Warning: Once You Cross the Gates of Radio-Philia, There Is No Going Back

Through this website, I have been in communication with a recent "radio convert," someone who suddenly loves radios and, like me, demands the best performance in them. He has recently written me:

Indeed, radio lovers can't be cured.

I'm perilously close to pulling the trigger on an Eton S350DL, even though I'm perfectly satisfied with my Kaito KA2100.

I should be all set. I have the perfect bedside radio, an ideal all-purpose radio, and a good pocket-sized portable. And yet I want the Eton S350DL. Sheez.

Notice the reader writes, "I should be all set." He is wrong. Radio lovers, myself included, are never "all set." There is always a new radio we think we can't pass up. We love to fall in love with radios. Sometimes we'll fall out of love with a radio only to fall in love with it, inexplicably, all over again.

I don't even know why I love radios so much. I'm not an engineer. I didn't grow up collecting radios. It's a mystery. One Fall day in 2004 at the age of 43 I walked into Circuit City on a whim. I didn't really want to buy anything with any urgency, but there it was, a blue Tivoli PAL for $130. I told my wife I wanted it and she approved. The incident seemed innocuous, but I had no idea that I had just entered the Gates of Radio-Philia for which there is no return. Two months later, I walked into Circuit City intent on buying a digital radio with presets. I was less than impressed with the speaker sound on the little Grundig radios, so I instead bought a Grundig S350. The S350's pseudo-military design ignited sparks in the reptilian centers of my brain. After that, I started reading radio reviews onRadioIntel and soon I had to get all the radios featured on the site including the Kaito 1101, 1102, and 1103. I'm sure I purchased over 50 radios and have spent around $5,000 during the last four years. I've sold many of them. I keep buying new ones.

The good news: I don't collect super expensive items like espresso machines, tailored suits, titanium watches, sport cars.

A possible explanation: I sometimes think radio lovers are looking for escape. Like everyone else, we get frustrated with all sorts of things and we feel helpless as we watch the news about our world going to hell in a hand basket. The radio is a refuge, an escape, and gives us a sense of control. I'll say to myself, "Yeah, the world is going to hell, but, wow, doesn't my Eton S350 really grab 89.3 FM with boldness and clarity!"

An annoying thing about being a radio lover: One thing that I find laughable about myself is that I see myself as having superior radio knowledge to the average person and stupidly I feel that this knowledge gives me a significant "advantage." I'll go to someone's house and sniff with contempt at their crappy Teac radio and think to myself, "What a poor lost soul. This is definitely someone who needs my help." So in fact being a radio lover has turned me into a supercilious know-it-all. How very annoying.

To conclude, I will continue to pursue my radio passion on this website, as my radio virus remains strong and there is not a vaccine or antidote on the horizon. At the same time, I laugh at myself as I am surely not blind to the absurdities of my obsession.

Through this website, I have been in communication with a recent "radio convert," someone who suddenly loves radios and, like me, demands the best performance in them. He has recently written me:

Indeed, radio lovers can't be cured.

I'm perilously close to pulling the trigger on an Eton S350DL, even though I'm perfectly satisfied with my Kaito KA2100.

I should be all set. I have the perfect bedside radio, an ideal all-purpose radio, and a good pocket-sized portable. And yet I want the Eton S350DL. Sheez.

Notice the reader writes, "I should be all set." He is wrong. Radio lovers, myself included, are never "all set." There is always a new radio we think we can't pass up. We love to fall in love with radios. Sometimes we'll fall out of love with a radio only to fall in love with it, inexplicably, all over again.

I don't even know why I love radios so much. I'm not an engineer. I didn't grow up collecting radios. It's a mystery. One Fall day in 2004 at the age of 43 I walked into Circuit City on a whim. I didn't really want to buy anything with any urgency, but there it was, a blue Tivoli PAL for $130. I told my wife I wanted it and she approved. The incident seemed innocuous, but I had no idea that I had just entered the Gates of Radio-Philia for which there is no return. Two months later, I walked into Circuit City intent on buying a digital radio with presets. I was less than impressed with the speaker sound on the little Grundig radios, so I instead bought a Grundig S350. The S350's pseudo-military design ignited sparks in the reptilian centers of my brain. After that, I started reading radio reviews onRadioIntel and soon I had to get all the radios featured on the site including the Kaito 1101, 1102, and 1103. I'm sure I purchased over 50 radios and have spent around $5,000 during the last four years. I've sold many of them. I keep buying new ones.

