Elecraft K3 vs Kenwoood TS-590SG

[@spirosbelis770]

TS-590SG THE BEST PERFORMER IN THE WORLD !!

[@johncharles9105]

I love my TS 590 SG, so much, I bought a 2nd one as a backup, sorry, I would rather master one then have general knowledge of many. And with the money I saved, I purchased and built some awesome antennas, nothing like a 5K radio hooked up to a G5RV, nothing wrong with a G5RV, but your better off connecting a 1400.00 radio to a 5K antenna than a 5K radio to a 100.00 antenna, just saying. BTW, I sold my FTDX 5000 and bought my current TS 590 SG's.

[@derek45auto23]

i love my TS590 more than my FTDX10

[@istvanszabo3946]

Good comparision, much better than most videos. K3 is absolutely the winner, TS590 good for a spare radio if you use it only for SSB.

[@n4lq]

Both radios have their AGC set to (F), fast however the decay time is really long on the K3, a menu setting, causing the untrained ear to think the K3 is quieter. Very sneaky OM!

[@keesvanengelen1521]

+Steve Ellington Bad job indeed on the AGC setting. And the recording level of this movie is much overdriven.recently played with K3, TS590SG and FTDX3000. 590 is the winner, also considering its price.

[@FuZhixiang]

What if not considering the price?

[@keesvanengelen1521]

I said "also" so you van fill in yourselves

[@MujoNovak]

everything is considered the price!

[@rodrigoroaduterte9415]

Fu Zhixiang, if not to consider price you might fly an Eurocopter EC155 B1 Dauphin, but for some weird reason you drive a car ;)

[@hrgft68]

saved a whole lot of money buying the 590SG, thanks for the comparison.

[@af4k]

Interetsing. THANK YOU. Since the K3 costs about 4 times as much as the TS590SG I am not surprised that it is better in a few areas like decoding CW (who needs that? I don't) I WOULD like to know how the QSK relay noise etc. compares.

[@yenaurapourtoulmonde]

K3 has PIN diodes for QSK switching, so no relay no noise.

[@dmb3428]

I had an elecraft and 590sg radio, enjoyed using them but the price of elecraft hard to swallow...Yeah it might be a tad better than the 590 but the 590 is half the price and works excellent as well ....if you have money to burn the elecraft is a great radio, most people though probably couldnt tell a difference between the two in day to day use ....I sold both but if I were to purchase again it would be the 590

[@gradus8373]

Что купили?

[@anthonycosta1776]

The k3 is a kit radio. The receivers are quite equal. Whats not equal is the kenwoods transmitter is more heavy duty , the knobs are more robust , it is over double the weight. It's less than half the price. The display is nicer. Has a drv output for external pan adapter. It a better radio for 1500.00 less. Why would anyone choose a radio that when you push a button the radio slides off the desk. Kenwood for the easy win.

[@angelofiorentino7486]

bravo Eugeni, bellissimo video, veramente un ottimo lavoro! il k3 è il mostro sacro del cw, il ts590sg si difende beinssimo ed ha un eccellente rapporto qualità prezzo

[@adrianoragazzo1321]

il K3 e' il mostro sacro del CW ? Guardati questo kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHq6hIB-oLh0jsk e poi capisci che radio modernissime tipo K3 e Flex vengono letteralmente stracciate da vecchie radio tipo ts 830 , 902, r4c eccetera .

[@FrankMD11]

Nice video/comparison. I'd like to see the same comparison with an FTDX-1200 and an FTDX-3000 on top of the K3. I'm looking at the FTDX-1200 and the TS-590SG. 73

[@petrok1rp254]

Do not understand the comments bellow... K3 has better filter shape, less noise on CW... For me K3 won.

[@alan4cars]

Great job. Thanks for taking the time to post this! WA6MOW

[@johntolson3565]

Alan Vega JO

[@johntolson3565]

Alan Vega jnjjnnnnh

[@johntolson3565]

Alan Vega jjuu

[@livtrader]

I put my TS-590SG against my friends K3 and honestly not that great of of a difference in all aspects of the test. The added cost did not justify purchasing the K3 over the 590. The 590 no doubt has a "HOT" receiver and the filtering does a great job between signals.

[@johnratcliffe6438]

Hot as in 'good'?

