Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

Transistor might do it. I had an old Sony that I used to carry around with me to listen to TMS; that was great. Hard to find now, though. Also had a Grundig which was ok; gave that to my mum and it lived out its days in her kitchen playing permanent radio 4.

I quite like the Ruark I have now, although they aren't transistor radio money, unfortunately.

This is about the modern equivalent of what I had 20 years ago:

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UYKJUPW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ehGfFbTVW0BB0

noticeable hiss...listening to FM

You need a better aerial. Turning off stereo will reduce the hiss significantly, so try that first if you haven't already. In a modern tuner stage (and if you have DAB, the FM stage is modern enough) audio quality will be completely dominated by the quality of the RF signal you feed into it. More gain and more directionality from your aerial will almost certainly transform your listening experience.

I often want to put it on at 3am when I can't sleep, very quietly so my partner doesn't hear and wake up

I've heard that under-pillow speakers are excellent for people who want the radio on at night while sharing a bed with somebody who wants silence.

I turn it right down, I can still hear it...but it's quieter than the hiss

I thought that was the effect all these currently highly fashionable ASMR audio streams were going for 🙂