Sangean HDT-20 HD Radio Component Tuner to Replace Dying 1980's Yamaha 500 Components

 July 16, 2024

#491

Gentle reader,

When last I wrote about electronics, here: The Robb Collections: 2024 Yamaha A-S301 Integrated Amplifier replaces dying 1987 Yamaha Yamaha AX-500U. I had lost one channel on the old Yamaha integrated amplifier. I had found that the same model (which likely would also be ready to fail) on eBay, but some sellers wanted crazy money for theirs. 

This photo is from 2019 when I had found all the relevant components. The CD play (bottom) was the first to have problems. I replaced all the rubber belts, but it still had issues. 

I had bought two OPPO DV-980H universal players, so I installed on of them on the stack and sold the CD player. 

What was happening with the tuner, while it was still bringing in a strong signal, it had become very hissy. I had to switch it to Mono to get rid of the hiss. Therefore kind of defeating it being a Stereo tuner.

Way back in 2009, when the stereo (not this one, the Listening Room's System) was still in the living room and the bedrooms were still being used as bedrooms by the girls, I bought an Insignia HD Radio tuner for it. 

It's directly beneath the turntable, on the left side. Insignia is Best Buy's in-store brand. It was made by Sangean and sold for less than their own version.

I was an early adopter of HD Radio, installing it in my car and other places. See below:

The car, a 2002 Audi TT quattro, was my daily driver and I also installed a Sirius tuner in it. That car was lots of fun until it needed repairs. Then, $$$ ouch!

Therefore, since the hiss was what bothered me, why not go back to HD Radio? I'm not sure why I stopped using it years ago. 

I could not find any Insignia tuners, so I searched for a Sangean one. I found exactly one on eBay, and the seller only wanted $99 for it and that included the remote. I found the manual online and printed it out.

This is a Sangean photo of it. I found a couple reviews of it: Sangean HDT-20 AM/FM/HD Tuner | radiojayallen and Sangean HDT-20 AM/FM/HD Tuner | radiojayallen

The following photos are his and reproduced here for informational purposes since his was the only independent review which I could find.

One thing I don't care for is the power button, which universally seems to be on the left side of components, is just one more tiny button. Below, you will see why that is the case.

Mr. Allen opined that, to save money, Sangean used a PCB from a smaller, stand alone HD Radio. Which makes sense, economically for them.

A very simple board, for sure. I was at first thinking, "That's it? No chips or other digital components?" See below:

They are contained on the boards behind the front panel. A very clean design.

Like my new Yamaha A-S301 integrated amplifier (and OPPO DV-980H player) the Sangean HD Radio tuner has two digital outputs: Coaxial and Optical.

I tried a coaxial digital RCA cable from the tuner to the amp and compared digital sound verses analog. The stereo analog signal was clearer and more defined and, so I am sticking with that. I have no toslink optical "cable" to try and compare as they are all being used elsewhere in the house.

So, what do I think of the Sangean HD Radio tuner's performance? I'm very impressed. There is no apparent loss of bass or treble. In fact, I hear bass which I had never heard from FM radio before. 

The sound is crisp and clear, and in HD (which stands for Hybrid Digital) which most radio stations here in the Washington, D.C. area broadcast in, there is warmth, height and depth like I have never heard before. I highly recommend one, if you can find one, that is!

Oh, in case you are wondering what the Listening Room system looks like now, here is a photo of it:

The monstrous 250WPC Adcom power amplifier (I found it, it's matching preamp and power conditioner, ALL for $149 at Salvation Army) one day melted the voicecoil of one of my speakers. I did not know why that happened and did not want to try and find out what was wrong with it, so I sold it on eBay, eventually selling the other Adcom components except the ACE-515 power conditioners. In fact, I bought another one. 

