ICOM IC-705 vs Elecraft KX-3 Receiver Test

Thanks for the test. I do however see that NB is turned on, for the KX3. I don't know which level it is at, but in my KX3 the signal gets pulled down on any level above 3. I also see that tuner is turned on. Unless you had just tuned it, it would be difficult to know if it was maximized. I know - probably just nitpicky; but crucial in an A/B test when we're comparing db's and subtle RX differences.

The IC-705 has awesome noise reduction and DSP. I recommend you optimize the noise reduction and filtering of each rig for a fair comparison.

Good work

hello, nice team el.Kx3 I have the same and my question is if it can be unlocked for Tx under one thousand, 6 thousand thousand and something? I would really appreciate it if you let me know. Greetings from Chile

I have an IC7300 and the KX3, the receivers are just about the same, compared to the IC7000 they are far better. The only thing that keeps me away from the 705 is that my KX3 has an internal antenna tuner, it decodes and encode with the cw key PSK and RTTY, also that you can have the cw key directly attached to the radio. The nice thing about the 705 is the spectrum scope and interface.

The SUB receiver is on the KX3..Why?

a tip would be to record left/right at the same time. So rig 1 L and rig 2 on R

Thanks for the video but I like the kx-3 even though it was off freq and the volume was lower. You should give me the K3 73

good check but do both radios have NB or NR on - and does it make a difference if they are not on the same lvl of agc?

One radio is a toy, the other is an Elecraft.

Well, the speakers sound different 😒

A mindless comparison, focus on what's different, not the same. The difference is profound, like seeing signals in the frequency and time domain, selectivity, sound quality, frequency range, intuitive operation capabilities, wireless connectivity. If you add the cost of upgrading the kx3 to include a panadapter, battery, cabling, filtering, 2 meter boards, the kx3 is still insufficient at a much greater cost

On thing people probably won't notice is you have 2 different kind of coax attached to the radios. At the 2:12 mark you can see where this comparison is pretty useless. Everything has to be identical and even then comparing two radios on one frequency and delcaring a winner is pretty useless but people gravitate to that silliness.

I also have both the IC-705 and KX-3 and PX-3 - I have never liked my KX-3 and PX-3, in 5 years of owning it, it has spent 99.9% of the time sitting in its box in the closet. The speaker is terrible, vibrates and tinny. Cables everywhere like a rats nest. No USB sound card built-in, so you need "more cables" and an external interface for digital modes. The IC-705 is all self contained. Also, the KX-3 button layout is confusing - 3 functions for a knob and functions not all labeled. Rubber knobs are wobbly. Menu is in hieroglyphics - manual is needed to interpret what each menu selection means

Disclaimer: I don't own/use either radio so I don't have a dog in the fight. Use attenuation. You have an S5 of band noise. Drop in ~20dB of attenuation and use fast or medium AGC on both radios. The ATT and RF gain are there for a reason and both radios will benefit. Then compare them again. You might reach different conclusions.

Not a fair comparison because kx3 freq was off by .04

Not setup the same not a very good show and tell