FM tuners - Are they OBSOLETE ?


As much as I a have liked tuners in the past - and probably kidded myself that older ''vintage'' tuners sound better (after owning quite a few), I really don't see much use for them except maybe a nostalgic bridge to days past, or bragging rights to pride of ownership with McIntosh gear or whatever.

With the newer technologies giving access to hundreds of stations around the globe, it just seems like THE proposition to discover new music.

I of course know that some high-end tuners sound very good - but let me tell you - a clean 128 digital feed into a DAC (from a digital transport like the Wadia or Cambridge Audio's new ID-100), is pretty impressive...

Sort of make kilo-buck tuners seem futile and very expensive by comparison.

What do you think ?
soniqmike

Showing 2 responses by corazon

Isochronism
Rgs92, FM in Metro NY area is great! We all had a crush on Alison Steele:)

No kidding!

Rgs92
I'm nostalgic about listening to WNEW-FM and the like back in the 70s

WNEW was the station all the "heads" listened to at my first job washing dishes in a neighborhood Italian restaurant at 14 years old! I remember the first night hearing Tull, Benefit and the Dead, Uncle John! Went out and bought those albums the next day! My first exposure to real rock n' roll.

What about WPLJ and WLIR? Great stations in their own right also. Out on the island we had WBAB which back in those days was great!

Truman,
your pointing out of the vast amount of material available is right on! I listen a lot to the local college stations. Don't know about compression and all but they sound vastly superior to the larger commercial stations, especially the classic rock ones.

I've always loved FM and would love to see a revamping of this alternative. It would be great if it somehow recaptured the magic of it's heyday.

Best,

Dave