2/15/2024

The 13 Best Internet Radio Stations of 2024

With the multitude of online radio stations that are available, picking your favorite should be easy. Below is my hand-picked list of the absolute best online radio stations for a variety of genres.

I reviewed dozens of these types of websites to uncover the best choices in a variety of categories, so you'll find country music, instrumental music, a station perfect for party music, and several others.

Each of these picks has music selected by one or more DJs, much like a traditional radio station. In fact, some are just online streams of the same radio program played over the air in that station's local area.

These websites are true radio programs, not on-demand music streaming services. While a streaming music service gives you the freedom to play specific tracks and eliminates commercials, you have to manually pick and choose which songs to stream. An internet radio station plays DJ-chosen music as part of a category or genre, like rock, indie, jazz, Christian, etc., making music discovery fun and easy.

DI.FM: Best Electronic Music Internet Radio

DI.FM electronic music radio channels

What We Like

  • Dozens of stations to choose from.

  • Skip one track per day.

  • Also available through their app.

What We Don't Like

  • Some streams are for premium users only.

  • Must make a free account after 30 minutes of listening.

  • Ads and lower quality audio for free users.

Now known as DI.FM, Digitally Imported launched in 1999 as an internet radio service that lets you stream electronic music 24/7. They have a team of curators that choose the best music from each genre or style.

In addition to browsing the most popular channels, here are several subcategories you can pick from: trance, EDM, dance, house, lounge, chillout, techno, bass, ambient, deep, classic, vocal, hard, and synth. The last time I streamed from here, I listened to the LoFi Lounge & Chill station; it was perfect as background noise.

You can follow any channel to add it to your list of favorites for easy access later.

If you're a paying user, you can change the audio quality, listen in external players through a playlist file, skip more tracks, and access premium-only stations. Free users can make an account to like and dislike tracks.

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What will happen to AM and FM broadcasts in the future? It's a tech question that needs to be answered.

AM radio has been around since the beginning of broadcasting. FM was invented in the 1930s and surpassed AM as the band of choice in the 1980s. Both bands have had an excellent run. But how much longer will we be using them?

I am NOT talking about the death of terrestrial radio. It will survive just fine. But the distribution channels will change.

Here in North America, we have AM, FM, satellite radio, streaming, and HD-Radio. Let’s go through them.

AM faces the biggest challenge, not only because of its inferior audio quality but because signals cannot penetrate the electromagnetic fields generated by electric vehicles. If you can’t be heard in the car, you’re dead. A new survey says that 73% of people listen to radio in the car. Some AM stations are moving to FM, but government regulations and dearth of open spots on the dial are big roadblocks.

FM continues to do well despite pressure from other audio options like smartphones and streaming. Its biggest disadvantage is that it’s not interactive, something that younger generations demand.

Satellite radio serves a listening niche, although there’s just one provider in North America. While it offers a huge variety of programming, it’s not free. That’s a big barrier to a lot of people.

Online audio streaming of radio continues to grow. That same survey says that 70% of Americans stream AM/FM radio and audio content weekly.

HD Radio (the brand name of In-Band On-Channel or iBOC) is based on tech developed in the 1990s. It has never taken off in a big way even though many, many markets have stations that broadcast in HD Radio. And if your car is less than seven years old, chances are it can receive HD Radio broadcasts, although most infotainment systems don’t make it easy.

Nothing stands still, how will radio be distributed in the future?

Things are evolving in other parts of the world. Norway, Switzerland, and a few other countries are in the process of shutting down the legacy bands (i.e. AM and FM) in favour of digital radio (DAB). That’s never going to happen here.

We in North America had a chance to get on board with DAB more than 20 years ago, but the US kiboshed the whole thing for a couple of reasons. First, the broadcast frequencies required by DAB were apparently too close to those used by the US military. Second, the US is just too big and no one wanted to spend the necessary money to build transmitters and repeaters. HD Radio was seen as a compromise, but no one seems to care.

And third, Canada actually adopted DAB more than two decades ago but ran into technical issues. At the time, though, VHF frequencies were being used for over-the-air analogue TV (not a problem anymore). The other issue was that because DAB used microwave frequencies around 1200 MHz, lots and lots of transmitters would be required to have extensive and smooth signals. Like the US, we’re just too big (although Australia and Russia seem to be interested in solving this problem.)

Okay, so where do we go from here? There are big predictions about the connectivity possible with 5G and 6G networks. That, however, requires a LOT of technical infrastructure upgrades. It’ll also take a long time for the majority of the population to transition from whatever type of network they’re using now. This will also require changes to infotainment systems in cars, something that won’t happen quickly.

