Which SHORTWAVE RADIO should I buy that is best for listening to worldwide music?

Question

I can spend up to $300 for a good SW radio, Not interested in smaller, ultra portable or mini types. Want to primarily listen to foreign MUSIC from all around the globe---followed by talk shows, other programming and news---from where I live in Los Angeles. I want largest possible speaker for best possible QUALITY OF musical SOUND.

I'm leaning towards Grundig as I want superior design and crafsmanship, ruggedgness, dependability and quality. This seems to mean one of the following Grundig Models: the S350DL, E5/G5---and the G4 due out in March.

I want my radio to really reach WAY out there, lock on and stay locked on, and with as little noise and interference as possible. I'm willing to trade digital PLL capability of the E5/G5 and the G4 for the big speaker quality sound of the (analog) S350DL---as their comparative filters and RF gain controls plus added external antennas should render them somewhat equal. Also want to be able to use quality headphones or external speakers

Answer 1

Quality in shortwave...you're kidding right?  Most shortwave stations can't possibly sound good for several reasons.  The modulation type they use, AM, is prone to interference.  The amount of width they broadcast with is far less, sometimes less than half of the audible spectrum that getting high quality is not only impossible, but impractical.  That is unless the station decides to be bandwidth hogs. :-)  Thirdly, shortwave propragation varys with wavelength and with the time of day.  You can listen to an international station one minute and loose it the next.

As mentioned before, you will never "lock" on to a signal if it doesn't get there easily.  Sure RF gain and a good antenna set-up is nice and will surely help.  However this will not always be your friend.  If you already have interference locally, using the gain will just increase the interference and signal equally.  Since you're a city dweller, you're more prone to receiving interference.  With interference being a little more broad in some cases, filters will not help either.  Sure, if you are receiving a station is it's near another one, you can narrow your receive and pick off the adjacent channel interference better.  The sound quality will probably suffer though.  You need to make sure that interfering appliences are off.  If you are receiving loud annoying interference, turn off some lights or devices until the interference goes away.  Touch lamps are horrible for giving off noise.

Grundig does make some great receivers.  I was pleased with the one I have for a number of years.  Even with the 5" speaker it sounded as good as narrow band AM could.  It had separate bass and treble controls.  They thought of it when they put the treble center frequency at 6kc instead of 10kc like typical hi-fi receivers for home systems and some car radios do.  Those smaller receivers are really not acceptable for serious listeners...I will agree with you on that.  They tend to sound lousy and they usually skip frequencies in between bands so they can put the TV band on there.

Answer 2

Grundig,but I reccomend XM satalite radio,lots of international music and high quality.

I put songs on my mp3 from XM

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Answer 3

Hi,

I think you don't know so very much about SW ? I agree with "Walker_in_TX" about his commend  95 % of all the Short Waves Station are talking and have almost no music or very less

Take a look to all these websides

http://www.dxing.com/swrx.htm

http://www.ac6v.com/swl.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortwave

http://www.dxzone.com/

Remote Hams

http://www.remotehams.com/online.html

On the last webside  it is possbile to listen en tune in to real SW radio Radio Hams put receiver's on line for members free or others are only abble when you log in as a member

I'm a SWL for more than 25 years and i have a Icon IC - R 70

with a SW home made Dipool for 6.5 mhz 10 mtr high and a 57 mtr L - Wire for the AM band about 2.5 mtr up all this dos do a good job

On AM i have a lot of noise from my PC cable modem i have to turn it off when i tune in to a AM Bans Station to have a clear singal with out QRM

I think the best ting you can do is bey a FM tunner if you would like to have music with a great sound , you don't find good 100 % sounds on SW no way

ps I'm not a Radio Ham but a big radio freak & offshore radio  for more than 35 years

Answer 4

Some of the Grundig radios are good portables , none of them equal the performance that you get from real communications receivers.

Most Grundigs are actually made in China now days , NOT Germany.

$300 wont buy you a new communications receiver though , so if you want the best you will be forced to buy second hand or pay a lot more.

Now days with so much static noise around , serious listeners will be forced into quality radios and superior antennas.

The days of throwing a short wire out the window as an antenna are gone.

For more shortwave info ,, look at my site.

http://www.swdxer.co.nr