For playing FM music mostly. Is C. Crane CC-EP radio my best option in price category?

[FrostyBunny]

NOTE
Topic Resolved
No further response needed. Thanks.

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Hi Everyone,

I presently need something to play music radio - mostly one FM station with a reasonably good signal all day every day. It will be mostly in one room of the house - but I may move it around sometimes. I'd like somewhat nice sound if possible not tinny. Volume will be modest most of the time while I'm working, but sometimes turned up without getting to headbanger volumes.

From what I have read, if I want a radio in the $50 to $90 range, then I should look at Sangean and C Crane. The CC-EP at about $85 is top of my list right now. It was noted as having much fuller sound than any other small radio out there. So that's where I'm leaning. (I admit I wish it had a digital display for the song data because my station rarely announces the song title and artist, but desire for good sound trumps that wish.)

However, I would like to know if there's anything else I should consider in the price category. Any thoughts?

Not sure if this is of any use but my 1990s-era Sony bookshelf stereo has speakers that work yet. The rest of the system is pretty bad - AM never worked, FM has trouble playing clearly without noise (even other cheap radios here get better FM reception than my Sony), CD player died, cassettes get eaten 70-percent of the time.) The speakers might be of use yet - but I don't know how to re-purpose them.

Your thoughts on what would be good would be most appreciated. Maybe the C. Crane CC-EP is the best for my budget - but I just want to be sure I'm not missing anything better.
Thank you!

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi Everyone,

I presently need something to play music radio - mostly one FM station with a reasonably good signal all day every day. It will be mostly in one room of the house - but I may move it around sometimes. I'd like somewhat nice sound if possible not tinny. Volume will be modest most of the time while I'm working, but sometimes turned up without getting to headbanger volumes.

From what I have read, if I want a radio in the $50 to $90 range, then I should look at Sangean and C Crane. The CC-EP at about $85 is top of my list right now. It was noted as having much fuller sound than any other small radio out there. So that's where I'm leaning. (I admit I wish it had a digital display for the song data because my station rarely announces the song title and artist, but desire for good sound trumps that wish.)

However, I would like to know if there's anything else I should consider in the price category. Any thoughts?

Not sure if this is of any use but my 1990s-era Sony bookshelf stereo has speakers that work yet. The rest of the system is pretty bad - AM never worked, FM has trouble playing clearly without noise (even other cheap radios here get better FM reception than my Sony), CD player died, cassettes get eaten 70-percent of the time.) The speakers might be of use yet - but I don't know how to re-purpose them.

Your thoughts on what would be good would be most appreciated. Maybe the C. Crane CC-EP is the best for my budget - but I just want to be sure I'm not missing anything better.
Thank you!

With the transition to LED light bulbs analog FM radio is now highly problematic. LED light bulbs emit massive RF interference right across the FM band, that makes FM listening useless unless you switch off the lights.

Does your station have an HD iBiquity signal in the analog mask. If it does then you need and HD capable radio. Listening in digital HD mode I have found solves the problem.

Does the station you want stream on the Internet. If it does then an Internet radio is a better bet.

Analog FM is now past its sell by date, as modern homes have multiple sources of RF noise and this is only going to get worse.

 

[FrostyBunny]

Thanks for your reply.

I need to search for an answer to one of your questions - the HD IBiquity signal - I'll find out tomorrow.

LED bulbs and fluorescents (especially fluor. bulbs) trigger migraines in me - so there are none in my home. (With fluorescents its the flicker rate - with LEDs I haven't figured it out yet - but I'm curious about your mention of massive RF interference. Thanks for that info that I can research.)

The station does stream over the net - but I don't care to have an internet radio for various reasons.

Thanks again. Will report on the signal tomorrow.

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for your reply.

I need to search for an answer to one of your questions - the HD IBiquity signal - I'll find out tomorrow.

LED bulbs and fluorescents (especially fluor. bulbs) trigger migraines in me - so there are none in my home. (With fluorescents its the flicker rate - with LEDs I haven't figured it out yet - but I'm curious about your mention of massive RF interference. Thanks for that info that I can research.)

The station does stream over the net - but I don't care to have an internet radio for various reasons.

Thanks again. Will report on the signal tomorrow.

Lets discuss the LED issue for a moment. First incandescent bulbs for the most part are now illegal to sell. CFL bulbs are a pain. They don't last as long as they say, and are a serious toxic waste disposal problem.

Not all LEDs are created equal, and a lot are poor. They flicker and cause the problems you site. Good ones do not, and are better then incandescent ones. I use high end TCP LEDs. One other tip, buy bulbs that can be dimmed, even if they will not go on dimmers as they have better more stable switching power supplies.

I'm curious to know what you have against Internet radios. I'm pretty sure terrestrial transmission is in its final phase. The final death knell will be climate change and the vast amount of power used by transmitters. We all have to at least think about how we will get on without program coming though the airwaves over long distances.

 

[FrostyBunny]

I've found my own answer. Thanks anyway.

For the record, I only replied to your LED issue and internet radio issue because I was being polite, but that wasn't the direction I wanted to take this conversation.