[@johnratcliffe6438]

@Martin 2E0RME Thank you Martin! John M7JHA

[@ozer3749]

I have voted with I like this Video. Good to see and hear that I have done the right to choice TS590 SG! Let's be honest, why paying a lot more ( at lest 3 times) for a '' bit more '' sensitivity?

[@MrAlphacallsign]

I can get a used TS590 SG for 1,000 dollars and spend 4,000 dollars for a good beam , buying a ELECRAFT will cost me 5,000 dollar , it don’t make sense

[@thestingyham1188]

I want to get a 590SG, but it seems there are many for sale with USB connectivity problems, recently. It makes me a little afraid to do so. I love my 480SAT for portable work.

[@MrAlphacallsign]

You have to have TS 590SG like I do you going by rumor and I had my for 4 year never had a usb problem I know friend who have TS 590sg they never had a problem . If you don’t have a TS590SG YOU COMMENT DON’T COUNT

[@johncharles9105]

I have 2 590sg's no problem with anything on the rigs, they will last forever.

[@1redrubberball]

Performance + cost = value. It is your money, so it is your choice! For my money, the TS-590SG is the cat's meow!

[@marcozbo]

it's difficult to admit that a 3K€ is about the same as a 1K€ one :)

[@MrAlphacallsign]

for what are you paying for the K3 is better go for the ts 590 SG hands down and is very good on SSB

[@LifeProducersofNewJerseyLLC]

I thought that the 590 had clearer sound.

[@KrzysztofSJK]

Good tests, but on CW very different AGC release time.

[@erintaylor5856]

Receiver performance is not how things sound. That can be tweaked. The 590 is not in the same class for BDR. And it cannot do a second receiver. Selectivity and strong signal rejection, K3 wins every time. The Kenwood is a fine rig, and high on the Sherwood list. But it's short of the K3. It just is. A video of how two receivers sound is all this is. I have both rigs. The K3 can take a full 10 DB more at 2KHZ spacing than the 590 can. If these things are not important to you, especially CW operation, then the 590 is prolly the one to get. It's a very nice rig, and more than likely easier to use.

[@1redrubberball]

Wrong! You can pair 2 TS-590SG's in a transceive with 2 receivers arrangement for $2000 less than the K3. And if you know how to use preamps, attenuators, and the rf gain control, the 590SG will do anything that any other top 25-30 rigs on Rob Sherwoods list will do! What it won't do is further an image of "superior conspicuous consumption".

[@kd8opi]

@@1redrubberball Thats a bit much. I don’t think the K3 was twice the radio the 590 is; they’re both good radios; but some things that Sherwood measures can’t be tweaked using gain controls - like 2khz dynamic range/separation. How often do you “need” that sort of performance is another question. Every company, including Kenwood, makes radios that sell for 3-5x the cost of their entry level rigs that do not deliver 3-5x more performance. Maybe they deliver an extra 10-20% in some circumstances, and for people who want that…fine. I give you a quick story on my experience, take it for what you will. I bought a loaded K3 About 10 years ago. I loved it and It did a great job. I had A patch of scrub boards in my backyard that I was able to put up a few fan dipoles, a vertical, and even a small Yagi antenna for Hf. It was kind of a dream set up. And the K-3 did great. Unfortunately, at least for my hobby, I took A better job and moved away. Covid hit, and a lot of my HF stuff was in storage for years. I got back into the hobby after a 2 to 3 year hiatus this past summer, and one of the things I picked up was a Flex 1500, new in box (that’s a different story), for only $400. My only antenna is a 35 white maximum end fed half wave. Even so, it’s deployed at 50 feet horizontally over the ground and it gives me fantastic performance. Operating the flex 1500 it’s kind of a dream. It’s so easy to see signals, I just filters, and in general operated I completely understand why people love their flex radios. However, one thing in my new area that is unavoidable is noise, QRM. I have to say the flex radio does a fantastic job of managing this with its excellent NB. Most of the time. The problem is, when you use the flex noise blinkers on a crowded band, signals outside of your filter tend to get through and destroy your AGC. It results in a very tough time hearing a weaker Signal with your noise blanker on. It just doesn’t have the “guts” to separate out those kinds of signals. It’s like on the third or fourth page of the Sherwood rankings as they are today, with less than great dynamic range. Well, over the holidays I was able to pull my K3 out of storage. And guess what. The same kinds of signals my flex 1500 can’t separate out with the noise blanker on, my K3 has no problem with. does that make my K3 worth the 10 times I paid for it compared with the flex 1500? Maybe not, but if I only had one radio to choose from in terms of receiving I’d pick the K3. I think my point is, there are different reasons people can choose different radios. And I think the longer I’ve stayed in this hobby I really and truly appreciate how great radios are that are at around $1000 price point these days, they can do it all. At the same time, I also know at least some of the higher end rigs can give you a specific feature set that might blow you away if they address a specific circumstance.