Broadcasters will have to figure out how to adapt, too, but are very, very wary of moving too quickly in this direction. We in radio remember the early 2000s when we went all-in with online offerings. But by the time we were able to roll out the new platforms, the tech had moved on and we were stuck with an outdated and buggy online presence. Radio now tends to use off-the-shelf products (e.g. building websites on WordPress platforms instead of creating something from scratch). At this point, there are no off-the-shelf solutions for 5G and 6G connectivity.

We will move on eventually. But what will happen to that spectrum now occupied by AM and FM? Will they be repurposed? Unknown.

Old-school VHF radios once used by taxis and other fleet vehicles have pretty much disappeared in favour of apps on a smartphone. Is that the direction of AM and FM? Possibly. Will these frequencies eventually empty out? Could they be used for low-power very specialized micro-broadcasting? Maybe.

To be clear, “radio” is not going away. It will be with us forever. It just needs to be redefined away from sounds that come out of box that you tune to a specific frequency. “Radio” will become something that can be enjoyed digitally both in real time and on-demand. How we receive those broadcasts is still very much TBA.

To get a little more into the weeds, go here.

Source: https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/what-will-happen-to-am-and-fm-broadcasts-in-the-future-its-a-tech-question-that-needs-to-be-answered/








The Kenwood KT-815 Tuner- below








Inside the Kenwood KT-815 Tuner - below


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1/28/2024

Compact Disc: The Best Audio Medium in The World

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1/23/2024

XRCD / K2HD / SHM HD Discs by JVC


Extended Resolution Compact Disc (XRCD) is a mastering and manufacture process patented by JVC (Victor Company of Japan, Ltd) for producing Red Book compact discs. It was first introduced in 1995.

An XRCD is priced about twice as high as a regular full-priced CD. JVC attributes this to the higher cost of quality mastering and manufacturing.
 

Technical overview

The XRCD definition refers to the mastering and manufacture process; the resulting CD and the contained data conform to the redbook standard and are encoded at 16 bits, 44.1 kHz. Hence, XRCDs are playable on any compact disc player.

JVC uses advanced dither algorithms (though without noise shaping) in their K2 technology to transfer the analog or digital source to physical disc. The company claims to have studied how inferior CD-remastering techniques degrade the master tape sound and strives to minimize this loss.

Unlike HDCD, the extra four bits cannot be recovered, as this method of mastering only aims to improve dithering to 16-bit, rather than to store extra data.
 

Mastering process

If analog, the source material is first converted to digital via JVC's K2 20-bit or 24-bit analog-to-digital converter.

The musical information is next encoded on a magneto-optical disk for transport to JVC's Yokohama manufacturing plant, where jitter reduction is applied. The musical signal on the disk is down-converted to 16-bit through a K2 "super-coding" process. This 16-bit signal is eight-to-fourteen modulation-encoded (EFM-encoded) before going through a proprietary "Extended Pit Cut" DVD K2 laser technology to produce a glass master. JVC claims this optimizes the linear velocity of the glass master, giving precise pit lengths to eliminate time jitters, controlled by an extremely precise rubidium clock. All CDs are finally stamped directly from this glass master.

XRCD2 and XRCD24 are improved versions of the original XRCD process. XRCD2 is the first to record to a magneto-optical disk via the digital K2 regenerator, while XRCD24 upgrades the original music signal's bit depth signal from 20 to 24 bits. 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Resolution_Compact_Disc


K2 HD Mastering

K2 HD Mastering:
This is an epoch-making mastering technology which can pack the original attractive sound quality of master sources in each media with the information of quite wide frequency range up to 100kHz and high resolution of 24bit based upon K2 High Definition coding technology.
In case of CD mastering, it can realize very high sound quality CD which never existed before by packing the information of 192kHz and 24bit in CD master format of 44.1kHz and 16bit.


It depends on the master sources.

*In case of completed master sources such as "Analog Masters" with attractive original sound, it can keep all the information included in the master sources without any change.

*In case of Digital master sources (3/4U-matic, DAT etc.) in which the information or sound quality has already changed compared with the original masters, it can reproduce the sound quite close to the original.

*In case of master sources which need higher sound quality, it can be realized in an active and creative way.

"K2HD MASTERING" requires engineers to have enough skills in handling the equipments knowing well the special character of "K2 High Definition Coding", coping with the various situations such as the status of provided master formats, in judging the sound quality, and the best approach depending on the music genres and contents.

