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Why does FM sound better than AM?

(www.johndcook.com)
259 points zdw | 2 comments | 13 Oct 24 22:32 UTC | HN request time: 0.406s | source
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Optimal_Persona ◴[14 Oct 24 00:37 UTC] No.41833049[source]▶
Also the audio frequency bandwidth is narrower on AM, so fewer treble frequencies.

TBH I think music from up to the late '60s (especially if originally released in mono) sounds really good, or at least more "era-appropriate" on AM radio. I remember my grandparents tuning in to easy-listening AM stations as I grew up in the '70s and '80s, to my ear Tennessee Ernie Ford's "16 Tons" or a classic Phil Spector "Wall of Sound" production sounds more "right" coming through the AM bands.

And, in the age of cellphone speakers and compressed MP3/Bluetooth codecs - I'm not sure how much people actually care about audio quality.

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1. userbinator ◴[14 Oct 24 10:27 UTC] No.41836121[source]▶
TBH I think music from up to the late '60s (especially if originally released in mono) sounds really good, or at least more "era-appropriate" on AM radio.

That music also sounds more era-appropriate coming from a vinyl record than a CD.

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2. ◴[14 Oct 24 19:59 UTC] No.41841284[source]▶