Thanks to thrift stores and the occasional pawn shop, I have been able to buy and try hundreds of components and speakers over the almost fifty years I have enjoyed this hobby. Sadly, those halcyon days seem to be over. Sigh.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. I am closing in on 500 articles, which blows my mind! I started blogging several years ago, just as something to do. I had NO idea that anyone would be interested in reading what I have to say. But, so far, almost a half million of you have done so. I am truly humbled.

Feel free to comment below or on Facebook.

Scott Robb

July 25, 2024

#491

From a Fallen White Walnut Tree in the 1970's Mountains of Virginia a Very Kind Man to Who I am Today...

 May 30, 2024

#490

Gentle reader,

Facebook is a wonderful place to connect with like-minded people. For instance, we have an old Volvo wagon and a Cadillac performance car. Yes, there are such cars. Plus, we collect lots of different things, thus the name of this blog. If you are interested in something, chances are there is a Facebook group about it. 

Image found on the Internet.

If you are wondering what the three digit number is above is about, this is the 490th article I have written for this blog. I write two others: Pictures of Nancy. The Love of My Life. and People Say I'm Special. But I Don't Know Why.

Finished Black Walnut wood above verses finished White Walnut wood, below.

To begin, there are various types of walnut trees around the world. Mr. F. referred to the tree as "White Walnut". Sometimes they are called English Walnut or Butternut. 

All three of the images above were found on the Internet. We had black walnut trees on the property of one of the houses we lived in long ago. They have thick green husks which kind of look like oranges, but which are much tougher. Very hard to remove, even a car driving over them did not break those husks. The walnuts many of us have eaten are Butternuts or English walnuts. 

The "This..." in the subject line (title) refers to this cabinet. Without having met and dated L., it would not exist. Her father was the definition of kindness and patience. 

This is a picture of her from back in the day. She had posted it on Facebook a while back. 

I did not own a camera until 1980 when my first son was born. We bought a 110 camera from JCPenney because my mother worked there and there was a family discount. Our first TV was also from her store.  Image found on the Internet.

Because money was tight and babies kept coming, shooting a film picture, having the film developed and printed was expensive to us. Thus, the photo had  to be of something very important. As a result, the photo above and the one earlier in the article are the first images I shot of my stereo and the cabinet I had made oh so long ago. The images  are from 1995, the year I finally had a little money which I could spend to buy myself a "real camera". 

What fit that definition to me was a 35mm SLR. The first one I saw was in the 1970's being used by our friend S. She was taking photos of us playing ultimate Frisbee on the quad at the Seminary. 

What I chose (I knew NOTHING about cameras and the Internet barely existed then) it was an Olympus OM-10. Fortunately for me, it was designed for the new user and thus very forgiving.

This is the very first picture I shot with it. That's Nancy, very much the love of my life and my forever wife, but at that time, we were dating.

The cabinet is sitting RIGHT next to me as I type this. I'm still using that chair. While the room looks quite different twenty-some years after these digital images were made, and the contents of the shelves have changed, the cabinet remains in the same spot in "The Office". 

Since this house has four bedrooms and we had two kids, we had decided  to set aside this small bedroom as a home office. Although neither of us ever worked from home.

The job I did of gluing to top to the walls all those years ago, was not so great. I had to later add metal brackets and a screw or two through the top to secure it to the four upright pieces.

The only things, aside from the records in this image, which remain in my collection are the cabinet and the three cars to the right of the turntable. Everything else has gone to other people's homes.

As you can see from this 2008 image that all of the components are completely different and we have a lot more records.

Initially, the stereo (as seen above) had been in the living room which is at the opposite end of the house. When Nancy bought us our first HDTV, a 32" Samsung monitor, I moved the stereo to the dining room. Then, later on into the office. I had run ten gauge speaker wires through the attic to the living room for a pair of speakers which remained there then.

This 2005 image shows the much less cluttered steel and glass desk. I also built the cabinet on the wall, from reclaimed wood, which (then) held my film camera collection. 

