The Sony receivers with the STR from the 70's 7065,7055,etc,plus the Tandberg receivers |
I had a Hitachi sr804 Class G receiver for years along with a Tandberg tr2080.
The Hitachi tuner was quite good albeit not quite as good as the Tandberg.
The Hitachi was one of my favorites in regards to looks and controls. Sound quality overall was OK. the class G design enabled a good amount of power in a compact box which was handy back in a small college dorm room.
Class D amps nowadays seem to be miles ahead of that old Class G amp technology though in regards to sound quality. |
Harman Kardon 930 and Tandberg 2060 |
Mac 1500
MAC 1700
Fisher 500
HK 960 |
I've been through a pile of vintage receivers the last three or four years and the best sound from FM and line level inputs is the Sony STR-6200F.
Just a solid and slightly warm sound that hits my sweet spot. The cosmetics have this very classy look that really appeals. Love the walnut cabinet too.
The FM section has five gangs and eight matched ceramic filters with very steep cutoffs. The muting section is rather complicated and it took my tech a bit of time to sort out. He had never worked on one before and came away very impressed with the sound and performance too.
The Vintage Knob has a page on it and it is has a writeup in the Tuner Information Center.
I'm never going to sell mine. |
Older Kenwoods have super tuners, as above the x600 series but any of the late seventies will work well. The tuners in them are phenomenal by todays standards and upper line receivers have tuners besting low end separates in many cases. |
I have the Tandberg 2080 and a Kyocera R-861. Both receivers have excellent FM reception, well above what was available when I bought them. We live in a tough reception area. I tried many receivers (Yamaha, Marantz, Nakamichi, Denon) before settling on the Tandberg. It is excellent at separating out adjacent weak stations. Sadly the Tandberg has a hum now and is in the garage. When the Tandberg started acting up I got a great deal on a new Kyocera as a clearout of their audio line. This is an exceptionally well-built receiver and is the only one that we could find that matched the Tandberg. It's about 15 years old now and used daily. Strong amp section too and very clean power supply. Super unit. |
I second the Luxman R-1120A. It's one piece I'll never part with. There is no better combination of tuner, preamp, phono preamp, (kick-ass) amplifier, and stunning aesthetics in one box. |
I'm quite surprised no one has mentioned Tandberg - the 2075 and 2080 had some of the finest tuner sections ever to grace a receiver. And their phono and power sections were considered excellent, too. Try to find one with a nicely kept rosewood cabinet, simply gorgeous!.
-RW- |
The Kyocera R-861 has been the best receiver I have had. I've even used it as a tuner/preamp feeding a tube amplifier. The matching DA-610CX CD player still does a credible job. Even the lesser R-461 does a good job as a receiver. I see where the Harman Kardon 930 has been recommended because of haaving a good tuner. Actually, from my own experience, I praise the 930, 730, 630 Harman Kardons for having very good amplifiers, all having double mono amps with individual amp power supplies. The High Fidelity Magazine 4/76 review of the HK 730 receiver showed it to have the best square wave response I have ever seen for a receiver amplifier. The Marantz receivers of that era did not match the HK in amplifier performance although many such as the Marantz 2325 had immense power and it is a credible and durable receiver. I still have one working as new after thirty years of service. |
Everyone is replying with tuner answers, I thought the question was for a receiver? Get a Tandberg receiver 2055 or higher model, some of the Pioneers are also good and of course have it tuned. |
Luxman 1120A, exceptional tuner and better sounding preamp/power than almost any of the pieces mentioned above. I've owned many of them. You may find a slightly better tuner, but not the combination. |
A Marantz 4400 Quad Receiver had an outstanding FM Tuner.
I know I use to own 2 of these.Also any Heathkit Receiver from the 70"s made outstanding FM Tuners in their receivers.
But if your looking for just a stand alone FM Tuner then you have several choices from the early 70's as previously mentioned on this post. |
A modded vintage tuner can be absolute outstanding and cost is little compared to what you can spend for much less. A modded Kenwood Kt 7500 I have amazes me still after two years. You can also go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FMtuners/
These guys know all there is to know about vintage or modern tuners. You'll find you're on the right track with the vintage tuners. I like the way they look better too. I should add a friend bought a Magnum Ft101, his reaction was that he was very disappointed considering the money he spent. He said it sounded no better than his Denon 747 tuner from the eighties that he paid 40 dollars for. I didn't hear them side by side but heard both at different times and my impression of the Magnum that it was a bad joke for the 700 I believe he paid. Go for a modded vintage or at least a good used Sansui 717 or something similar. Those usually go for a good 250 but there's some other tuners that sound decent for under a 100 depending on what you care to spend. |
The biggest site for all things FM (both vintage and current) is:
www.fmtunerinfo.com
Specs, shootouts, repairs, upgrades, links, on and on. Check it out! |
I've had several and ended up with a McIntosh and of all things, a digital MR 7082. I find it fits the bill for DX ing and has a very satisfying non-tuner sound. Go to the link I have listed for what they call the tuner shootout to see how they stack-up to the seemingly Sansui top dog.
Don't forget a good antenna. Good Luck,
http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/shootouts.html#3011A |
Thanks for the input so far....if possible, please be specific with models and your experience with them...1st hand info is usually best.
Thanks |
my dad had a fisher 400c that sounded great...another audiophile budddy of mine (with a much, much more expensive system than mine) also has a vintage Fisher tuner that he swears by. |
The following site may help you www.fmtunerinfo.com scroll down left hand side to shootout. |
Harman/Kardon 930. I feel has one of best tuner section in a receiver and is better than most separate tuners. |
How about McIntosh, Marantz, NAD, and Proton |
Make sure you include Kenwood in there too, one of the x600 series (8600, 9600). Maybe a Marantz too. Oh, and a Pioneer, like a 727, 850, 980, etc.
I have a Yamaha CR-1020 that I am very happy with. I also have a Pioneer 727, it is also excellent.
Sorry to broaden your choices but you would be doing yourself an injustice by not including the above.
Good luck, |
