1 of 1- RadioActive
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Can You Tell The Difference Between An AM And FM Recording?
On the day KNX Los Angeles switched from an FM simulcast of its AM all news format to all sports, my favourite radio writer, Richard Wagoner, conducted a test. He recorded a sample of an AM signal from the station and a second from its FM counterpart, before they dropped the simulcast.
He put both of them up on his Internet site and challenged listeners to distinguish between the FM signal and the other band. It's not quite fair - the online quality changes the sound of AM a bit. But it's still an interesting test. Can you tell which sample is from 1070 AM and which was 97.1 FM?
Take the test and answer a few questions about the experience here.
- Jody Thornton
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Re: Can You Tell The Difference Between An AM And FM Recording?
But that's just it - MOST PEOPLE don't have access to wideband AM reception, unless they're Fitz from here on SOWNY or VWestlife from YouTube. I am familiar with it, because I messed around with a lot of AM Stereo tuners in the 80s, and of course, working at AM stations later on. Hearing the air feed through a mod monitor would allow for a similar experience.
So it has nothing to do with being online. It's just that in your car, you're like getting audio response cut off at 2.5 to 3 KHz. Just terrible!
Cheers,
Jody Thornton
- tvguy
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Re: Can You Tell The Difference Between An AM And FM Recording?
LA is a lot different than here. Reception of KNX is pretty good on the LA freeways, Santa Monica Blvd, etc. Few high rises, no streetcar lines. Even the high rise apartments on Santa Monica are far apart and set way way back from the roadway. CFTR reception was bad 5 years ago the last time that I had AM in my car, on St. Clair West - TTC streetcar wires, high rises at Yonge-St. Clair and now the tall buildings span all the way west past Christie St.. But CFTR audio on KISS FM HD-2 is really good and CFTR audio on Tune-in is just as good.
- tdotwriter
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Re: Can You Tell The Difference Between An AM And FM Recording?
I completed the survey. For "Which sample do you think sounds better?" I answered Sample 2. Sample 2 has a much warmer and more natural sound that I find more comfortable to listen to. For "Which sample do you think is recorded off of the FM signal?" I answered Sample 1. Sample 1 seems to me to have a cleaner, richer sound to it typical of FM even if it's also "colder" and more "sterile" than Sample 2.
Like most of the general public, I've never heard wide-bandwidth AM audio firsthand, but Sample 2 of the KNX audio still reminds me of the "warmth" of a strong and clean AM signal versus the richness and crispness of FM.