Midnight Blue is a new product from 47 Laboratory, a FM stereo tuner.
http://47labs.co.jp/4730.html
It looks slightly inconsistent with the other models in the same "Special Models" series such as Gain Card, Flat Fish, and Progression. Instead, the back panel is similar to the less inexpensive series Shigaraki.
I dislike its appearance at all. However, it is a TUNER introduced at this time, it is a product from 47 Lab, and that is enough interesting to me.
I'd like to see further information regarding to this tuner. So far it is not so many discussion on this gear. Any views and opinions are welcome.
http://47labs.co.jp/4730.html
It looks slightly inconsistent with the other models in the same "Special Models" series such as Gain Card, Flat Fish, and Progression. Instead, the back panel is similar to the less inexpensive series Shigaraki.
I dislike its appearance at all. However, it is a TUNER introduced at this time, it is a product from 47 Lab, and that is enough interesting to me.
I'd like to see further information regarding to this tuner. So far it is not so many discussion on this gear. Any views and opinions are welcome.
You are right. Radio has been gradually leaving the audio mainstream. Anyway, FM radio is not as "Hi-Fi" as other medias at all.
However, I like turning the knob on the tuner and searching for the channel just right to me, and enjoying the music or talk shows in the low-end quality.
Currently, listening to the digital music is my best choice for sound quality, but the old-fashioned radio programs still catch me. In which, there is something memorable for the early times.
Cheers.
However, I like turning the knob on the tuner and searching for the channel just right to me, and enjoying the music or talk shows in the low-end quality.
Currently, listening to the digital music is my best choice for sound quality, but the old-fashioned radio programs still catch me. In which, there is something memorable for the early times.
Cheers.
Does anyone know what is inside? is it DSP based tuner with digital IF and DSP MPX or is it a cheap car radio tuner chip with a good power supply?
If they learned from the Sony XDR-F1HD to see just how powerful the new technology can be, the problem with the sony is the mistakes made in the implementation. An "audiophile focused" implementation of this technology would be great.
I love the look and would certainly consider if this is a serious tuner, like the rest of the 47 Labs is very serious peformance....so I expect the same here.
/Paba
If they learned from the Sony XDR-F1HD to see just how powerful the new technology can be, the problem with the sony is the mistakes made in the implementation. An "audiophile focused" implementation of this technology would be great.
I love the look and would certainly consider if this is a serious tuner, like the rest of the 47 Labs is very serious peformance....so I expect the same here.
/Paba
IIRC, 47 Lab always has something creative and original in the "Special Models" series such as the OP-Amp Gain Clone with a shortest feedback path, the DAC Progression non-oversampling, the Phono Cube with a zero-impedance input, and so on.
Hope that the Midnight Blue has kept the creative and the original of its sibling.
More information:
http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=11586#11586
http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66861
http://www.hifiwigwam.com/view_topic.php?id=42927&forum_id=16
The retail price is £750.
Hope that the Midnight Blue has kept the creative and the original of its sibling.
More information:
http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=11586#11586
http://www.pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66861
http://www.hifiwigwam.com/view_topic.php?id=42927&forum_id=16
The retail price is £750.
The Sony has best in class RF specs but there are mistakes in the audio output.... see http://www.ham-radio.com/k6sti/xdr-f1hd.htm
But looking at the back of the Midnight Blue, I don't see a digital out so I'm practically certain that this is not a DSP based tuner or digital IF. Too bad because the 47 lab DACs are pretty good and it would nice to play FM through them.
If anyone has pictures of it inside it would help.
this other unit looks interesting too...
http://www.rwonline.com/article/85816
/Paba
But looking at the back of the Midnight Blue, I don't see a digital out so I'm practically certain that this is not a DSP based tuner or digital IF. Too bad because the 47 lab DACs are pretty good and it would nice to play FM through them.
If anyone has pictures of it inside it would help.
this other unit looks interesting too...
http://www.rwonline.com/article/85816
/Paba
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Thanks for all your input.
Sony XDR-F1HD looks really good to me. I like the small, rigid chassis with a professional appearance. The inside is also not bad. In addition, the price $100 USD is inexpensive at all.
Back to Midnight Blue.
In this thread someone indicated that FM radio is Junji's original expertise.
(Junji is the owner and the designer of 47 Laboratory.)
That makes me more curious.
What idea and originality can be put in an FM tuner from a audiophile radio expert?
As time so far, how good the sound can be sourced from an FM tuner?
Sony XDR-F1HD looks really good to me. I like the small, rigid chassis with a professional appearance. The inside is also not bad. In addition, the price $100 USD is inexpensive at all.
Back to Midnight Blue.
In this thread someone indicated that FM radio is Junji's original expertise.
(Junji is the owner and the designer of 47 Laboratory.)
That makes me more curious.
What idea and originality can be put in an FM tuner from a audiophile radio expert?
As time so far, how good the sound can be sourced from an FM tuner?
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ok back on the midnight blue,
I had some emails with some insiders and they confirmed the following..
100% analog, special air variable capacitor, two small circuit boards with 1 chip each and a dozen parts on each and 1 transformer...that's it, that's all... typical 47 labs design approach. The designer worked at Trio/Kenwood in the past by the way.