I also made this shelf of 1 x 12 pine wood. I made the top shelf specifically house small diecast cars and our HO slot cars. There is a cover made of 1/4" Lexan which keeps out the dust and is very strong. Again, almost every book on that shelf has gone to other peoples homes. Our tastes, interests and what we collect have changed with both of us over the 30 years we have been together.

The following four images are from the end of 2020.

The camera cabinet now houses larger scale diecast cars and the 2% camera collection. I had over 500 film cameras, not all at once. What's left is less than two per cent of the total.  The shelf on the right was built by my camera-collecting-mentor, the late Colonel Bill Arps. He made it to hold one of EVERY type of Kodak 126 Instamatic cameras. 

A good view of most of the cabinet's top. It is now 49 years old. Wow. Where did all that time go?

Mr. F. helped me pick out interesting pieces of the wood to enhance the cabinet's look. Those are worm hole possibly made more than a hundred years ago. Hard to imagine that worms could chew through wood. But then, think about termites.

It really bothers me to see people whose lives seem to revolve around their phone. They seem to be constantly looking down at them, even groups of friends or entire families in a restaurant or other places, are not TALKING with each other! They are not enjoying each others company. They may be showing each other what they are looking at on their phones, but they are not ASKING each other how they are or what they have been up to lately. Or even how they FEEL. It saddens me.

Yes, I have a smart phone, but 99% of the time, it is in my pocket. I have SO many friends and family members, yet, I prefer to talk face to face. Or, I call them. Smart phones are a blessing and a curse. I chose to use mine as a telephone which also texts. Occasionally, I will get it out to look something up, but once I have, back in the pocket it goes. Why? Because it is just a tool. I don't go on Facebook with it. I don't watch videos or play games with it. Occasionally I will shoot an image with it. But, if I have a real camera with me, that's what I use.

I thought I had an image of all three digital cameras. Neither of these do I now own, having upgraded each. But, they represent what I now call a "real camera".

So, why did I chose to write this article, using the white walnut tree as a lure?  I glanced over at it, and immediately remembered where it came from. That memory made me smile. I had not thought about Mr. F, and Mrs. F. in a very long time. Or, L., for that matter. I had not lived in that city since 1982. As Nancy will gladly tell you, I think too much. And this is a result of that...

We all make choices as to how we treat every person we ever encounter. Mr. F. by being so very kind to me, teaching me all kinds of things my own father never did almost fifty years ago, he  shaped the way I have chosen to interact with people ever since. And I did not realize it until today.

I talk to everyone and will hug anyone, if they need one. Perhaps I am a dinosaur because I chose to live in the present and enjoy whatever place I happen to be and whomever I happen to be with. But, I am OK with that label.

Some time ago, I wrote this on my Facebook, "In one word, describe how you think of me." Over and over, my friend's answer were: Kind or Kindness.

At my retirement party seven years ago, so many people said to me, "You always made me feel special." "That's because you are special.", I replied. One man, who had quickly risen within the company ranks said to me, "Scott, if it were not for you, I would not be where I am today." I'm tearing up remembering that. 

So, how about trying something different today? Do NOT reach for your phone. Look at the person next to you, smile and say, "Hey, let's talk. What have you been doing lately? How's your Mom? Have you bought anything new you just love? Let's take a walk and enjoy this beautiful day. Hey, let's go to the mall and try on ridiculous shoes! Let's drive around and find a restaurant we would never chosen to eat there.  Let's go for a drive in the country and see new places. Let's go the rec center and swim." 

Let TODAY be the beginning of your new life! Break old habits. Every morning when you wake up chose to try something new and different to do. Take the smart phone blinders off of your face and LOOK around. Life is short. Chose to LIVE it! Chose to LOVE others and let them know that you do. If I can do it, so can you.

Scott Robb

May 30, 2024

#490

Have I Finally Invented THE Squirrel Baffle Which They Can't Get Past?

May 17, 2024

#479

Gentle reader,

Like many folks around the world, we like to feed the local birds. Some people think that we should not. I have been told by my older sister, "There is plenty of food out there for them to find and eat!" 

