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
Here in Eugene, OR, we're blessed with 4! public radio stations, all of which use minimal or no compression, so it's definitely worth having an FM tuner here. Rock, jazz, blues, classical, old country, swing, just about every genre is represented and two of the stations are training grounds for student DJs.

While I'm certain there are places with no listenable FM stations, I've been able to find great stuff everywhere I've lived, even if sometimes it took a really great antenna to get it. :-)

I listen to Internet radio too, and like it very much, but it's a different listening experience. Other than Pandora, I've yet to find a station where the loop isn't short enough to notice that they're repeating songs periodically. It's great for concentrated listening in one genre though. Sometimes I just want an hour of 70's funk or 80's synth.

I say the more sources the better. FM, vinyl, CDs, streaming, downloaded hi-rez, it's all good. Just have to make sure I always have a preamp with at least 4 inputs!

David
I'm plugged in to Sirius/Xm through Dish Network to my big rig preamp. Listen to the blues channel plus other formats. Surprising audio quality perhaps a touch less than the best tuner [Marantz 10B?] but no commercials or other interruptions. Who needs a tuner?
I have a McIntosh MR85 on the rack but not plugged in.

Also have a Sony HD Radio that I recently upgraded again ---- not plugged in.

I'm actually getting a lot of pleasure from my Squeezebox Touch Internet Radio Channels. Sound quality is pretty decent running through my Playback Designs MPS-5.
Absolutely! I bought a good tuner, and they took the only good FM station off, or changed it to "crappy" music; I forgot which, but my tuner is gathering dust.