No idea what these chips are, if they are new old stock or current production.
It will be sold in the various FM standards (Japan, Europe, N. America).
very intriguing...
/paba
I had some emails with some insiders and they confirmed the following..
100% analog, special air variable capacitor, two small circuit boards with 1 chip each and a dozen parts on each and 1 transformer...that's it, that's all... typical 47 labs design approach. The designer worked at Trio/Kenwood in the past by the way.
No idea what these chips are, if they are new old stock or current production.
It will be sold in the various FM standards (Japan, Europe, N. America).
very intriguing...
/paba
Good information! Thanks for your sharing.
Compared to other equipments in the "Special Models" series, the Midnight Blue priced in £750 is much less expensive at all.
In particular, no external power supply such as Humpty or Dumpty is needed for the FM tuner.
Nevertheless, the interior of the Midnight Blue seems complicated much more than its expensive siblings. It is very intriguing indeed.
Compared to other equipments in the "Special Models" series, the Midnight Blue priced in £750 is much less expensive at all.
In particular, no external power supply such as Humpty or Dumpty is needed for the FM tuner.
Nevertheless, the interior of the Midnight Blue seems complicated much more than its expensive siblings. It is very intriguing indeed.
Reading that review of the Sony, it sounds like it is close to perfect - especially for the price.
absolute rubbish
If we take the best possible FM sound as being a live broadcast of a simply miked (simple stereo) acoustic music concert. This typically also requires a large directional antenna driving the tuner hard into full limiting, with a low multi-path signal.
Then, no digital radio system can approach the sound quality of analogue FM at its best. Because all use lossy codecs, DAB and HD are at very low bitrates, to boot.
With the concert example we have no mix-downs, and no copy generations.
If you've never heard simple stereo recordings of acoustic music, and most of you never have*, and if you've never heard such a live broadcast, which is likely, you will have no idea how good FM can be.
Here in Australia this IS still possible, without any dynamic range compression or Eq either, thanks to ABC Classic FM.
SACD is a huge improvement on red-book CD and it was needed.
ALL lossy codecs are audibly inferior to non-lossy types.
Meridian Lossless Packaging is not the only efficient storage lossless codec, even Microshaft has one.
digital has not been the best thing that has happened to music. Digital done right can be excellent.
* most of you listen to a diet of multiply mono-miked pan-potted left through right mix-downs (MMPPM), with added delay and reverb. With much of the individual music tracks recorded without any other musician playing together with them. Multiple mono just is NOT real stereo. And, if you can't see what a travesty of music making - as a joint activity - that you have allowed to develop, that is your problem.
On top of that most of you listen to this stuff, most of the time, through lossy players like Ipods. You are dumbing down your hearing and affectice systems.
Just as the ripples from two stones in a pond will cancel as they cross, think about all the losses, involved in MMPPM, let alone all the copy generations each time a track is added or modified. Hundreds of them.
And they are audible, no matter what the 'digital is perfect' idiots insist, just ask any mix-down engineer.
End of blunt rant.
If we take the best possible FM sound as being a live broadcast of a simply miked (simple stereo) acoustic music concert. This typically also requires a large directional antenna driving the tuner hard into full limiting, with a low multi-path signal.
Then, no digital radio system can approach the sound quality of analogue FM at its best. Because all use lossy codecs, DAB and HD are at very low bitrates, to boot.
With the concert example we have no mix-downs, and no copy generations.
If you've never heard simple stereo recordings of acoustic music, and most of you never have*, and if you've never heard such a live broadcast, which is likely, you will have no idea how good FM can be.
Here in Australia this IS still possible, without any dynamic range compression or Eq either, thanks to ABC Classic FM.
SACD is a huge improvement on red-book CD and it was needed.
ALL lossy codecs are audibly inferior to non-lossy types.
Meridian Lossless Packaging is not the only efficient storage lossless codec, even Microshaft has one.
digital has not been the best thing that has happened to music. Digital done right can be excellent.
* most of you listen to a diet of multiply mono-miked pan-potted left through right mix-downs (MMPPM), with added delay and reverb. With much of the individual music tracks recorded without any other musician playing together with them. Multiple mono just is NOT real stereo. And, if you can't see what a travesty of music making - as a joint activity - that you have allowed to develop, that is your problem.
On top of that most of you listen to this stuff, most of the time, through lossy players like Ipods. You are dumbing down your hearing and affectice systems.
Just as the ripples from two stones in a pond will cancel as they cross, think about all the losses, involved in MMPPM, let alone all the copy generations each time a track is added or modified. Hundreds of them.
And they are audible, no matter what the 'digital is perfect' idiots insist, just ask any mix-down engineer.
End of blunt rant.
Well......... I AGREE!!
I'll never forget some of the live folk/old world/U.K. ballads and hillbilly music broadcasting throughout these N.C. mountains from NPR stations, back in the 60's, 70's, and 80's!! Being a "poor hick", my system was DQ-10's, a Sony ST-J55 tuner, and Hafler amp/pre... but the FM/music thought that basic system was better than any digital I've heard since it raised it's ugly little head!!
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Of course it is
. Whatever (almost) is possible but ain't always to the better. I for one are looking for a FM project aiming at both analog and digital broadcast. Of course in due time with digital out...Regards
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