Agree or Disagree? - FM tuner info site


Just curious, do their tuner opinions concur with your own tuner opinions and conclusions???

IMHO, while I think the website serves as an invaluable reference tool, I have to take the rankings in the shootout section with a grain of salt sometimes and don't always agree.

For instance, (1) the Pioneer TX9800 was listed by The Absolute Sound as one of the best sounding tuners of all time and they have it listed pretty far down, (2) the Fanfare tuner is essentially the same tuner as the B&K ST108 and they are rated pretty far apart, (3) there is a Tandberg, Yamaha CT7000, and Quad FM4 tuner also pretty far down the list while other magazines have raved over those tuners.....

What has been your experience? Agree or Disagree?

For the record, I have owned the following:

1. Harman Kardon 330C rec'r
2. Mitsubishi DA-R8 rec'r
3. McIntosh MR-71
4. Sansui TU-717
5. Pioneer TX-9800
6. Dyanco FM-3
7. Luxman T-110
8. Luxman T-400
9. McIntosh 1900 rec'r
10. Yamaha CT-810
11. Quad FM-4 (din outputs)
12. ADS T-2 - fun to use
13. NAD 4020A
14. Pioneer TX-500
15. B&K TS-108 (very nice sounding, ergonomic nightmare)
16. Dyna FM-3
17. NEC T-710 - better than B&K
18. Tandberg 2020 rec'r - nice
19. Creek CAS-3140 (din to rca) - neck and neck w/Tandberg
20. Pioneer TX8500 II
21. Sumo Charlie (arriving shortly)

FAVORITES: 3,4,5,6, 12, 17-19
128x128lou_setriodes
Best tuner is the one just aligned by someone who knows what they are doing.
I think the ranking has far more to do with spec's on sensitivity, selectivity, etc, than the actual audio (sound!) quality of the signal. Most of these guys are more 'tuner' guys than audiophiles. FWIW I have two Accuphases, the T100 and the T101. Both have been operating for nearly 40 years with out a single glitch, and they actually sound pretty good, excellent in fact.
Check out the audiogon threads by Don Scott, bdscott I believe. I have a McIntosh MR74, Luxman L110 and Sansei TU-417 that he modified, and they sound awesome. Agree with Schubert that many vintage tuners need an alignment and more to sound good. Some on your list are 40 years old.
I am amused by their rankings. I have only had a limited number of tuners -a couple of Sansuis the 7700, and 5900, a Nikko Gamma 1, I bought while in college 40 years ago and still own,- and some Sherwood tubed tuners that are sentimental, because my Dad owned one. I had some Cheaper Sansuis as well I recall now.
Anyway the list does strike as being really a hard core tuner nut type of ranking as nioted above. BTW I like the Sherwood the most nowadays.
Interesting, so it all depends on a good alignment by a competant person? Not knowing how it works, I thought an alignment was an alignment.

The Sumo Charlie just arrived and it's settling in attached to a pair of custom silver IC's...so far, so good :)
Having the tuner aligned is as important as having a phono cartridge set for VTF, azimuth and VTA. You just won't know what the tuner is capable of sounding like and pulling in stations until the procedure is done.