However, it gives us pleasure watching so many MORE birds coming into our yard than would normally show up. All kinds and colors. Even a Coopers Hawk. Sadly, it lays in wait in the branches above, to swoop down and grab an unsuspecting little bird who just took off after filling it's tiny stomach with yummy seeds. The circle of life.

Then, there are the squirrels. Cute and funny though they are, they are also smart! I have tried many ways to keep them from getting to the bird feeders. But, eventually that really determined squirrel finds a way! Then the others copy the leader.

I mean, just look at all these Goldfinches! One morning, I opened the living room vertical blinds to look out the front window. What do I see? A squirrel happily munching on the seeds of this feeder. I tapped on the window, it looked at me, panicked and jumped off the feeder! Yeah, you BETTER run!

I've always been handy, and I've invented a few things in the past which helped my coworkers do certain tasks more safely. Nothing worth patenting, however. Therefore, it occurred to me, that if I had a large flat disc of metal, perhaps with a slit from the edge to a small hole in the center. I could slide it onto the line (seen above) and the squirrels could not get past it! I looked and looked for a flat squirrel baffle, to no avail. Plus, how would this disc stay vertical?

I tried adapting a cone shaped squirrel baffle to the line, but there was no way to make it stay the way I wanted it to. Gravity wins every time. 

Then, I thought, "How about a trash can lid!" With a hole through it's center AND through the handle, it should stay vertical.

During an online search, (not Amazon!) I found these galvanized steel lids made to fit 30 gallon steel drums. I deemed ones for 55 gallon barrels would be overkill. They are 25 inches in diameter. However, the low cost pressed sheet steel handles which they came with are quite flimsy. I needed something stiffer. Off to the hardware store!

I also needed some kind of metal tubes to run through the lid and the handle with a way to tighten everything together. 

Home electric lamps and fixtures of many kinds have threaded tubes which are used to feed the AC cord through the middle of the lamp and often, depending upon design and construction, to the secure all the pieces of the lamp together.

The hardware store also had these six inch long threaded tubes and the heavy duty door hinges. Some large black wire ties do the trick to keep the baffles in place on the line.

Having been handy all my life (I'm 67 now) I tended to save things which, "Might come in handy someday." The pieces seen threaded onto the two tubes can be seen in the two photos are saved items. I also bought two brackets threaded for these electrical tubes and riveted them on the bottoms of the lids located where the original handles protruded through the lids and were flattened. The lid-mounted door handles, I placed at a 90 degree angle to those brackets for added strength. They are also riveted to the lids.

Between the tops of the large can lids are birds-only feeders. If a squirrel manages to get on top of one of the baffles, it will roll it right off and drop safely to the ground. Today, I saw a cardinal land on the closest baffle seen in the photo above. It quickly realized the baffle was rotating and flew off in alarm.

The photo above shows the sacrificial feeder placed to the outside of the baffle. I added the orange platform to allow blue jays and doves to be able to land on the feeder. The squirrels found it a wonderful thing to sit on while they feast! Now birds who land on it, so far blue jays and grackles, have dined there as well. Later in the day, I noticed that the weight of a squirrel on that feeder had caused it to slide down to and against the baffle. I added the unused long empty hook to the top of the feeder. It can no longer slide.

And lastly, this feeder platform is the sacrificial one at the other end of the line. So, you see, I still provide food for the squirrels and yet, (hopefully) the squirrels will not be able to defeat my efforts again. Not a better mousetrap, but hopefully and better baffle.

Thank you for taking the time to read my humble blog. This still counts as a collection since we have so many different bird feeders.

Feel free to comment below or via Facebook.