"K2HD MASTERING" can exist only by the engineers' manpower with high judgment for sound quality, and high skills which can match it best to the sound sources to be mastered.



The main purpose of "K2HD MASTERING" is to reproduce the charms packed in the original master sources as much as possible. It is especially effective for the reproduction of rich ambience and sound reality. Particularly it’s recommended for jazz and classical music full of sound reality played by acoustic instruments.


The direction of completed sound depends on the contents of masters but as a whole, it will be with a lot of analog taste full of depth which is soft as well as with high frequency range. Therefore, it's best for mastering of old master sources.


The process of K2HD MASTERING is the same as the one of normal mastering.


There's no special restriction for the format of original master sources or the completed format after mastering. The sound sources can be exchanged through Internet as well.
In case of CD manufacturing, as the master sound quality becomes much better by K2HD MASTERING, it will be possible to manufacture high quality CDs even if the process after mastering is the same as usual.

Of course, it's possible to play such CDs on normal CD players, which can show enough effect of K2HD MASTERING.


Epoch-making new mastering technology which can pack the original attractive sound quality of master sources brought out by mastering engineers' sensitivity and skill in each media with the information of quite wide range up to 100kHz and high resolution of 24bit based upon K2 High Definition coding technology.


The following points are necessary for K2HD MASTERING.
*Mastering engineers with high sensitivity for sounds and enough skill
*Attractive pieces of music
*Master sound sources with enough information

 


This CD is mastered with superior skill of mastering engineer and revolutionary "K2 High Definition Coding" technology. K2HD MASTERING enhances sound spectrum to a bandwidth of 100 KHz and 24-bit resolution, while retaining all the charm of the original recording. K2HD mastered CDs offer extended nuance, dynamics and musicality and are playable on any CD player.


K2 High Definition Coding:
New technology developed by JVC group (JVC & Victor Entertainment) which can pack the information of wide frequency range up to 100kHz and high resolution of 24bit into lower format. This is a part of "K2 technology" which is JVC's original technology for higher digital sound quality started in 1987.


In CD's case, it is possible to pack the information of 192kHz & 24bit into the format of 44.1kHz & 16bit.


K2 Technology:
In 1987, JVC and Victor Musical Industries started to cooperate with each other to improve the digital sound quality, and developed this "K2 technology" as JVC's original.
To begin with "K2 interface", innovative technology to cancel fundamentally the elements out of signals such as "jitter and ripple" added at the time of transmission of digital signals which affect much the sound quality, this technology has been active in various professional recording and mastering studios as essential technology to stabilize and improve the sound quality by removing various factors which might affect the sound quality in the process of data transmission or change of media.


JVC is proud of this technology including the newest "netK2" and "K2HD coding" toward all over the world which is evolving day by day.

Source: https://hificable.dk/k2-hd-mastering/

Below is a sample XRCD:





SHM CD Discs

Since its first release of 2007, SHM-CD format has gained much popularity and been highly-acclaimed by audiophiles around the world especially who put the importance on the quality of the sound the most. This page will show you all about SHM-CD format for further understanding on it. It would be great if this page helps your next adventure to the pursuing-the-high-fidelity-audio world.

About SHM-CD

SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) is a superior quality CD fully compatible with all CD players. SHM-CD utilizes a polycarbonate material originally developed for LCD screens, and the enhanced transparency of the SHM-CD results in more clarity, depth and definition of sound, bringing the listener ever closer to the music of the original master.
＊Results may vary depending on playback environment.

Features of the SHM-CD: Production

The injection molding system developed by JVC KENWOOD enhances the increased fluidity and greater transfer qualities of the polycarbonate, creating a new and improved disc in a compatible CD format.
  • The machine utilizes a precision master metal stamper also developed by JVC KENWOOD.
  • SHM-CD has it’s own production line, exclusively created for manufacturing SHM-CDs.

At JVC KENWOOD, we take pride in this meticulous production process, and prioritize quality over quantity.

Features of the SHM-CD: Quality


  • Every SHM-CD is made from a highly transparent polycarbonate originally designed for LCD screens.
  • Increased fluidity and greater transfer qualities of the polycarbonate allow for finer precision in pit formation.
  • Cleaner audio signals reduce jitter and the effects of birefringence.
Birefringence is the refraction of light in two slightly different directions to form two rays, scattering the radar and leading to poor reading. The superior transparency of this polycarbonate substrate (1.2mm thick) reduces the effects of birefringence resulting in a more accurate reading by the laser (780nm).