[@fraggit]

Even though it's counter intuitive, you should have had the preamp on, on the TS 590, then the test signals would have been accurate. Weird I know, but it's a Kenwood thing, same as my TS2000. I'd say if price was the deciding factor, TS590 all the way. The Elecraft is not 3x better RX IMHO

[@thestingyham1188]

The strength of the Elecraft on SSB is in the EQ, combined with RF Gain control.

[@revadan]

Save me a lot with 590SG...

[@davidisraelyan5017]

The Elecraft has a much smoother quieter receiver!

[@F1RVC]

Tha AGC is no set same.... This comparative does not worst the time I lost to watch it...

[@omrodo]

please the cw pitch is not the same... much hight on 590...

[@ve7yan]

omrodo haha.. whenever there's a comparison, there's a bias introduced by the referee to pull your legs

[@SomeRandomPerson163]

It also have different AGC settings

[@robsonnomelini8795]

In Brazil we have a great difficulty importing the Elecraft, almost can not compare it to other radios. In your opinion, what was the best? Elecraft K3 versus TS 590SG.

[@eugenifibla4496]

Hi, for me both radios are a good performers for typical home operation (chats and DX'ing). I'm a contester and have not have the chance to test the TS-590SG, but based in the numbers published maybe the K3 it's slightly better in crowded band conditions. Eugeni - EA3QP

[@robsonnomelini8795]

Eugeni EA3QP Thanks. Robson PU5RGG.

[@wsfig]

Eugeni EA3QP Also a few hundred more.

[@IronManXXX]

The Kenwood to me, beats the K3 hands down...and a whole lot more affordable...

[@pmcamer]

Kenwood! forget the K3... takeoff of Heathkit ... I have both also and actually own 3 TS590S's.. used them on Remote Hams. The 590 is much better bang for your buck. K3S is way too expensive for what you get. K3S with 10w PA in kit form $2100! I can buy a 590 for $700 on ebay! makes no sense. The Kenwood feels more professional and solid. K3 is a little cheesy to me... like I said... like an old Heathkit. And Elecraft won't take anything back without a restocking fee. 160 for a dang speaker! And Microphone similar pricing... highway robbery. But hey, people pay them for the stuff and smile. I just don't understand it. Sorry I bought the Elecraft.

[@MrAlphacallsign]

That’s why when I go to a hamfest you will see the vender try to sell there used ELECRAFT nobody going to buy it used because for what they asking for a used ELECRAFT you can buy a new KENWOOD build guality of KENWOOD is a very solid radio , do ELECRAFT build those radio in a garage there build cheap and they feel cheese , I got a TS 890S and is build like a tank

[@gonebamboo4116]

​@@MrAlphacallsign Can I ask your opinion, comparing the 590 & 890? Please. I had to sell my 950SDX to move overseas. Seems I need a fix after so long. I'd think the 890 is worth it but really sick of touch screen everything

[@bozidarbabic5132]

Vy sri but too much noise with TS 590 sg.

[@kevindarrah1969]

My vote is for the Kenwood.... it is also foolish to rely solely on S Meter readings from a radio, as each radio is calibrated with different intruments at their respective factories… Comparing apples to oranges solely on an S Meter reading.... Close your eyes and let your ears be the judge.

[@adrianoragazzo1321]

1:44 nice "click" from the encoders of both radios. So i'll have to pay tons of money to have this noise ? Does the engineers know what a "hash" filter is ??

[@sp9o601]

TS-590SG SBB GOOD

[@alessandromangone4384]

tnx, best 73.

[@TingILi]

k3 still not bad.

[@davidisraelyan5017]

The K3 kicked it's buttock

[@renkokirigin9086]

590SG is better.Cost less than K3.Elecraft radios are for guys who dont know how many $$ got in the bank.Very nice radios but cost too much,not only for me,I am sure.

[@enriqueroman62]

Real radio amateurs like it the hard way, too much make up on those radios, the comparisons are ridiculous

[@gustavovelarde540]

???