Scott Robb

#479

May 17, 2024

2024 Yamaha A-S301 Integrated Amplifier replaces dying 1987 Yamaha Yamaha AX-500U.

 May 14, 2024

#478

Gentle reader,

Since I first began the quest to have the best sounding music I could afford on my budget in the mid-1970's, I can count very few components which I bought new. Certainly the kits to build a Dynaco PAT-5 preamplifier and a pair of SWTPC Tiger 0.1 mono block power amplifiers, and the B.I.C. 940 turntable were purchased new. But, the Dynaco A-25 speakers were "floor models" and a bargain at half price.

Fast-forward fifty years and only the Audio-Technica AT-LP120USB turntable to replace my long-in-the-tooth Denon 'table in the listening room, was my most recent new component. Several cartridges over the decades (some things, like socks and underwear must be purchased new) of course were new. OK, and the pair of AIYIMA T2 6K4 Tube Preamplifiers, which were the subject of my previous article (linked below) are about it. Until last Friday, that is.

(Image courtesy of Yamaha)

A few days ago, I was streaming a live performance from Vienna, Austria of a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The day was the 200th anniversary of it's first performance. I had started watching/listening to in the living room, but my wife got home ready to relax after a hard day at work. 

Ever supportive husband, as I am, I helped her get settled and told her what was happening in Vienna. I repaired to this room, which we have always referred to as "The Office", to watch the concert on my PC and listen to it via the 1980's vintage matching Yamaha component stack which sits within arm's reach of me. The left channel kept cutting out, I would turn off the amp, then turn it back on and it kept happening. So, I turned off the system altogether and plugged my headphones into the PC to listen to it.

Since everything in the stack above, including the OPPO universal player, was purchased "previously enjoyed" it was no surprise to me that something was dying. I originally had the matching Yamaha CD player in addition to the OPPO, but it had "issues" and I sold it some time ago.

Here is a photo I found online of one in much better condition than my "beater" AX-500U integrated amp to show to you. 

If you have been in this hobby for many years, like me, you are likely aware of this thing called "Home Theater" which, like crossovers and SUVs have taken over from sedans and station wagons (which we have one of each!) in the automotive world, OK, we have a crossover too, which my wife picked out back in 2017. ANYway, the point I am trying to make is that many electronics manufacturers seem to have mostly forgotten all about STEREO, except High End makers, of course. 

Our sleepers. No one would suspect a humble Volvo wagon or Cadillac sedan to be hiding performance engines, drivelines and suspensions! But these two do.

And, had we bought them new in 2005 and 2013, both would be red. But, both being used, I mean, previously enjoyed, cars which have rare features like these have, body color was the least of my concerns. Plus, they blend with all the other white, grey, silver and black vehicles out there.

BACK to my story. Since I have been happy with the Yamaha stack and many other Yamaha components over the decades, I started looking at vintage ones to replace my ailing 500U. Holy Mackerel, sellers are asking crazy money! Plus, what is the guarantee that they will also not break down? None whatsoever. To my delight, Yamaha makes three new ones! 

Don't you just love an unboxing?

All three are virtually identical. The '301 puts out 60 WPC, the '501: 85 WPC and top-of-the-line 701  puts out 105 WPC and has one more circuit and switch.

(Images courtesy of Yamaha)

We live in northern Virginia. In Charlottesville (Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, is nearby) which is in the middle of the state, is a company called Crutchfield.  My wife surprised me many years ago by buying a pair of BOSE 301 speakers which she purchased from Crutchfield. She was hoping that I would use them rather than the large speakers with 15" woofers I was using in the living room. I did not, but have been using them in this room for many years in this room. They sound surprisingly good in concert with my Klipsch KG4 speakers. The Bose' are mounted up by the ceiling. Directly above the KG4s. I wrote an article about that: The Robb Collections: A GREAT way to mount your BOSE 301 speakers for excellent sound!

I have to apologize for my going off on tangents. I have some OCD tendencies and maybe a little ADHD as well. "Look! A chicken!"

So, anyway, Crutchfield, which does NOT sell crutches, had the Yamaha A-S301 units for fifty dollars below retail at $349 with free shipping. To my delight, it arrived the next day! Take THAT, Jeff Bezos!

