Which do you prefer, a Digital or analog boombox?

[restocat]

What does everyone prefer in a classic model, a digital or an analog tuner? If you have similar models and one has digital and one has analog, which do you prefer and why?

pros for a digital tuner:
The classic boombox with a digital tuner was most likely high-end at the time. Sharp was years ahead of the game for example.
A digital tuner also has presets, and often a lock-in tuning feature. How could you go wrong?

pros for an analog tuner:
A classic boombox just feels right with a analog, manual tuner, especially with a weighted tuner dial. It also has a more classic look.

For those with similar models, post some pictures

Example companion models:
panasonic rx7000 vs rx7200
jvc M80 vs jvc M60
sharp gf-9595 vs sharp gf-8989

 

[redbenjoe]

i have both a ge 6000 -manual
and its sister ge 6035 - digital

around where we live .. in a trailer ---and 60 miles north of miami-
where most of the cool stations are located...
-- --the analgue tuner is much stronger.

 

[LLopez]

Same here I preffer the analog. I have the Sansui CP-5 analog and digital and even the digital looks better, I preffer the analog one that pics up those hard to find stations.

 

[Jovie]

Analog for me also.In my opinion they put digital tuners in radios just because it was possible.There's no real benefit to them.In fact,I think they're less desirable because you have to wait for the thing to cycle.How hard is it to turn the tuning knob of an analog tuner anyway?It's easy and far more intuitive.Presets?Who needs them?Just tune your station in and be done with it.The scan feature might be the only benefit for some but I never used it.

Present day I'll bet a digital is cheaper to manufacture than analog because of less materials involved.Technology is so cheap these days.I wish Lasonic had put an analog tuner in the i931.Analog tuning dials have a nice look to them IMO.

 

[manimal347]

It's a toss-up. Analog tuners look more period-appropriate and have a nice visual appearance. But, digital tuners look space-age and add a myriad of wowee buttons. I think it depends upon the box, for sure. I mean, I just bought a GE 6035 when what I really would have preferred is a 6000. But, I don't use the radio but in a blue moon, anyway. That 6035 has a dead tuner, and it surely won't be missed save for tuning into jazz once a week or so out in the wee hours.

Now, what would be really cool is a PLL-tuned vernier-dial/dual readout receiver, like on some first-gen digitally tuned hi-fi gear. Did any boombox have one?

 

[blah blah]

analogue

 

[MasterBlaster84]

Although I think both have their place and I enjoy them both I would give the nod to Analog.

Now how about the Analog Digital hybrid tuners like on the Sony CFS-D7? A digital readout front end and Analog tuner back end.
I believe the current model Grundig S-350 uses this arrangement as well.

 

[ViennaSound]

analogue

Ok, there are some nice digital ones.
But only good, at good receiption....

 

[restocat]

Although I think both have their place and I enjoy them both I would give the nod to Analog.

Now how about the Analog Digital hybrid tuners like on the Sony CFS-D7? A digital readout front end and Analog tuner back end.
I believe the current model Grundig S-350 uses this arrangement as well.

Analog and digital, how can one get better than that! Lasonic should have thought of that for their new line of boomboxes, as Jovie has mentioned.

 

[Superduper]

I like the ergonomics of Analog. Tuning is easy to do, with just a turn of the knob. Also, it's easy to see the relationship of the tuned station relative to it's respective location on the tuner dial with just a glance. Fine tuning is done by ear rather than with the eyes -- hard to do on a digital tuner if you are driving. Also, nothing beats the look of a top quality analog tuner dial. Wide, nice glass, attractive graphics that light up, smooth operation, weighted tuning knobs, etc. Cheap tuner dials, on the other hand, really really suck. You know the kind -- thin cutout with a thin needle, no backlighting, dial markings silkscreened right onto the front of the device.

I like the attractive looks of a well designed digital dial. I also like it's precision and accuracy. But since there is nothing more to a digital tuner than a set of digits, it's easy to get lost in a large radio so a nice, large display is a big plus. A lit digital tuner is bitchin, especially flourescent ones, ala RX7200. LCD ones take a far backseat. Small LCD ones, like the ones on modern eggs can take a backseat in the tail end of a bus. A big bus. Some of the tuners on home hi-fi pioneers and Sansui's of the late 70's and early '80s have really attractive digital tuners. On digital tuners, I far prefer a knob rather than up/down buttons.

Reception: There is a misconception that analog tuners get better reception than digital tuners. This is a non-issue and NOT the case. The front end of any AM/FM tuner is analog. To prevent confusion, we are talking analog signal and not analog display. Reception ability has no relationship to how the displayed interface is designed. For the most part, digital tuners offers more precise tuning. Where an analog tuner can appear to have better reception is when a low quality tuner is out of alignment. But the biggest reason why analog tuner appear to tune better, especially in areas of poor reception is due to the fact that digital tuners makes more frequent use of technology such as muting circuits. A muting circuit silences the audio when a poor RF signal is received. The intent was to prevent staticy type noises from weak stations to "dirty" the audio quality or annoying the listener. Therefore, when a poor station is received, the muting circuit will "mute" and quiet that station. It can also cause the station to go on/off again as the signal strength drifts over/under the RF strength threshold set for the muting circuit. This phenomenom is also present in analog tuners as well, when this feature is present and active. Some tuners have a muting on/off feature. Others such as the Conion C100F appears to have a muting circuit built in without an option to turn it off. You know you have this feature when the radio goes silent between stations. Tuners that present static or white noise between stations do not have this feature, or have it deactivated.

As for boomboxes with a combined analog/digital display -- the very beautiful and rare Sanyo M-X820/824 comes to mind.

 

[teamstress]

I tend to channel surf so the digital tuner with presets is much better for that. However, analog tuners just look better but replacing a tuner string on some of them would be a nightmare!

 

[bill]

if its good its good. i could go either way

 

[Gluecifer]

On a boombox I much prefer analogue tuning.

Aside from the all the other excellent points in the analogue camp I believe digital tuners look markedly less attractive,
backlit or not.

Although I listen to local radio maybe 5% of the time I use them I really appreciate a scale that has been designed
to look good and is a pleasure to use. Especially in regards to fine-tuning and such.

A traditional tuner dial always looks correct on a boombox and I find the models the have a digital one, especially
the Sharps and Aiwas, always look like they're missing something important to me in the overall aesthetic.


It's all personal taste, but I usually (with a few exceptions) see a digital tuner on a radio as being a hallmark of it being too modern for my collection.



Rock On.

 

[Eddy]

I really love the analog tuners in boomboxes In some situations i'm glad that i also have a few with a digital tuner
Up here the FM band is so crowded . When i tune in to a station with another one next to it ; i can hear a bit of the sound of that station interfering. That's when a digital tuner is better , more selective . And another thing , because of the more precise tuning of a digital tuner , the stereo image is better. People with a digital tuner boombox should try that , maybe with headphones.
I own 2 GF 9797 and these digital tuners are the max.

 

[oldskool69]

Same here I preffer the analog. I have the Sansui CP-5 analog and digital and even the digital looks better, I preffer the analog one that pics up those hard to find stations.

CP-7 is digital...

I am with Soopa Doop as well regarding looks/functionality. To me it depends on the box. My CP-7 looks far better than the CP-5 with the analog. I also prefer the ability of my digital tuners to mute the "dirty" signals. I just don't see, nor enjoy, the weak signals as they really allow for noise and overlap from more powerful stations which may only be slightly off the weaker band I may be chasing.