Help finding a radio with no speakers for the kitchen

[apelike]

Just go to poundland and get a mini stereo FM radio that uses headphones and plug it in via a 3.5mm cable.

 

---------- Post added 14-02-2016 at 01:36 ----------

 

To be fair, that speaker is going to make anything cheap sound rubbish. Radio is bad enough as it is when it comes to the sound quality as it's all compressed, so that speaker will make everything on FM like it's being played through a baked bean tin unless it's a good quality radio.

 

FM radio is not compressed only DAB is and some of the stations have very poor bitrates, FM is far superior and almost CD quality.

Edited February 14, 2016 by apelike

[carboy42]

We use a Pure Move 2500 in the kitchen. It receives both Dab and FM, no external speakers, just plug some in -

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pure-Rechargeable-Personal-Digital-Radio/dp/B005J3PLXE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1455410350&sr=1-1&keywords=pure+move+2500

 

That looks just the sort of thing. I'll take a look at the specs while at work today

 

Thanks

[the_bloke]

FM radio is not compressed only DAB is and some of the stations have very poor bitrates, FM is far superior and almost CD quality.

 

You've not heard (excuse the pun) of dynamic range compression then. It's why Radio 1 sounds rubbish.

[Cyclone]

That's a technique for equalising the volume of sounds, so that there isn't a great range between the loud and the quiet sounds.

 

An entire article about it here

 

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/compression-is-killing-your-music/

 

No suggestion that radio broadcasts have additional DRC applied though.

Edited February 14, 2016 by Cyclone

[the_bloke]

That's a technique for equalising the volume of sounds, so that there isn't a great range between the loud and the quiet sounds.

 

An entire article about it here

 

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/compression-is-killing-your-music/

 

No suggestion that radio broadcasts have additional DRC applied though.

 

Confusingly there is Dynamic Range Compression (done at source) and Dynamic Range Control which is DAB only and can sometimes be controlled on your receiver.

 

Commercial radio and pop orientated radio such as Radio 1 are famous for using range compression to make it seem 'louder', so if you have speakers with a poor frequency range you can hear all the music but a better speaker will let you hear just how flat and narrow the music actually is.

 

Even Radio 3 on FM apparently.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radiolabs/2009/10/what_happens_to_the_proms_afte.shtml

Edited February 14, 2016 by the_bloke

[Cyclone]

There's probably a good reason for it. If you're listening in the car (where I'd guess a lot of radio listening happens), then the level of background noise is high and you don't want to keep fiddling with the volume when the quiet bit of the track is playing...

[Alky]

http://www.go-electrical.co.uk/pure-one-mi-series-ii-portable-dab-digital-radio-black.html?gclid=CIedvN-g98oCFdW4GwodzqUNqA

[Dardandec]

I've recently bought one of ""THESE"" It's ideal for when I'm pottering around the house.

[RootsBooster]

It would but then I'd have a stereo and the speaker and it's only a small space. I basically am after a radio that is the size of a Coke can that just outputs to a wire

 

What about a £5 Samsung 'dumb' phone (ie, not a smartphone). They're tiny and battery lasts for ages.

Edited February 14, 2016 by RootsBooster

[apelike]

You've not heard (excuse the pun) of dynamic range compression then. It's why Radio 1 sounds rubbish.

 

Most of the CD's released, especially dance music has that sort of compression called normalisation anyway and is totall different to digital bitrate compression that DAB uses. As said before FM is near CD quality but DAB transmissions can vary quite a lot even with popular stations, down to around mp2 @ 64kbps. If I want to listen to decent quality mp3's then I would have as a minimum 128kbps but most of mine are at 320kbps. If its radio listening then its FM all the way.