I was using a Yamaha tuner in my last home and I thought it sounded great. It was built in cheap plastic casing and wasn’t much to look at but I had a friend bring over an Uber expensive McIntosh tuner and the Mac did sound better but the Yamaha was so close that when I told friend what I paid he was chagrined. However I moved to a different area, older suburb with lots of tall trees, and that did a number on both the tuner and my satellite TV. I finally gave the tuner to a charity shop. By now I am so enmeshed in Internet Radio, with virtually everything I listen to coming from a different state or continent, that an analog tuner would seem like a ride in a horse drawn buggy, charming for five minutes but then the flies, smell, and slowness becoming irritants. I did just buy a Cambridge Audio streamer to add to the rest of the stack because it takes radio very seriously, and if I can’t actually find something on the CA then I go to the web and use either AirPlay or Chromecast
Need a new FM Receiver that works very well
We have a 40 year old Carver that the channels have gone bad and have been using as a receiver. Now it appears the stereo decoder is going bad. Suggestions on a basic FM tuner high end but not too high end. I know FM is waning but we have really good setup.
20 responses Add your response
About two years ago i was on track to install a good attic antenna and run a lead to my tuner. Then i had an epiphany. Use internet streaming. Honestly, while it is compressed (AAC or MP3) in general its better than most FM reception, and the variety is vastly better. Make sure you find the high quality streams - the default on will be highly compressed. If you really want an over the air tuner add the onkyo's to your list. |
This Sangean HDT 20 for about 200 bucks is worth looking into. You will not find many new tuners anymore. Ebay has close to 4000 vintage tuners if you care to go that route! https://www.sangean.com/products/product.asp?mid=198&cid=3 |
Post removed |
Location, location, location. Depending on where you are receiving your desired signals will determine what matters most, such as sensitivity or selectivity. Understanding Updated FM Tuner Specs, March 1973 Popular Electronics - RF Cafe |
I just got a great Magnum Dynalab MD108T. Wow, does it sound good on my incredible local station, KCRW.com (on FM). I was able to trade in my MD102 and that was the reason I went for the MD108T. I suggest you look at something like a used MD102 or lower, if you want to save more money. I think the MD units sound very good. Here is the link to the certified used units. Certified Used, Preowned, FM Tuners and Integrated Amplifiers (magnumdynalab.com) The MD102 was very good. The MD108T is great. There is a popular tuner web site that does shootouts with various tuners but I do not follow their thinking. Tuner Information Center - Vintage Stereo Tuners (fmtunerinfo.com) I also have the Sony XDR-F!HD. It is very cheap and was almost as good as my MD102 ($2700) Sony XDR-F1HD FM HD Tuner - HighFidelityReview - Hi-Fi systems, DVD-Audio and SACD reviews I had it modified by this guy for a total price of around $500. You can still get the stock Sony on eBay. Welcome - About - Contact (xdrguy.com) |