Kenwood for the win cant beat the sound.

Another fine video Mike, I have enjoyed watching your content throughout 2023. Season greetings. M7COF

I still like superhets , IMHO they just sound better to my ears. I'm not knocking SDR rigs , I just like the sound of them. I own 2 old Kenwood TS-850s(at)s and they both have mechanical filters in them , for digital and CW they are extremely clean and excellent Superhets. They still hold their own against my modern rigs. Kenwood builds excellent radios.

Mike, I’m returning to amradio ops after decades, re learning because of the advances, I find your channel educational and inspiring. I’m after a Kenwood 890 just not ready yet, my icom 706 is being dusted off and a dedicated radio “shack” being built at the back… 2024 will have me back on the wigglies ASAP… in the meantime keep doin what you do. Yerraguddun ! 😉 Best wishes to everyone. 💙 73

Kenwood every time for me 🤩

Ive only ever owned Kenwood transceiver's Ts570D then a TS 870 Twenty years using that ❤ and Ive just purchased a new TS890 😊 Blown away by the receiver 😮 Happy new year Mike 73 Ralph

The one radio I regret selling was my first HF one, a Kenwood TS690S, fitted all the filters to it, got the DSP and loved the sound that came out of it. I'd get another, but theres no room in the shack for it. I know for one my next HF radio will be back to Kenwood, as much as I love the Icom 7300/9600 and 705.

Nice to see Lord Callum pay you a visit to help. All looking good now. You will be taking part in the UKAC contests before you know it 😂😂, 73

Absolutely a beautiful setup sir cheers from down under 🇦🇺

Love the kenwoods

Hi Mike, happy new year! Last October, I purchased the Yaesu FTdx-101MP, most expensive radio purchase I have ever made before but have bought many sweet radios over the years! I boxed up my 3 year old Icom IC-7300 in its original box with all the styrofoam protectors, plastic bags then sealed it up and gave it to my dad. I then sent it through UPS to my dad in sunny Arizona, a 1200 mile trip. He's 81 and will really enjoy it after a bit of a learning curve. I would've bought the Kenwood TS-990S but the $8,000 - $8700 price tag made the look on my wife's face say it all, I'll just settle for the $4,900 yaesu!

I'm glad you brought the 890 back out to play Mike. I love that radio. Have a great new yr mate, we need more videos from you. 73.

Both great radios, I have an FTDX10 and have no complaints

That Kenwood is a very nice tranciever. I wish Kenwood would bring out some new HF radio's. May a high end one and a budget unit. The FTDX10 is a little processed sounding using it noise cancelling. A very Happy New Year Mike. David M0DUU

I do not have a TS890, but I do have a FTDX-10 in my small apartment in a rural area, working with a ATAS 120 yaesu mobile antenna and another comet also mobile antenna on my porch. I have to say it works so nice, great selectivity, sensitivity. I am working mostly CW and therfore less affected from the "metalic sound" of the digital filtering. A great transceiver.

Thank you, Mike and "Happy New Year". Your channel has been a mainstay of my shack throughout the year. Take care! -KQ4KIO 73

My TS 890 looks so nice on the desk!!! The receiver can't compete with my FTDX 101 or my FTDX 10. I prefer the looks of the 890. My ears prefer the Yaesu receiver.

Brilliant review, Kenwood sounds amazing

Interesting! By comparison, the Yaesu audio sounds digitised and muddy - almost as if it does aggressive noise reduction to eliminate all white noise (is there perhaps a menu where you can control the level of noise reduction on the Yaesu?). Unfortunately this also cuts out useful audio. The Kenwood doesn't seem to be doing this, and leaves in some critical high frequency audio that our brains need in order to process details like sibilants and plosives, as well as the mid-range sounds that gives a voice it's "nice-ness". The little bit of white noise that comes through with the Kenwood is easily ignored, because we can concentrate more effectively on what is being said. You can easily emulate this by taking a bit of audio recorded on a very windy day, and then use something like Audacity to get rid of all the noise. In the end you can get rid of the noise, but the audio that is left is rather unpleasant.

I just got the new Kenwood TH-D75A handheld a week ago. What a nice radio! I love it, did not think it was over-priced at all. Unlike some people.

Sherwood tests are one thing, ears are another. On a day to day basis, the ears will always matter more. (Unless you’re mad I suppose.)

I struggled to understand why you'd box Kenwood for that Yaesu but I'm happy to see that you're back on track. I just passed my licence (full licence) and would love an HF rig but struggle financially at the moment (baby on the way). Will look at a used Kenwood ts590s from a local Ham. For now I'm stuck with Anytone 878 HT. Anyway have fun and 73. SP2HF

Initially I had a Kenwood TS-590sg, then traded that in for an Icom 7610, thinking that would be an upgrade. Wrong the only improvement was the waterfall display! The audio and filtration wasn’t as good, ergonomically it wasn’t eight for me and the build quality wasn’t as good as the Kenwood. The controls were sloppy. So I traded it in for the Kenwood TS-890. What a beautiful radio. Everything is better in my opinion. It is a pleasure to operate, and looks good too. Thanks for the video. Keep up the good work. The reorg of the shack looks good too. (G4BDW).

