Re OLED, the ongoing debate and other thoughts
Ugh, I'm apparently off my leash and no longer need a moderator to preview my replies before they are posted, but this response doesn't appear to have shown up, I'm tired and my eyesight is real bad, so I'm wondering if I missed something when replying. Really hope that's it and it's not going to be slow site software or my leash not being removed that turns this into a delayed double post, given the post is so long. I'll clean this up via edit somehow if it does.
Thanks guys for settling my OLED burn-in concerns, I've seen some of the LED tech with new weird colour phosphors change spectrum and output over time, especially in the earlier hours of its life. So I thought it may be a valid concern.
Here Rob Sherwood very quickly talks about receivers, including some things not shown on his matrix such as audio and ergonomics.
"Let's first listen to what Rob says about choosing a radio:
"I have many times said 'one needs to enjoy using the radio’ as the NUMBER ONE aspect of its performance"
Couldn't agree more, my evaluation of value when considering the CR-1 incorporates the complete package. I have been a wideband receiver enthusiast since the early 90's, as a teen and into my early twenties I was saving my money to get my hands on some of the more advanced handheld rx's and have well come to live with the no one receiver seems to have everything issue, so I see this as no different. Some of my favourites over the years have not been top of the ladder in all out performance or features, but the overall package has come together in ways important to me and so I've found the radio a joy to use..
For me ergonomics are pretty important, does it have that feel of a proper table top radio? This is where the PC interfaced SDR we all love tends to fall apart on end user experience. A cheaper portable like some of the Tec-sun and Degen offerings that seem to have value written all over them, or even something high end on Grundig, Sangean or Sony's repertoire (new or used) likewise is probably unlikely to satisfy for similar reasons.... Portability obviously helps in my situation, AM mode audio is high on my priority list. as I do program listen a lot. This isn't the 80's, on a HF tabletop I'd kinda expect more tools for working trashy conditions. Indications are though that the radio hears well, is it more of a smartly chosen "one size fits all" approach in the aim of simplicity? I'm willing to be shown and I guess 5KHz in AM is a compromise between the 6 & 4 KHz I tend to like to work AM with, before dropping to ECSSB.... still... 2013, It's hard not to expect the technology to have moved forward and be offering me a bigger tool box for my money than what was available 20 years ago. Lack of even simple tone control has me bummed a bit, I've frequently found it to be the difference between making a difficult signal copiable and a slightly irritating signal pleasant... Taking inspiration from an earlier post, I have a Roland Micro-cube amp which has line-in, runs off batteries, has tone control and I expect would give excellent audio, though I've not tried it before and its gear I'd rather not try to lug about.
The CR-1 does really seem to anecdotally excel in some areas important to me and to at least deliver well in others, so I have high hopes I could see decent value out of one, without having unrealistic expectations.
My remaining concerns are how it survives in an urban environment? Does it play well with active antennas, I will likely use an active tuneable loop to help null out some of the local noise.
Lastly the QA is still a bit scary, mostly because of the cost and time to work with a company on the opposite side of the world. Though by the looks of it, I'll have the luxury of customer service, where the manufacturer/distributor actually takes an active interest in making sure the customer is happy and the in house turn around appears to be quick.
Ahhh fence sitting, it's frustrating at times, I hope mine isn't for you guys.
Thanks everyone.
Paul.
itsnotmyblood78-
Please check your RadioReference PM's, I just sent you one.
Bob
Thanks for the pm Bob, my sleep tends to be broken, so I caught the email notification of activity on this site and started responding, even though I knew I should have gone back to bed. Typical of me, this response took way longer than I expected. As usual I'm flat-out just trying to fit life in between sleep. my schedule and my responsibilities, but I'll get back to you soon when my brain doesn't feel so much like it's swimming in molasses.