The good news: I don't collect super expensive items like espresso machines, tailored suits, titanium watches, sport cars.

A possible explanation: I sometimes think radio lovers are looking for escape. Like everyone else, we get frustrated with all sorts of things and we feel helpless as we watch the news about our world going to hell in a hand basket. The radio is a refuge, an escape, and gives us a sense of control. I'll say to myself, "Yeah, the world is going to hell, but, wow, doesn't my Eton S350 really grab 89.3 FM with boldness and clarity!"

An annoying thing about being a radio lover: One thing that I find laughable about myself is that I see myself as having superior radio knowledge to the average person and stupidly I feel that this knowledge gives me a significant "advantage." I'll go to someone's house and sniff with contempt at their crappy Teac radio and think to myself, "What a poor lost soul. This is definitely someone who needs my help." So in fact being a radio lover has turned me into a supercilious know-it-all. How very annoying.

To conclude, I will continue to pursue my radio passion on this website, as my radio virus remains strong and there is not a vaccine or antidote on the horizon. At the same time, I laugh at myself as I am surely not blind to the absurdities of my obsession.

Comments

[Ed S.]

KCAL news just ran a tease about there being a medical connection between hearing and cravings...seems like that's our problem, whatever it is.

[jeffrey McMahon]

People with good hearing have intense cravings? Or rather people who hear a high volume of content get big cravings?

[Michael Brent]

Yeah, the 350DL is hard to resist. Its big with lots of knobs and that cool blue
backlight. And its only a hundred bucks. Its a wonder we all dont have one already.
I myself am currently fighting a reacurring craving for a G5.
I already have too many radios so this is not based on anything rational.
RadioIntel sure as hell doesn't help with its constant reviews ( many Im sure written by the similarly afflicted). It can only be considered an ENABLER.

[doby14]

I still find myself wanting the Eton S350DL,though I enjoy my Kaito 2100 as much as ever.

Fortunately, I can't think of where I would listen to it. The Kaito 2100 is my companion when I'm working on the computer at home, and I just bring it into the kitchen when I'm cooking, or down to the basement when I'm doing laundry.

I suppose I could keep the Eton 350 in the kitchen, but so far I've resisted the urge to buy it just for that purpose.

[Michael Brent]

I just bought a Sony ICF36 for the bathroom.
Somebody stop me.

[jeffrey McMahon]

The owner of a Kaito 2100, Ed came over and listened to my C.Crane CSW, a supposed clone. He and I agree that the 2100 has a much better speaker sound. You won't notice this difference with talk but with music the CSW sounds muffled and harsh whereas the 2100 sounds fine.

To make matters worse, I once had the 2100 but it went on the fritz and I had to return it and replace it with the inferior CSW.

Jeff

[kr]

yeah, i just "won" a grundig 960 on ebay... i guess its a reproduction of an old radio. with bad reviews and has been discontinued. tell me why i bid on that again? i guess cause i thought i was getting a "deal"...

[jeffrey McMahon]

If the 960 performs well, let me know.

[Tom Welch]

Checkout the new analog Sangean radio: http://www.sangean.com/product.php?model=WR-11&prod_id=57

[Ed S.]

I like those Grundig classic reproductions! Not the real thing of course, but for the price it's good sounding and attractive. In fact, I resold two of them at a nice profit on Amazon to buyers who are nostalgic former owners of the real thing I beleive.

[Ed S.]

Wow Tom, that Sangean looks like a direct challenge to the Tivoli. I like it, I like it!

[Ed S.]

Also see that Sangean has a 2nd-generation HD tuner--
http://www.sangean.com/product.php?model=HDT-1X&prod_id=41

[Michael Brent]

God we are like alcholics at a meeting reading a bar menu.

[Michael Brent]

God , we are like drunks at an AA meeting reading a bar menu.

[jeffrey McMahon]

Tom, that Sangean WR-11 looks very attractive even though it lacks a telescopic antenna.

I imagine its FM is as strong as the WR-2, but wonder about the AM. That would be something if it was the same ferrite antenna as the PR-D5.