I Don't Own A Radio - Any Suggestions

[Bribie G]

Since the old black ghetto blaster died I've ended up without a radio, mostly listen in the car or I download podcasts and listen on the train. I wouldn't mind a radio especially for ABC Classical music etc. However what I do have is a spare Sharp brand 5.1 system with a subwoofer and 5 satellites and I'm wondering if there's anyone on the forum can tell me:

Do any of the cheapy radio / cd player combos you can buy at Target etc have 5.1 connection capabilities? I'm not interested in high priced tech geek sound systems, just something I can stick in the corner of the lounge room for occasional use, switch on to listen to a concert in stereo on ABC, or grab the news on local radio, or play a CD and 'value add' the sound experience using the existing 5.1 which might as well do something useful for its living.

Currently I just use the DVD player and the tv to listen to a CD, seems overkill especially the amount of power the big LCD chews up. And yes I know the subwoofer unit does have an FM tuner but it's so ridiculously complex to access it on my model I'd rather go for a plug in radio cd set.

I'd post on DTV forum but that's like an airlock kitten post over there and I'd get mercilessly talked down to. (they aren't such a nice mob as here, they should get some home brew into them :icon_cheers: ) and I know we have some very knowledgeable tekkies on AHB.

Edit: I guess the thing to look out for on a radio would be those red / white rca cable sockets maybe?

 

[Pollux]

Thanks to the fact that the iPod has taken over the portable music industry you can now find leads with either a L/R RCA combo at one end and a 3.5mm headphone jack at the other, or there may even be some with 5.1 RCAs at one end and 3.5mm jack at the other.

Buy one of those little handheld radios you see old blokes walking around listening to the races on and you are home.

 

[peas_and_corn]

Since the old black ghetto blaster died I've ended up without a radio, mostly listen in the car or I download podcasts and listen on the train. I wouldn't mind a radio especially for ABC Classical music etc. However what I do have is a spare Sharp brand 5.1 system with a subwoofer and 5 satellites and I'm wondering if there's anyone on the forum can tell me:

Do any of the cheapy radio / cd player combos you can buy at Target etc have 5.1 connection capabilities? I'm not interested in high priced tech geek sound systems, just something I can stick in the corner of the lounge room for occasional use, switch on to listen to a concert in stereo on ABC, or grab the news on local radio, or play a CD and 'value add' the sound experience using the existing 5.1 which might as well do something useful for its living.

No, at best you'll have stereo. However, radio only transmits in stereo anyway (AM is mono). CDs are stereo, not 5.1, and any systems that pretend to give you 5.1 from a CD is only giving you a quasi-extrapolated 5.1 sound. This was teh reason why some audiophiles were getting excited about audio-DVDs (which never eventuated) because they can hold a 5.1 track.

Currently I just use the DVD player and the tv to listen to a CD, seems overkill especially the amount of power the big LCD chews up. And yes I know the subwoofer unit does have an FM tuner but it's so ridiculously complex to access it on my model I'd rather go for a plug in radio cd set.

I'd post on DTV forum but that's like an airlock kitten post over there and I'd get mercilessly talked down to. (they aren't such a nice mob as here, they should get some home brew into them :icon_cheers: ) and I know we have some very knowledgeable tekkies on AHB.

Edit: I guess the thing to look out for on a radio would be those red / white rca cable sockets maybe?

Are you going for an all-in-one setup (like the ghetto blaster that died)? If so then everything you will need will be in it- CD player, tuner, etc. However, they all pretty much come with the RCA sockets and they are handy for plugging in external devices- it's how I plug my iPod into my stereo.

Hope that helps!

 

[jayse]

Theres not much point in 5.1 for stereo music unless its a concert dvd recorded in surround were you might get some crowd noise in the rear and maybe even some natural reverb/delay from the back of the theatre or possibly even parts of the music sent/recorded in the rear channels.
You could just plug your dvd player straight into it for playing CDs' or listen to dig radio by plugging a set top box into it, some cheap stereos have surround sound features but really its stupid unless what your listening to was recorded in surround sound to start with, anything from radio or cd is just stereo

So yeah all you need is those red and white rca cables.

 

[Sully]

I think you will find most of the bookshelf systems -IF they have an output - only have output for 2.1 sound due to a small amplifier.

Have a look at an actual amplifier, pick them up at a reasonable price these days (WOW have one for $129 in latest catalogue), not going to give you fantastic cinema quality but it will give you 5.1, plug the tv and dvd into it as well and has a radio tuner built in.

Just an option, and correct me if Im wrong about the bookshelf system.

:icon_cheers:

 

[Renegade]

No, at best you'll have stereo. However, radio only transmits in stereo anyway (AM is mono). CDs are stereo, not 5.1, and any systems that pretend to give you 5.1 from a CD is only giving you a quasi-extrapolated 5.1 sound. This was teh reason why some audiophiles were getting excited about audio-DVDs (which never eventuated) because they can hold a 5.1 track.

I thought there were 5.1 remixed albums that hit the market a few years ago - saw them in Redeye Records, Sydney. My understanding is that they sourced the master recordings and reengineered them for 5.1 .

But yea, Bribie, doesnt matter for radio.

 

[peas_and_corn]

CD cannot hold a 'true' 5.1 signal. I would imagine that these CDs would be a 5.1 signal collapsed to a 2.0 signal that *can* be reinterpreted into 5.1, but it's not entirely foolproof or perfect.

 

[peas_and_corn]

OK, I'll clarify in that normal CDs cannot hold 5.1. DTS-CD can- so perhaps they used those. However, with that said, 99.9% of CDs would be the traditional, stereo format.

 

[bum]

He might be talking about DVD-Audio, P&C.

Bribie, a digial radio tuner (DAB+) may one day let you use your 5.1 for radio but right now it is a waste of time.

 

[white.grant]

He might be talking about DVD-Audio, P&C.

Bribie, a digial radio tuner (DAB+) may one day let you use your 5.1 for radio but right now it is a waste of time.

I was listening to the ABC this morning and they hasd an ad that said digital broadcasting was going to be available from 1 July - see here http://www.abc.net.au/radio/digital/

cheers

Grant

 

[bum]

Other stations are already broadcasting too, it's just none (or at least extremely little) of the source music played is 5.1 - hence it being a waste of time just now.

 

[peas_and_corn]

I was listening to the ABC this morning and they hasd an ad that said digital broadcasting was going to be available from 1 July - see here http://www.abc.net.au/radio/digital/

cheers

Grant

It will still most likely be a mono signal (ABC radio is AM everywhere, right??). Besides, the music will be from CDs (and thus only stereo), and all the voice stuff will be mono.

 

[bum]

It will still most likely be a mono signal

I would be very surprised if there were any mono DAB+ stations.

(ABC radio is AM everywhere, right??).

Nah. ABC have FM stations.

Besides, the music will be from CDs (and thus only stereo), and all the voice stuff will be mono.

A broadcast signal is either stereo or mono (or possibly soon 5.1, etc) it doesn't change back and forth - regardless of the sound source.

 

[peas_and_corn]

True, but the voice will still have a mono source, it will just be broadcast in stereo- the left and right signals would be identical.

 

[bum]

Well, that's how the theory goes but if you reverse the phase of one channel the sound doesn't disappear so it isn't actually mono. Plus the fact there is another channel to phase automatically proves it isn't mono to begin with. But this is a bit of a tangent I've led us down...