Look great having the Kenwood back in line hope you get a lot more QSO’s Happy New Year brother

I got started using a Kenwood HF radio, and they are definitely my preferred radios since I got used to their controls. If I had the money, I would get a TS-890 (or TS-990), but until then, I will keep my TS-940s front and center in my shack (I also have TS-480SAT, TS-430s, a pair of TS-440s's, and a broken TS-520s).

God that DSP is so watery sounding ... from another era when Noise Reduction was not perfected. I'd completely turn it off on the lower bands like 10 meters which you have no noise on anyway. Everything sounds like it's under water. Having said that, congratulations on this Christmas for getting a magnificent jewel of a radio! Enjoy it always my friend

Glad to see the Kenwood back. Happy New Year Mike. 73 Joe

I always enjoy your vids Mike HNY.

Great video Mike. Loved the Christmas quiz that was so funny. Happy new year to you and the family 73

My lord it sounds good! Hard to believe its ssb

Cheers Mike for the video, I also find the Yeasu sound a bit harsh on it's inbuilt speaker (FT991A this end) but much better with an outboard speaker which is how I run it. 73's de G4LEN.

Nice video, strong Kenwood! Have splendid new year 🌲🙂

I can’t believe anyone would replace the 890 with the Yaesu? I’m a Diehard ICOM MAN and I have heard several guys that got rid of their TS-990 and replaced it with the 890 because they said it’s overall a better radio.I have never operated either but they both look very nice.I Love very large radios and the ICOM 7851/7850 would be my Dream Radio for sure.Smart move on your part with putting the 890 back on the desk.👍👏🎙

Happy new year Mike, love your clips very helpful.

Happy New year Mike. I have a Kenwood ts590s and I love it. 2W0IEP 73

890 is definitely better sounding, but at that price it should be! 😂 FT-DX10 is certainly a nice radio though. Still need to convince my YL (and find the time) to set my gear up again. Hope you and the family are well Mike. Wishing you all the best for the New Year. Best wishes from "The Muff".

When it comes to ergonomics, build quality, and SWL pleasure, my FT-710, DX10, and 101D are no match for my 590SG. I can only imagine how great the 890 must be!

Had the dx10 and icom 7610 all good radios got rid just love my ts890 suits my style the only other radio i have is a fully loaded icom 9100 happy now with station setup now

Allot of HAM’s rush to get what’s new but don’t take into consideration what they really like about the radios they already have! The only Kenwood I own is a TH-D74 which I really like but as far as HF I own Icom 7300 & 7610 and I do love my Icom 9700 and 705. When I first got in the Hobby I never planned on being so heavily into Icom’s but it’s just where I ended up! Plus I loved my 7300 so much after operating it for 5+ years and tried a Flex 6400M and while it did have a nice display I just didn’t like it over my Icom’s! 73 and thanks for the video!

Great shack and well-done video! 73 de WA3RSL

I agree the Kenwood audio sounds less processed, however, the FtDx10 is 1300 pounds where as the Kenwood 890 is 4000 pounds.

Agreed the Kenwood sounds much better. I am pondering what I am going to do with all the extra power coming my way shortly ? My 450D is up for it though lol. 73 & Happy New Year Mike .M7BLC

Hi Mike - great video as always. / Mark, 2E0MSR

So much for Sherwood reports:) I suggest you make the most of the Kenwood, I can't see them remaining committed to AR. Here in VK Kenwood is no longer available from local sources following Kenwood's withdrawal from the admittedly small VK market

It's clear that the Kenwood is by far better sounding and a gazillion times better looking, I do admit I'm biased owning a TS-990 😄

Excellent setup now

Hi Mike I agree that the Kenwood audio is less processed, but we listen to digital audio all the time on 2m "D-Star, DMR, & C4FM" so the digital sound is becoming the norm I had a Kenwood TS690 which had no noise reduction and most of the time I couldn't listen to HF due to all the back ground noise it was just to wearing for me. Just for the record I now own a FTDX10 so I may be a bit biased, In my opinion the FTDX10 is a fantastic radio. On a strong HF ssb station it's like listening to FM just zero background noise. as you can minimise the amount of digital noise reduction by reducing the RF gain. On weaker signals you do require more Digital Noise reduction which does sound over processed, but I can live with that to reduce the noise. One last point there is a massive price difference between the 2 radios The TS890 is around £4000 and the FTDX10 is around £1300 not everyone can afford a TS890 and to my ears there not £2700 of sound difference. Watch all your videos and the best radio is the one that makes you want to use it.

I am normally a yaesu guy, but comparing these two, side by side, I choose the Kenwood.

Both sounded a bit garbled to my ears but that maybe just the Mic you were recording the video with. I quite enjoy my DX10 but i couldn’t understand you switching from that fantastic 890. 😂

The best part of switching back to the Kenwood, no dust bunnies to clean 😂

I used an FTDX10 for a while, basically liked it but the ergonomics ground me down, now happily using an FTDX101MP. The noise reduction does do an impressive job but can be tiring to listen to. It is unclear whether DNR was active on your Yaesu or how the AGC parameters etc were set, all in all they are all great performing rigs and it is all down to user preference. 73 and Happy New Year

The Kenwood is just a far classier, more refined looking radio. From build quality perspective it seems like comparing a Rolls Royce to a Ford. The Yaesu looks cheap with no thought given to the aesthetics. And yes, I own a FTDX-10 so I'm not a Kenwood fanboy. Regarding receive audio, I also prefer the Kenwood

It's whatever your preference is.

