did sound better back in the day. Not sure if I'm right, but I think I have a pretty good memory for things like that. No question FM sounded better (sans all this compression bullshit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spontooneous Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Well, it sounded better when I was four years old and the car radio had tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 AM sucked....yeah, that's why we turned to FM and 8 tracks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted March 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 AM car radios had tubes??!?!?!??! really?!?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Uh... yeah. Solid state didn't really come on the scene until the late 1950s and cars had radios before then, so what else would they use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 Yeah. . . it was really the early sixties when transistors started to come into play in mass market devices. I had a friend in Ohio who took old tube car radioes out of the junk yard and ran them in his barn loft party place on batteries and with compound speakers and they sounded good. (Of course our psyches were so bent. . .) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen archer Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 AM sounded great coming out of a transistor radio about the size of you palm while sitting on a beach in Hyannis in the hot sun with sand stuck to your leg's and kid's walking by kicking more sand on your back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 I'll glady take a ballsy, punchy mono mix of a 60s rock/pop tune on an AM radio over a wimpy stereo mix of the same song broadcast over FM or satelite. Of course, I'd rather hear said mono mix over something better than an AM radio... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alocispepraluger102 Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 this new hi definition radio is ruining am dxing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homer9600 Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 A few things have happened with AM. This is a non-technical explanation from a non-technical person so if I am a bit off in the explanation please be kind. Most AM receivers no longer are analog, they use "Phase Lock Loop" tuning which is why the old-style tuning knob dissappeared from car and portable radios. You can only tune a station dead-on or some have the ability to tune in 1mhz or 5 mhz intervals. The analog AM signal in-effect is digitally processed and can sound a bit compressed. If you have a GE Superadio (the last analog radio made) or an old radio (I have a couple of Zenith Transoceanics) the stations still using analog transmitters sound pretty good. Some network programming and local station links to their transmitters is delivered on T1 or broadband lines in packets like web streaming (it's cheaper than phone lines) and you can hear the comprssions problems - I believe the same thing can happen when program is delivered digitally by Satellite. Some porgrams/stations sound like Real-Audio streams. And the swith to IBOC - digital HD AM - it seems to degrade the quality of the signal when you listen on regular radio. It's a digital world now. My cable company just switched over completely to digital boxes meaning everything is coverted so I can see it on my analog TV. All the stations now have digital artifacts like on You Tube or Real-Video - it would be crystal clear if I had a digital TV and that is what will happen in 2009 when analog TV goes away and those of us who don't have HD TV's will be watching using converters. Please correct if any of this is in error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alocispepraluger102 Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 (edited) A few things have happened with AM. This is a non-technical explanation from a non-technical person so if I am a bit off in the explanation please be kind. Most AM receivers no longer are analog, they use "Phase Lock Loop" tuning which is why the old-style tuning knob dissappeared from car and portable radios. You can only tune a station dead-on or some have the ability to tune in 1mhz or 5 mhz intervals. The analog AM signal in-effect is digitally processed and can sound a bit compressed. If you have a GE Superadio (the last analog radio made) or an old radio (I have a couple of Zenith Transoceanics) the stations still using analog transmitters sound pretty good. Some network programming and local station links to their transmitters is delivered on T1 or broadband lines in packets like web streaming (it's cheaper than phone lines) and you can hear the comprssions problems - I believe the same thing can happen when program is delivered digitally by Satellite. Some porgrams/stations sound like Real-Audio streams. And the swith to IBOC - digital HD AM - it seems to degrade the quality of the signal when you listen on regular radio. It's a digital world now. My cable company just switched over completely to digital boxes meaning everything is coverted so I can see it on my analog TV. All the stations now have digital artifacts like on You Tube or Real-Video - it would be crystal clear if I had a digital TV and that