Since I first started selling audio in 1970, the thing that made a receiver a receiver instead of an item with some other name was that it had an FM tuner. Ok, it had an AM tuner, too, probably pretty lousy... so mainly, in practice, it was the FM tuner that made it a receiver.

Why do we have receivers today? My customers are spread throughout the Los Angeles area,* and it has been at least five years since any client has been interested in listening to the radio. Isn't it time the manufacturers knock some money off the product and create components that skip the FM and AM bands while continuing to offer us network audio services?

Or did I miss that while I was napping?

Edit: I'm speaking of surround receivers, not stereo.



*there are so many stations spread throughout the area that if you set up an FM modulator in your car to listen to an outboard device, there is no single frequency that will work for more than about twenty miles of travel.

Buy high end separates and you can find just what you're talking about.


But, although I do have to agree, I think most are afraid of the potential backlash.

The questions WILL arise.

"What the hell do you mean it doesn't have FM?".

I don't see that cutting out an AM/FM radio is really going to save much money. Quite a few cheap phones and portable music players throw an FM tuner in as an essentially free bonus, meaning the technology cost is in the range of pennies.

So, since it's a long-standing tradition to have one in a receiver, it seems there's little need or desire to cut it out. Seems many preamps have one too, although they don't get a special name. :-)

I think Daniel is spot on. AM/FM tuner chips are dirt cheap. theres really is no reason to not have it in there.

Because without a tuner its an Integrated Amplifier.

I still listen to the radio AM/FM HD Radio, even put an antenna on the roof as I live in a fringe area.

Potential for getting information in emergency situations.

Sometimes I like to hear a DJ's voice and a live mix based on the groove of the moment.

Jim Ladd Headsets, before he went Sirius, Uncle Joe Benson now 100.3, where all the old KMET cronies wound up when KLOS booted them.

KCAL 96.7 kicks ass but they stream on line as most do now.
http://www.kcalfm.com/

Memories of Dr. Demento, X-Minus 1 I don't know why but I still dig radio.

The compression on Sirius makes it unlistenable which sucks because I have it in the car. Sounds like listening through a paper towel tube.

I have started looking into integrated amps and separates because I want to find something better than receivers when video isn't a concern. The cost of a receiver-grade tuner isn't high, but the controlability has to add to the cost and if people aren't using the tuner, there's no reason to have one. I'd be interested in a 5/7/9 channel integrated amp or separates at a reasonable price, rather than starting at $3K. Even for stereo, I'm looking for 2.1 ch with a lot of inputs, including digital coax and optical, as well as a better than average phono section that has a MC stage.

Recievers have tuners in them? You learn something new every day....

I still listen to am/fm hd radio and xm.

I really don't like the streaming sites

That being said I have had to purchas an am/fm tuner to put into the whole house sound system.

I love talk radio as long as its not politics.

I still don't see any of you saying your clients care about radio. The fact that you do is easily explained by your interests!

While you are at it, I only need 25 surround modes instead of 100. How much can I save?

Nope. They already have a microcontroller for other purposes. The cost is someone to write the code to control the AM/FM tuner IC. I would put the cost of a tuner IC and the electronics to go with it, for a high volume manufacturer at well under a dollar. This is a nearly free feature, that if left off begs consumers to say, "For the same price I can buy the competitors product that has a tuner."

I love radio, but it's on a down hill slide. It's heart has been sold to the big media guys and an MBA somewhere sets the playlist that is delivered by a remote DJ. If you go to the "station" all you'll see is a bunch of work stations. That single room will be the control point for multiple stations. Someone will come in, schedule the commercials and split.

The tuners I'm seeing in receivers are not interesting and don't perform as well as the 70's and 80's tuners. The tuners on the high end receivers don't perform as well as the mid line tuners of the past.

It's sad.

I still have clients who ask us to add their favorite presets, though it is pretty rare. Typically they don't care whether we use internet radio or the FM tuner, but I know the FM tuner will always work. I can't say the same thing for every internet radio stream here.

I was just about to post that...

How many times has an OTA radio gone done compared to Internet radio? Then you have the Internet itself that can go down.

How about emergency broadcast, can you get that over the Internet? Especially for the area that the client is in?

KOT

I was really referring to two channel equipment, not AV receivers, but I know what you mean. I have friends who worked for various companies and when they went to Asia to discuss changing features and performance, they were usually told "Thirty-seven cents". Anything they wanted to add or subtract would make a difference of that amount. People want some things just because they can have it, not because they actually need it. I went to a high-end shop yesterday and one of the guys told me about the recurring service calls to the home of someone who should really know better, but seems to like to A) lie about their ability to use the remote, B) not reveal the fact that they, or someone else, is going into the setup menu and messing with the surround speaker levels or C) just wants to make them jump through hoops. Every time he goes there, the surround speakers have been changed to Large and the level is at +12dB. I commented "I have those speakers, why am I not hearing them?" and he just nodded.

Something may not actually do anything for the person, but they want it, they want a lot of it and they want it NOW, dammit!

The newest client has Silver series Monitor Audio SP8 speakers in the living room and is using Sonos for all of the local music sources. He's on the board of the local hip & trendy FM station and if he wants radio, that's what he tends to listen to but since they stream, the Sonos handles that. He's using the Zone 2 out of an older Denon AVR and nobody bothered to limit the output which is, I suspect, the cause of his blown tweeter. Might be the room, might be the speakers, but I think they're harsh and overly bright and too small for the room. We have discussed using a separate power amp and I'm looking now, but the speakers need to be moved, too. He had an electrician put speaker wires in the corners of the room and then finished the basement ceiling, so I'll need to see if I can do anything WRT changing the location. I'm annoyed by that, since I have been working on the house across the street since before they bought and refurbed the house.