Thinking about making the upgrade from Yaesu FT-991a to the TS-890S, but still keeping the 991a

The Kenwood has much better audio. The dsp on the Yaesu makes the background noise less. Kenwood has poor, substandard noise reduction compared to the other Japanese OEM’s in my opinion. Congratulations on owning two fabulous HF rigs.

I use the TS990S, excellent, most flexible on the market but not the best RX, however, I don’t do Dxing so it doesnt need to be. Also have nice analogue radios and prefer the audio… but the Kenwood range are my preferred modern radios.. TS 890S, reported to be slightly better in RX..

@5.38 hi Callum 😂

Yaesu has more DSP filter "ringing" or harshness, especially on sudden, loud changes in voice amplitude.

Hey Mike, at 05:35, there's a protective cover on top of the 890, is this something you made yourself or is it something commercially available? Can you give me more details please as I just have an old mouse mat on top of my 890. Thanks.

Internal speaker of the TS-890 is too small for use in noisy environments. During JOTA the scouts are unable to use the radio without an external speaker. I did not see the knob turn, how did you tune?

I will be moving to Italy in September and will finally be able to get to erect some form of HF antenna. If all goes well I will be looking for a new radio. I have had my eye on the TS590SG but seeing the TS890s in operation I am not so sure now. 73 de G0LQP

M0MSN, any chance you could or already have a video on your 9700 how you set that up on D-Star in UK?

Hi Mike.. I got the ftdx10 brand new from Martin lynch..I had it one month and got rid I did not like it whatsoever it was a bad sound splattered with digital processors...it sound rubbish..I now use my icom 7410 again old school but it sounds a lot better than the dx10..over rated if I was asked for the price. £1500

Current US price (at DX Engineering) for the TS-890S is $4,330. The FT-DX10 is offered at $1,600. I would hope you would get "something" more for a radio costing 2.7 times more. It is not clear to me if the RX settings (filters, equalizers, DSP levels) are set more or less equally in this comparison. There is no doubt about it, the Kenwood sounds a lot better and would be much easier listening over a long period. That big 7" display is certainly easier on the eyes.

Fab

If you wanna pay almost 4 times the price of the FTDX 10, then we would all have a 890 .

That dx10 don't compare to the Kenwood's, but they aren't in the same price range. I have the 990, and it blows most radio's out of the water.

I understand that you were comparing SSB Audio between the Yaesu and the Kenwood. I just wonder if you were listening to CW whether you would feel the same way? Mark KB3Z

In my opinion the Sherwood reports are useless to an individual shack, it wouldn't surprise me if he gets freebies from yaesu 😅. Im icom and Kenwood all the way and after my experience and also what friends have experienced i would never ever buy another yaesu, they don't have the quality of their older equipment. Yes icom and Kenwood are more expensive but there's good reasons behind the price difference. Just my opinion, some people love them but probably have never tried anything else. I went full circle in the last 2 years, now back with an ic-7300 and 9700 and couldn't be happier. 73

Puzzled why you had the 890 boxed ? I have an FTdx10, I think it’s ok but nothing super great. I’d like an icon 7610.

Mike.. are you sure you haven't got the digital NB switched on 890 ..? Or is that your phone on the recording....?

Question: You have the external speaker for the DX10, but seem to be recording from the internal speaker. Did I miss something?

Hey! Where did you get the ears for the 9700..????

TS890 sounds a little overprocessed ....NR too high ?

The Kenwood 890 sounds so much better than the 10 it’s making me seriously consider trading my 101 to get an 890

At 3 times the cost, I would hope the 890 was better.

A not so fair comparison given the price of the Kenwood over the dx10

I always thought Kenwood radios sounded better. At least the Kenwood radios I own. Now my favorite HF Radio is my Elecraft K4 and that is a different discussion.

Another great video Mike, my only bug bear would be that these two radios are not in the same price band, the ts890 costing 3 to 4 times the cost of the ftdx10, i wonder how the ts890 would fare against the ftdx9000???

You'll take a bad price for the Yaesu!?!

Do you now sold the Yaesu-TRX, for only 1 € as a "late x-mas present"? Please take my vote for the Yaesu for 1€ 'only'! (HI HI!) 😊 73 de Markus, es happy new year! (JN39fq - 5km/3miles east of LX)

The 10 looks and sounds like a cheap toy compared to the 890.

Expensive toys for amateurs

I don’t know why but my 890 sounds way better 🤔

Radioamateurs with lote of money are very picky, and sound in your ears is very personol saids nothing about real quality...

TS890 is overrated.

I put my Yaesu speaker back in the box. The audio is much better from the radio. DV7/K6TEX 🇵🇭 🇺🇸