is what will happen in 2009 when analog TV goes away and those of us who don't have HD TV's will be watching using converters. Please correct if any of this is in error. i use my superradio daily with a booster called a select-a-tenna Edited March 27, 2007 by alocispepraluger102 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 A few things have happened with AM. This is a non-technical explanation from a non-technical person so if I am a bit off in the explanation please be kind. Most AM receivers no longer are analog, they use "Phase Lock Loop" tuning which is why the old-style tuning knob dissappeared from car and portable radios. You can only tune a station dead-on or some have the ability to tune in 1mhz or 5 mhz intervals. The analog AM signal in-effect is digitally processed and can sound a bit compressed. If you have a GE Superadio (the last analog radio made) or an old radio (I have a couple of Zenith Transoceanics) the stations still using analog transmitters sound pretty good. Some network programming and local station links to their transmitters is delivered on T1 or broadband lines in packets like web streaming (it's cheaper than phone lines) and you can hear the comprssions problems - I believe the same thing can happen when program is delivered digitally by Satellite. Some porgrams/stations sound like Real-Audio streams. And the swith to IBOC - digital HD AM - it seems to degrade the quality of the signal when you listen on regular radio. It's a digital world now. My cable company just switched over completely to digital boxes meaning everything is coverted so I can see it on my analog TV. All the stations now have digital artifacts like on You Tube or Real-Video - it would be crystal clear if I had a digital TV and that is what will happen in 2009 when analog TV goes away and those of us who don't have HD TV's will be watching using converters. Please correct if any of this is in error. Makes sense to me. My buddy just got a new 42" plasma and while the HD channels look incredible, the non-HD ones (which are many) look terrible. Digital compression artifacts galore and a real fuzzy picture. My wife and I have one TV: We got it free from her uncle and its a RCA 27" from 1983. I don't plan on "updating" any time soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 ...Most AM receivers no longer are analog, they use "Phase Lock Loop" tuning which is why the old-style tuning knob dissappeared from car and portable radios. You can only tune a station dead-on or some have the ability to tune in 1mhz or 5 mhz intervals.... So does this mean you can't get the theremin AM tuning effect anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 actually I think we hit on the difference of older AM sound - tubes, which really do warm up the sound of whatever they're in - just compare a tube pre-amp for a turntable to a solid state - the difference is dramatic - as it is with solid state and tube guitar amps - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homer9600 Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 (edited) ...Most AM receivers no longer are analog, they use "Phase Lock Loop" tuning which is why the old-style tuning knob dissappeared from car and portable radios. You can only tune a station dead-on or some have the ability to tune in 1mhz or 5 mhz intervals.... So does this mean you can't get the theremin AM tuning effect anymore? I haven't heard the theremin affect on AM in a long time. Not with a radio that uses digital tuning. You also tend to get "digital hash" noise that sounds like TV snow on weaker stations or if you downtune one or more mhz. The great grey old lady of radio stations WOR in NYC recently went to IBOC HD digital. On my car radio it sounds like Real Player on a 56.6 connection - everything sounds gravely like the announcers need to clear their throats. It probably sounds great with an HD receiver. Tube receivers could sound great but I remember there always was a lot of signal drift afterawhile - meaning you had to re-tune the station occasionally. I had an tube Fisher AM/FM receiver from the early sixties once. With a good antenna and grounding AM sounded spectacular (within its limited frequency range). I believe older radio station transmitters drifted as well, but someone can correct me if that is wrong. The best portable I evere owned was a Zenith Transoceanic H-600 portable tube receiver with AM and shortwave. Worked perfectly thirty years from when it was manufactured and the sound on AM and even on shortwave. Outstanding sound even on powerful clear channel/high powered AM's from distant states. Sorry to go on too much but this subject hasn't come-up in quite a while. I turned on my transister Transoceanic Royal 1000 for the first time in months. Sounds pretty darn good. Edited March 28, 2007 by homer9600 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 I agree with most of the above. Something not mentioned (unless I spaced on it) was the end of "clear channel" station designations. They cut up the bandwidth and things went downhill. I have two of the GE "super radios" and treasure them. Tubes were only a small part of the equation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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