I've been missing this kind of receiver performance for years, now I have it it's staying. The radio has every feature I could want & then some. I can only assume my 8500, which is a late model either came from the factory this way or maybe it's had the LED display mod done. There is no evidence of bulbs being used on my example & the factory default setting, which is called bright is fine, even in a darkened room. It is not the simplest receiver to get to grips with, especially the memory system but I'll figure it out in time! I have seen complaints from users on here about the bulbs that illuminate the display being almost visible if you look down or up at the display & either being too bright or too dim. Having used it for a while now, mainly on MW & SW I realise what a sensitive receiver it is. A short while ago I bought a used example at a sensible price which apparently had little use & looked like it had just come out of the factory, not a mark on it anywhere. I had always wanted one of these receivers but the cost was out of my radio budget.
