For discussion of internet radio - sets and stations.

14 responses total.

I've read of the availability of wifi internet radio sets - there are 
six or so models. However Consumer Reports has not evaluated them. I'd 
like to know more about their specifications - and problems. Is anyone 
familiar with the various models?

I have a blueray which allows sync with pandora.  I use both pandora.com on
the blueray and my laptop.  I also listen to annarboradio.net sometimes.

Whoa! I think I know what blu ray is, but not pandora. I just want radio 
- no video. But your comments led me to http://is.gd/62ZB0, which shows 
a number of internet radios. I can find the individual specs through 
that site (but not the frequency responses). Do you know of a comparison 
and recommendations site? CNET has almost nothing.

http://www.gracedigitalaudio.com/compare_internet_radios.php

That helps. Thanks. Still no info on audio frequency response, though. You
know, like what "Hi Fi" was about. 

That may depend on your bandwidth and speakers.  Streaming tends to adjust
the threshold based on connection speed.

One subjective comparison you can do is listen to an area radio station
live on the air and compare it to their streaming audio from their web
site for the same content.  In my experience, the streaming audio sounds
okay if you have nothing to compare it to, but when you hear a decent
FM signal from a good receiver and good speakers, it's much better (the
highs and lows are more noticeable, for example).

I say to give Pandora a listen.  It is clean w/o too much compression.

Re #6: Of course. But I just want to know the frequency response at the audio
out plugs. I can deal with the speakers. Good point about the connection. I
have Comcast "broadband", but not their highest speed version. Also, it  has
to go through my router. So, what is the net frequency response curve from
the orchestra to the internet radio output?

re #9
For the $36/yr subscription:
High Quality 192Kbps audio streams (on your computer via www.Pandora.com and
the Mini Tuner)
Pandora accounts will only play 40 hours of music for free per month, then
the music will stop. Once that happens, you will have the option to pay 99
cents for unlimited listening hours for the rest of that month.

I listened to Pandora yesterday (through my receiver and speakers) and
it was only marginally better than the usual run of the mill internet
radio station (subjectively-speaking).  I assume they stream at a slower
speed for non-subscribers, so a higher rate might help a lot.

In general, though, other than the incredible variety you get from
internet radio, and the ability to tailor some sites to stream the type
of music you like (like Pandora or Last.fm) I don't really see much to
recommend it if I were concerned about freq. response.  That may improve
as internet speeds improve and providers stream at higher speeds, but
for now, most of my listening will be free broadcast radio or CDs.

As far as the freq response of the available devices that will play
internet radio, your best bet is to contact the manufacturer.  But if
they were concerned about what their customers thought about that, I
expect it would be posted somewhere. 

I'm beginning to think that "hi fi" has been lost to the iPod 
generation.

Portability and convenience and variety outweigh sound quality for a lot
of people.  Consumer expectations are changing as well, and not always
for the better.  Most people are none the wiser (or accept poor quality
in lieu of convenience).

I used to be something of an audiophile (like, back in the 1960s and
1970s, when it was fashionable), but nowadays, after a few years of
living with an iPod, the convenience and portability factors outweigh
that for me.

Our current home audio system is a Bose Wave with SoundLink, which
enables connecting via wireless to computers.  Very compact unit
that sits on top of a bookcase on one side of the living room.  I
can be sitting with my laptop on the other side of the room and play
anything in my iTunes collection (I've ripped most of my CD's to
iTunes) or anything I can stream from the internet.  Sound quality
is decent to my ears, albeit not "audiophile" quality.

Discovered Pandora a few days ago and have been doing most of my
listening on that.  I like the way you can create a "station" by
specifying an artist, composer, genre, or even a particular piece.
Pandora does a pretty good job of picking music that "fits"
whatever you've specified.

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