Another item joins the music system, and this time it is a good old-fashioned FM/AM tuner. The model is a Denon TU260L, and dates back to 1993. Originally selling for £120, the tuner can still sell on eBay for £30-45. I bought mine for £12. Cannot be beat. Near immaculate in condition, and working as you would expect - given that there is little to go wrong with a radio tuner.
Unlike London, analogue radio isn't exactly plentiful here in Northamptonshire. On the FM band we have BBC Radios 1 to 4, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Classic FM and Heart FM. That totals all of seven! On medium wave (or AM as our American compadres will call it) there is BBC 5 Live, talkSPORT, Smooth Radio and BBC Asian Network. Long wave gives us BBC Radio 4, and whatever now broadcasts on 252KHz - formerly the home of Atlantic 252.
So why an analogue tuner and not a DAB one? Well, domestic DAB tuners are few and far between, can cost a lot, and do tend to look somewhat ugly in comparison. One somewhat affordable model here by a brand called Tibo does not tend to get many good reviews. One niggle is that everytime you switch it off, the volume defaults to zero. This begs the question - why have a volume control on a tuner? Isn't that what the amplifier is for?
Given that we tend to be Radio 2 listeners, we are catered for. Saturday afternoon with Liza Tarbuck is always a delight. She has such a soothing, mumsy voice, and I can just imagine her stroking my hair as she talks!
With a bit of luck I may have a minidisc deck coming shortly. There was a format that I loved. While it did not succeed in replacing the analogue cassette, it was tremendous, and there is just enough space in the cabinet for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment