"Audio Empire" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

[quoted text deleted -- deb]

>> you may be right, though I didn't notice an ROHS tag so it may or may not
>> have been lead free - but it wasn't the connection that failed, it was
>> the
>> circuit trace itself that separated from the pad - I suspected a
>> vibration
>> induced crack, but on further contemplation, I think it was due to the
>> heat
>> of soldering the connection - whatever it was, the stupid thing broke,
>> and I
>> had to fix it. (the good news is, that if anyone else on the NG has
>> one,
>> they can be on the lookout for this problem and the fix is now known)
>
> I'm sure that Sony, like everyone else on earth (seemingly) manufacturers
> in
> China and that your tuner, was doubtless, made there. While China CAN make
> some very good stuff, It depends upon the how diligent the client company
> is
> about quality. I've bought good and bad Chinese stuff, and it's really
> variable.

I checked - the case does say made in China.

And, in response to the reflow temperature - the failure was at the trace to
pad connection, and there holes were not plated through. So, as I said,
another downtick for "Sony = Quality"

so, guys, is there a modestly priced receiver that has the modern circuitry
of the little Sony unit but adds the following features:

1. it turns on automatically when power applied (so it comes on when I turn
on the stereo master switch)
2. when power is applied, it is on the band and station that it was on when
power was removed (not an issue with older units that had a mechanical
tuner)
3. controls and indicators are on the front, not on the top

On Thu, 7 Jan 2010 16:28:44 -0800, Bill Noble wrote
(in article <(E-Mail Removed)>):

> "Audio Empire" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> [quoted text deleted -- deb]
>
>>> you may be right, though I didn't notice an ROHS tag so it may or may not
>>> have been lead free - but it wasn't the connection that failed, it was
>>> the
>>> circuit trace itself that separated from the pad - I suspected a
>>> vibration
>>> induced crack, but on further contemplation, I think it was due to the
>>> heat
>>> of soldering the connection - whatever it was, the stupid thing broke,
>>> and I
>>> had to fix it. (the good news is, that if anyone else on the NG has
>>> one,
>>> they can be on the lookout for this problem and the fix is now known)
>>
>> I'm sure that Sony, like everyone else on earth (seemingly) manufacturers
>> in
>> China and that your tuner, was doubtless, made there. While China CAN make
>> some very good stuff, It depends upon the how diligent the client company
>> is
>> about quality. I've bought good and bad Chinese stuff, and it's really
>> variable.
>
> I checked - the case does say made in China.
>
> And, in response to the reflow temperature - the failure was at the trace to
> pad connection, and there holes were not plated through. So, as I said,
> another downtick for "Sony = Quality"
>
> so, guys, is there a modestly priced receiver that has the modern circuitry
> of the little Sony unit but adds the following features:
>
> 1. it turns on automatically when power applied (so it comes on when I turn
> on the stereo master switch)
> 2. when power is applied, it is on the band and station that it was on when
> power was removed (not an issue with older units that had a mechanical
> tuner)
> 3. controls and indicators are on the front, not on the top
>

But how does it sound? Is the digital FM good quality? Have you listened to
any digital AM (or does it even do that, I don't recall), and if so, what
does that sound like?

"Bill Noble" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Audio Empire" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>

>snip<

>
> so, guys, is there a modestly priced receiver that has the modern
> circuitry
> of the little Sony unit but adds the following features:
>
> 1. it turns on automatically when power applied (so it comes on when I
> turn
> on the stereo master switch)
> 2. when power is applied, it is on the band and station that it was on
> when
> power was removed (not an issue with older units that had a mechanical
> tuner)
> 3. controls and indicators are on the front, not on the top


Like a real tuner, you mean?

"Bill Noble" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)

> so, guys, is there a modestly priced receiver that has
> the modern circuitry of the little Sony unit but adds the
> following features:

> 1. it turns on automatically when power applied (so it
> comes on when I turn on the stereo master switch)
> 2. when power is applied, it is on the band and station
> that it was on when power was removed (not an issue with
> older units that had a mechanical tuner)
> 3. controls and indicators are on the front, not on the
> top

Have you checked out Sangean's line of FM radios?

