Classical Music Radio stations ONLINE

[Roger Webb]

Rutter: Suite Antique / Duke Dobing / City of London Sinfonia / Rutter on BR Klassik online -- although the orchestra is erroneously listed as the London Sinfonietta on the BR Klassik website (unlikely rep for the Sinfonietta, methinks). Streamed at 256 kb/s mp3 so inferior to R3's 320 kb/s AAC. Is there a higher bitrate version of BR Klassik, I wonder ?...

Yes via VRadio App. which has AAC 192k, which is much better than MP3 at 256.....VRadio usually gives a choice of all the available codecs and bitrates. As was said above, VRadio is best on Android.

[DracoM]

Thx for iinfo / ref.

[Maclintick]

Yes via VRadio App. which has AAC 192k, which is much better than MP3 at 256.....VRadio usually gives a choice of all the available codecs and bitrates. As was said above, VRadio is best on Android.

Thanks, Roger. Now casting from an Android phone at 192k AAC to my elderly Cambridge Audio streamer. Sounds nice and clear. I'll have to investigate settings on the streamer to see if the AAC stream is available to load as a preset.

[Roger Webb]

Thanks, Roger. Now casting from an Android phone at 192k AAC to my elderly Cambridge Audio streamer. Sounds nice and clear. I'll have to investigate settings on the streamer to see if the AAC stream is available to load as a preset.

If you can find the URL you may be able to load it into the streamer - I've no experience of the Cambridge OS. I mainly use VRadio on my main system for concerts in the evening, until recently even BBC Radio 3 was available on VRadio, but the BBC are busy making it harder to use their services - too many 'customers' perhaps!

One unique (?) feature of VR is its record function - but this is limited to 128kbts.

[richardfinegold]

If you can find the URL you may be able to load it into the streamer - I've no experience of the Cambridge OS. I mainly use VRadio on my main system for concerts in the evening, until recently even BBC Radio 3 was available on VRadio, but the BBC are busy making it harder to use their services - too many 'customers' perhaps!

One unique (?) feature of VR is its record function - but this is limited to 128kbts.

As I noted up thread it was easy to add YLE to CA Stream Magic as a preset

[Maclintick]

As I noted up thread it was easy to add YLE to CA Stream Magic as a preset

Yes, thanks Richard. I added the YLE and BR Klassik streams as presets many moons ago, but on my device (Azur 851N) BR Klassik defaulted to 256 kb/s mp3. What is your equivalent BR stream delivered at ? Believe me, I have no desire to stream from an Android phone, but as noted in #63, I'll have to do a bit more digging to ascertain whether there's a superior solution available within the CA implementation ( s'pose I should check for firmware updates for starters...)

[Roger Webb]

As I noted up thread it was easy to add YLE to CA Stream Magic as a preset

Yes but Maclintick was asking about AAC stream for BR-Klassik not YLE - I thought he might be able to add the URL for this stream manually to the Cambridge.

[Roger Webb]

For those exploring alternatives to Radio 3, and have tried the likes of YLE, they may like to take a listen to Cesky rozhlas (D-dur). A good selection in the morning of complete works (!), through to 15.00 when they have a programme for beginners where they play bits and pieces and explain about them....so they say, but I can't understand a word of Czech. They go back to full works and concerts in the evening.

https://d-dur.rozhlas.cz/program#/2025-02-12

As usual the best stream is on VRadio, a choice is offered incl. (for the audiophile) Flac 944k! In the kitchen I use the Ogg Vorbis 224k which is perfectly ok.

[AuntDaisy]

For those exploring alternatives to Radio 3, and have tried the likes of YLE, they may like to take a listen to Cesky rozhlas (D-dur). A good selection in the morning of complete works (!), through to 15.00 when they have a programme for beginners where they play bits and pieces and explain about them....so they say, but I can't understand a word of Czech. They go back to full works and concerts in the evening.

https://d-dur.rozhlas.cz/program#/2025-02-12

As usual the best stream is on VRadio, a choice is offered incl. (for the audiophile) Flac 944k! In the kitchen I use the Ogg Vorbis 224k which is perfectly ok.

Thanks Roger, that's very interesting & useful. (I'm working with Czechs, who all speak perfect English!)

Just trying out their "550 sonát Domenica Scarlattiho" archive.

[Roger Webb]

Thanks Roger, that's very interesting & useful. (I'm working with Czechs, who all speak perfect English!)