Features of the SHM-CD: Hardware


  • Conforms to the Red Book specification and definition of a Compact Disc Digital Audio.
  • Compatible with all CD players.
  • A CD with exceptional qualities across the board.
  • Superior manufacturing process extracts the highest possible sound quality.
 

Features of the SHM-CD: Sound Quality


  • Crystal clear sound.
  • Significantly higher resolution.
  • Excellent balance and stability.
  • Reduction in distortion, and improvement in bass range volume.


Source: https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/feature/shmcd_allabout


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1/09/2024

CDs: Forgotten, but still amazing

 

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1/08/2024

CDs Are Making A Comeback | Things You Should Know Before You Start Collecting

 

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12/21/2023

Budget SACD Player: Sony BDP-S6700 or BDP-BX57

The Sony BDP-S6700 is a moderately priced Blu Ray player that will play Blu Ray discs as well as SACD discs, as well as MP3 and FLAC files from the included USB port. This is a current model and also offers video streaming as a bonus. It will also upscale SD video to HD video. Seems to be a tremendous value for audiophiles.


Sony BDP-S6700 Blu Ray Player , Jeff Miller, by Crutchfield's Jeff Miller

Your home theatre system's jack of all trades

I've built a solid Blu-ray collection, so I'm glad to see Sony is still committed to making great disc players. The Sony BDP-S6700 won't play Ultra-HD 4K Blu-ray discs, but it will upconvert standard Blu-ray and DVD discs to near-4K quality for playback on your Ultra HD TV. And this versatile player also offers popular streaming video services and delivers serious picture detail to a 1080p screen.

If you're connecting to a home theatre audio system, the BDP-S6700 supports high-resolution movie sound formats, like Dolby® TrueHD and DTS® HD. It will play CDs, SACDs, and music files from a thumb drive. Plus, it offers a wide variety of streaming audio options.

Dual-band Wi-Fi means smooth video streaming...

Dual-band Wi-Fi gives you a strong, quick connection for streaming services like Netflix. And Sony's noise reduction technology improves the quality of your streamed videos. On top of that, Miracast™ technology lets you “mirror” what you see on your smartphone or tablet on your TV's big screen.

Sony BDP-S6700

Send sound from the Sony BDP-S6700 to a pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones (not included) for late night viewing.

...and music streaming, too

If you're a Spotify® Premium subscriber, Spotify Connect lets you play your albums and playlists through your connected speakers. Or you can download Sony's free SongPAL™ app for iOS® or Android™. It gives you wireless access to the music stored on your phone, Pandora® Internet radio, and even music stored on a DLNA-connected server.

Beam sound wirelessly to headphones via Bluetooth

The BDP-6700's built-in Bluetooth lets you send the sound of your movies, shows, and other media to a pair of Bluetooth headphones. This helps with late night binge-watching. You can catch all the dialogue and hear all the loud, exciting sound effects without waking everyone up.

Product highlights:

Plays 3D and standard Blu-ray discs, DVDs, SACDs, CDs and rewriteable CDs

4K video upscaling for use with Ultra HD TVs

Dual-band Wi-Fi for smooth wireless streaming

Streaming video and music apps for playing TV shows, movies, and music, including Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube™, and Pandora (subscriptions required for some services)

Bluetooth transmitter sends audio from player to Bluetooth-compatible headphones or speakers

LDAC Hi-Fidelity wireless music streaming to and from compatible sources

Miracast-compatible — screen-mirroring with Miracast-compatible smartphones and tablets

Quick Start/Load mode swiftly queues up a disc from the "off" position

Free downloadable Sony SongPAL app (available from iTunes Store and Google Play) helps connect the player to your wireless network and controls playback, and volume

Also gives you control over other compatible Sony speakers as part of a multi-room music system

Control the player and stream content from compatible smartphones and tablets with Sony's SideView app for Apple® and Android™ devices (requires both devices to be connected to the same wireless home network)

BD-Live and BonusView support for added bonus features with compatible discs (requires external USB storage device)

Remote control

Pays Region A Blu-ray discs and Region 1 DVDs

Technical Specs:

Selectable video resolution up to 1080p

Built-in audio decoding for Dolby® Digital, Dolby TrueHD, DTS®, and DTS-HD Master Audio

Plays AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, MP3, WMA, and WAV audio file formats

Sony BDP-S6700 file format support:
Media: Bluray Disc (ROM/R/RE) DVD (+/-R/RW/R-DL/8cm) SACD, CD (R/RW) USB (FAT32/NTFS), External HDD (read)

Video: MPEG-1 (mpg, mpeg, mkv), MPEG-2 (mpg, mpeg, m2ts, mts, mkv), MPEG-4/AVC (mkv, mp4, m4v, m2ts, mts, mov, 3gp, 3g2, 3pgg, 3gpp2)