I notice that for example their WFR-1 is a "digital radio" with line out
jacks, so it could easily be connected to a hifi system.

http://www.sangean.com/products/spec...d=6&pan=2&um=3

"Arny Krueger" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Bill Noble" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)
>
>> so, guys, is there a modestly priced receiver that has
>> the modern circuitry of the little Sony unit but adds the
>> following features:
>
>> 1. it turns on automatically when power applied (so it
>> comes on when I turn on the stereo master switch)
>> 2. when power is applied, it is on the band and station
>> that it was on when power was removed (not an issue with
>> older units that had a mechanical tuner)
>> 3. controls and indicators are on the front, not on the
>> top
>
> Have you checked out Sangean's line of FM radios?
>
> I notice that for example their WFR-1 is a "digital radio" with line out
> jacks, so it could easily be connected to a hifi system.
>
> http://www.sangean.com/products/spec...d=6&pan=2&um=3

that looks nice, but what I want, as another poster so nicely put it, is a
"real tuner" - actually, I have several "real tuners" but they are older
technology and this sony actually works better and decodes HD FM - it sounds
fine, it just annoys the **** out of me - and no, I haven't tried the AM -
here in the west coast wasteland there is nothing I've found worth listening
to on AM since KRLA terminated the credibility gap (ok, that's a test -
anyone remember the show? or Lohman and Barkley's show?)
>

"Bill Noble" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)
> "Arny Krueger" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> "Bill Noble" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)
>>
>>> so, guys, is there a modestly priced receiver that has
>>> the modern circuitry of the little Sony unit but adds
>>> the following features:
>>
>>> 1. it turns on automatically when power applied (so it
>>> comes on when I turn on the stereo master switch)
>>> 2. when power is applied, it is on the band and station
>>> that it was on when power was removed (not an issue with
>>> older units that had a mechanical tuner)
>>> 3. controls and indicators are on the front, not on the
>>> top
>>
>> Have you checked out Sangean's line of FM radios?
>>
>> I notice that for example their WFR-1 is a "digital
>> radio" with line out jacks, so it could easily be
>> connected to a hifi system.
>>
>> http://www.sangean.com/products/spec...d=6&pan=2&um=3
>
> that looks nice, but what I want, as another poster so
> nicely put it, is a "real tuner" - actually, I have
> several "real tuners" but they are older technology and
> this sony actually works better and decodes HD FM

I did a little research. The Sony radio is based on chips developed by
Philips and now sold by a spin-off of theirs.

So, the question becomes who is their competition in DSP-based baseband
radio processors, and what radios do they show up in?

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/06/prweb394596.htm

One competitor is TI, but I can't find any mention of on-the-shelf products
using them.

Another competitor is Frontier Silicon, who claims to have sold millions of
chips like these, but is mum about which radios use them.

Ths PR item for Frontier Digital mentions Samsung, but in the context of
cell phones, which are built using similar technology. Later on the same PR
item mentions Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Grundig, JVC, Philips, PURE Digital,
Roberts Radio, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and TEAC as customers.

Presumably, there is branded product from some of these sources that is not
yet another "real tuner", but rather uses virtual, DSP-based technology.

"Arny Krueger" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Bill Noble" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)

[quoted text deleted -- deb]

>> that looks nice, but what I want, as another poster so
>> nicely put it, is a "real tuner" - actually, I have
>> several "real tuners" but they are older technology and
>> this sony actually works better and decodes HD FM
>
> I did a little research. The Sony radio is based on chips developed by
> Philips and now sold by a spin-off of theirs.
>
> So, the question becomes who is their competition in DSP-based baseband
> radio processors, and what radios do they show up in?
>
> http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/06/prweb394596.htm
>
> One competitor is TI, but I can't find any mention of on-the-shelf
> products
> using them.
>
> Another competitor is Frontier Silicon, who claims to have sold millions
> of
> chips like these, but is mum about which radios use them.
>
> Ths PR item for Frontier Digital mentions Samsung, but in the context of
> cell phones, which are built using similar technology. Later on the same
> PR
> item mentions Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Grundig, JVC, Philips, PURE Digital,
> Roberts Radio, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and TEAC as customers.
>
> Presumably, there is branded product from some of these sources that is
> not
> yet another "real tuner", but rather uses virtual, DSP-based technology.

Interesting research - maybe this is a hopeless quest and I should just give
up - put the old tuner back and just ignore the lesser quality - sometimes
the best sounding thing is just so annoying that one can happily settle for
second best - kinda like my stereo itself - it sounds just great but is so
annoying to turn on that I rarely use it