Yes, I had a dear (American) friend who moved his bookshop to Prague in the early 90s, and despite his concerted effort never learned the language, but all his Czech friends spoke perfect English.... embarrassing isn't it?!

[AuntDaisy]

Yes, I had a dear (American) friend who moved his bookshop to Prague in the early 90s, and despite his concerted effort never learned the language, but all his Czech friends spoke perfect English.... embarrassing isn't it?!

As a linguistically challenged Brit, I'm used to it. or
7 years lviing in Denmark, and my Danish was still terrible. C'est la vie.

[richardfinegold]

Yes, thanks Richard. I added the YLE and BR Klassik streams as presets many moons ago, but on my device (Azur 851N) BR Klassik defaulted to 256 kb/s mp3. What is your equivalent BR stream delivered at ? Believe me, I have no desire to stream from an Android phone, but as noted in #63, I'll have to do a bit more digging to ascertain whether there's a superior solution available within the CA implementation ( s'pose I should check for firmware updates for starters...)

I’m away from home at present so I can’t check the bit rate on the stream for BR, but I thought it was very good on my CXN 100. I don’t use the included DAC in the CA. Do you use the Stream Magic app?

[gurnemanz]

For those exploring alternatives to Radio 3, and have tried the likes of YLE, they may like to take a listen to Cesky rozhlas (D-dur). A good selection in the morning of complete works (!), through to 15.00 when they have a programme for beginners where they play bits and pieces and explain about them....so they say, but I can't understand a word of Czech. They go back to full works and concerts in the evening.

https://d-dur.rozhlas.cz/program#/2025-02-12

As usual the best stream is on VRadio, a choice is offered incl. (for the audiophile) Flac 944k! In the kitchen I use the Ogg Vorbis 224k which is perfectly ok.

I'll second Cesky rozhlas, whch is one of the regulars on the fairly well-stocked pre-set list of my streamer.

Having tried both approaches, I by far prefer to listen to internet stations directly through my streamer/tuner rather than use one of those computer apps. You have access to all sources in one place, since it also links to DAB (FM if you want), Spotify and any plugged-in USB stick or AUX. (I have a tiny but massive 512GB Flash Drive permanently attached, which contains all my downloaded music). All can also be conveniently remote-controlled either from UNDOK on my phone or RadioRemote on my laptop and played thence through an optical cable straight to amp and speakers. Also all works for the Roberts Stream 93i bedside radio.

[Roger Webb]

I'll second Cesky rozhlas, whch is one of the regulars on the fairly well-stocked pre-set list of my streamer.

Having tried both approaches, I by far prefer to listen to internet stations directly through my streamer/tuner rather than use one of those computer apps. You have access to all sources in one place, since it also links to DAB (FM if you want), Spotify and any plugged-in USB stick or AUX. (I have a tiny but massive 512GB Flash Drive permanently attached, which contains all my downloaded music). All can also be conveniently remote-controlled either from UNDOK on my phone or RadioRemote on my laptop and played thence through an optical cable straight to amp and speakers. Also all works for the Roberts Stream 93i bedside radio.

Glad to find another Cesky listener!

I do agree about the convenience of using a streamer for 'everything'. I use a Quad streamer/preamp with its Play-fi control app. for Qobuz and all the foreign internet radio stations...but as the internet radio part is provided by VTuner (via Play-fi), the streams are not always the best available (see other comments about restricted bitrates above).

The big problem for a lot of streamer users is that the BBC has taken away access to its streams. Until quite recently Play-fi had BBC streams at AAC 320, which was fine, now they are silent....I now have to use Sounds App which, unless I use Bluetooth, I have to use my other tablet plugged into the DAC input on the Quad. It's not much of a problem - I already do this for VRadio.....but I do resent not being able to listen to BBC stations on the streamer (which I bought for the purpose!) in the same way that I can every other classical music station in the world!!.... and this in the country in which I pay my licence fee!!!

[Maclintick]

I’m away from home at present so I can’t check the bit rate on the stream for BR, but I thought it was very good on my CXN 100. I don’t use the included DAC in the CA. Do you use the Stream Magic app?

Today, after spending several fruitless hours attempting to load internet radio URLs into Stream Magic and, inter alia, iTunes, I feel I'm now well-qualified to start a blog entitled Misadventures in StreamingLand. Not having much interaction with iTunes for quite a while, and having happily listened to YLE, BR Klassik & Cesky on this platform before, I now find that they're unavailable, as is R3. No worries, I can cast from VRadio on my android phone in good quality without being forced to choose from the multiple choices of dreck decreed as acceptable by Apple...