Audio: LPCM (mka), MP3, AAC (.m4a, aac, mka), FLAC (.flac, .fla), wma, wav, ac3

Sound formats: LPCM, Dolby Digital True HD, DTS HD Master Audio, DTS Neo:6, AV Sync, DRC, DSD

Photo: JPEG (jpg, jpeg), gif, png, mpo (not DLNA)

Front-panel USB port to play music, movies, and images from external hard drives and thumb drives

HDMI output

Coaxial digital audio output

Ethernet port for Internet connectivity

10-1/16"W x 1-1/2"H x 8"D 














SONY BDP-BX57 Blu Ray Player

Another even lower-cost option is to get the older Sony BDP-BX57 Blu Ray player. It is readily available on eBay for around $50. It also has the traditional older RCA line output jacks. It will play Blu Ray discs at 1080p resolution, CDs, SACDs, and DVDs. It also has built-in Wi-Fi video streaming and offers USB input for MKV, MP4 video files and MP3 music files.
















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12/09/2023

Vintage Audio: Sony STR-DA2000ES Receiver playing PC audio

I got this older Sony  STR-DA2000ES receiver to complement my PC/Stereo music center. It can now play FLAC/MP3 files from my HP i7-4790 desktop using an 8 TB internal SATA drive, or stream Internet radio. The DAC in the  HP i7-4790 desktop is the Realtek ALC221 chipset. The ALC221 chipset supports 16/20/24-bit output at 44.1k/48k/96k/192kHz sample rates, which is in excess of CD quality 44.1khz audio.

The STR-DA2000ES will fill your room with rich, dynamic, incredibly precise 7.1-channel surround sound! This receiver's high-end Sony ES construction and circuitry includes an innovative Digital Drive amplifier that delivers a whopping 120 full-bandwidth-rated watts x 7 channels of home theater power. Combine that brawn with some serious brains — dual 32-bit processors equipped with Dolby® Digital EX, DTS-ES®, DTS 96/24, and Pro Logic® II decoding — and you've got a 360°, wraparound soundfield that plants you squarely in the middle of the movie action! You can even set the 'DA2000ES to automatically transform 5.1 and 6.1-channel Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks into thrilling 7.1 sound.

Dual-room/dual-source output lets you enjoy 7.1 surround in your main room while a housemate listens to a different stereo source in a second room (receiver, amplifier, or powered speakers required in second room). Wide-range frequency response and analog multichannel bass management let you make the most of high-resolution music sources like SACD and DVD-Audio. The learning/multibrand LCD remote gives you easy control of all A/V gear, and features macros that you can program to execute a series of system commands with a single button-press.

The 'DA2000ES offers loads of connectivity for system-building, too, including component video switching with 80MHz bandwidth for flawless HDTV transfer, 5 digital inputs, 5 A/V inputs, and more! It's also got two multichannel inputs, including a 7.1-channel input to keep you prepared for future formats. Front-panel A/V and optical digital inputs allow quick and easy hookup of camcorders, game systems, and portable audio players.

This receiver's beefy construction is ES all the way, featuring an ultra-sturdy frame-and-beam chassis, an anti-resonant aluminum front panel, and dual power supplies. This meticulous attention to every aspect of the 'DA2000ES's build allows it to deliver consistently excellent A/V performance every time you turn it on!

Product highlights:

  • 120 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.6% THD
  • Digital Drive amplifier
  • Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS Neo:6, and Pro Logic II
  • Sony Digital Cinema Sound modes
  • dual 32-bit processors
  • dual-room/dual-source audio capability (line-level stereo output with volume control for 2nd room)
  • digital and analog multichannel bass management
  • composite-to-S-video conversion
  • two multichannel analog inputs (one 7.1, one 5.1)
  • component video switching: 2 in, 1 out (80MHz bandwidth)
  • digital inputs: 4 optical (including 1 front-panel), 1 coaxial
  • optical digital output
  • 4 audio (including phono) and 5 A/V (including 4 S-video & 1 front-panel) inputs
  • learning/multibrand LCD remote with macros
  • on-screen display
  • Control S, for simplified operation of compatible Sony gear
  • 2 sets of main speaker outputs
  • 20 FM/10 AM presets
  • 16-15/16"W x 6-5/16"H x 16-1/8"D
  • warranty: 5 years

    Source: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-t0dAe6OjSI6/p_158STRDA2K/Sony-ES-STR-DA2000ES.html

 










 




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