I Love LA wrote:
I am thinking of getting ride of my Drake R8 which I have had for
about 13 years and buying a JRC NRD-545.
Would you do it? If so why or why not.
Please don't recommend the r75 or the AOR7030+. I have already ruled
them out.

I had of both of them in the past. Wow, that's a tough decision, but in
my opinion when you weigh the pluses and minuses, the NRD-545 beats the
R8. The R8 has better audio (better bass and a more powerful audio
amp), and perhaps a slightly better synch detector. The 545 is an
ergonomic dream, much easier to use than the R8's somewhat clunky
"menu". The 545 is also built much better than the R8, and will
probably last much longer. JRC radios are famous for their construction
and reliability. The R8's selectivity can be a bit better in some
situations when you're trying to dig out a weak signal extremely close
to a strong signal, but in most situations the 545's selectivity is
very good. The 545 is more sensitive on LW than the R8, if that matters
to you. If you get a 545, be aware that the DSP parameters have to be
set correctly for the DSP to work well. For some reason they're not set
optimally out of the box.

All I can tell you is I replaced my R8B with a 545, and was never
sorry. The 545 is an excellent radio. But now I have a Ten-Tec RX340,
which is the best radio I ever had.