so ive been running a TS-590SG for about four years now and honestly its been rock solid, no complaints really. but ive been reading a bunch of stuff lately about the TS-890S and im kind of going back and forth on whether theres enough of a real-world difference to justify the price jump. i mostly do SSB on 40 and 20, some 10 when the band cooperates, and i dabble in digital modes maybe once or twice a month. not a contester at all, just casual operating and the occasional DX pile when something interesting shows up.

the roofing filter situation on the 890 seems like the main thing people talk about but honestly in my location i dont have a super noisy RF environment so im not sure that translates to anything i'd actually notice day to day. the UI on the 890 looks nicer i guess but the 590 isnt exactly hard to use either. anyone gone from one to the other and had a real opinion on it? not looking for spec sheet stuff i can read that myself, just curious if any of you have actually sat down with both rigs.

i made almost exactly this move about 18 months ago, went from the 590SG to an 890S and my honest take is... it depends on what bugs you. if nothing bugs you about the 590 then the 890 might feel like a lateral move with a bigger dent in your wallet. the receiver on the 890 really is noticeably better when things get crowded, like during a contest weekend when im just trying to work someone on 40 and there's wall to wall signals, the 590 would start to struggle in ways the 890 doesnt. but you said you're not a contester so maybe that never comes up for you.

the spectrum scope on the 890 is actually useful which surprised me, i thought id ignore it but i find myself using it to spot where activity is instead of spinning the dial forever. build quality feels similar to me, both are solid japanese iron. if i were you id see if you can get hands on time with one at a hamfest before committing, the difference is real but whether its $1500 real is a personal call.

cant speak to the 890 specifically but ive heard a few guys at our club who made the jump say the phase noise improvement matters more than the roofing filter thing, especially if you run digital modes. something about the reference oscillator being better. might be worth looking into if you do JS8 or FT8 at all even casually.