Cameras and stereo components, whether silver or black, are difficult to photograph because their surfaces are so susceptible to reflections of light sources. This is the best of many attempts to capture the stack.

This is what the vintage Yamaha TX-500U tuner looks like when it is on and receiving. It is THE best tuner I have ever tried. On that subject, the remote which accompanies this Yamaha series of integrated amplifier also controls their matching tuner and CD player. I could not find even a photo of said tuner! This is the first integrated amplifier I have owned which can use a remote control. My 1990's Dynaco PAT-6 Preamp/Tuner is also the first preamplifier I have ever owned with a remote controller. It comes in handy since I can't reach it without getting up and walking across the room.

The angle at which this photo was taken exaggerates the size difference. New one is atop the old.

AS you can see here, they are the same size, except the '301 is deeper. Now, let's compare the business ends of both units. I put the '301 underneath the 500U, this time.

They both have the same number and types of inputs and outputs. Just different names. The exception being that the 500U has terminals titled: ACCESSORY for an equalizer or other such device. I used them with a tube buffer. The funny looking silver things in the phono inputs of the 500U are called "Shorting Plugs". In said inputs, they prevent RFI signals from being picked up by the much more sensitive (and open) phono inputs. I moved them to the '301's phono inputs, since I do not have a place (or need) for a turntable in this room. The listening room is right next door...

Both units have well made three-way binding/banana plug speaker terminals. There is an Ohms setting switch on the '301. The new unit lacks AC plugs which the 500U does have. Fortunately, the vintage tuner stores the saved stations for a while when unplugged.

Also, the '301 has a USB 5 volt DC outlet (not used for digital inputs) and a toslink optical input and RCA digital input which I could use with the OPPO player, should I chose to. It would be interesting to hear if there is an audible difference...

For the final comparison, the insides of new verses old. The photo above is of a silver unit and is courtesy of Yamaha.

The 37-year-old Yamaha is quite nasty inside. Not surprising at all. It is also quite simple compared to the 21st Century unit. Both do the same job well, however. Note the size difference of the heatsinks for the power transistors. 

I don't see any type of temperature sensor on the 500U's heatsink, unless this is it (below).

See the folded piece of copper holding two tiny objects against the heatsink? They look more like transistors to me.

So, the REAL question which I am certain is in your mind, "How does the new one sound compared to the old?" Why, I am glad you asked. Night and Day! 

Immediately, as the first tune began to play, I was stunned and pleased to hear JUST how much better the new one sounded! The sound is more open, airy and it's easier to pick out each instrument or voice on the audible soundstage. I could NOT be happier!

One one little nitpick is the LEDs around the Source knob are very tiny and not very bright. I have to be looking straight at it to see what I am selecting. A good thing is that Yamaha has kept the same font and size of the lettering over the many decades. So, aside from it being SO clean compared to all the other equipment, it looks right at home.

Were I not SO happy with the components in the listening room system (above) and I wanted to spend a lot of money (which I do not!) I would look into Yamaha preamplifiers and power amps, if they make them.

I just went through my list of integrated amps and receivers to see how many I have owned: One integrated amp: A-700. And seven receivers of various sizes and abilities. likely nothing made in this Century. 

Oh, I just remembered, here is the link to my previous article about upgrading the cheap Chinese DIY tube buffer to an AIYIMA preamp which uses "better" tubes. The Robb Collections: Review of AIYIMA T2 6K4 Tube Preamplifier Can this Solid Little Asian Beauty Sing? 

Thank you SO much for taking the time to read this lengthy article. I no longer belong to any Facebook audio/stereo groups except Dynaco ones. So, I don't know how many of you will see this. My most popular article by far, is this one: The Robb Collections: PROTON Audio, NAD and Dynaco are Cousins. Inventor of Dynamic Power on Demand Amplifiers. 

Feel free to leave a comment below or on Facebook. 

Scott Robb

May 14, 2024

#478