Slappy: a good tuner will walk circles around the tuner in most any current production AV receiver. Yes, the Sunfire Cinema Grand Pre-Pro has a built in tuner. It works but is not anything to write home about compared to a high quality separate tuner.
Having said that, stepping up to separates from a receiver will make a HUGE difference. If you are seriously considering a Sunfire combo, check the archives for tips and tricks on how to get the most from it. As a side note, the Sunfire also has a reasonable phono stage built into that will accomodate all moving magnet and most high output moving coil cartridges. As a side note, this unit does have analogue pass through, so your LP's will remain analogue all the way through the system rather than going from analogue to digital and back to analogue again.
El: I agree with your basic comments but would only add that there are a few select stations that do try to maintain very high standards for broadcast. It is on those stations that a good tuner will really shine. Only problem is, one may have one of those stations nearby, but not listen to the type of music that they present : )
Viridian: I agree that one can find some great buys in out of the ordinary places. Flea markets, garage sales, pawn shops, etc... have all turned up great finds for me. In such situations, always consider that the unit does not function properly and base what you think the unit is worth if you have to pay to have it repaired. That is, unless you can test the basic funtionality of it right then and there. Even then, it might have a problem that appears after prolonged periods of use due to thermal related problems. Sean
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Having said that, stepping up to separates from a receiver will make a HUGE difference. If you are seriously considering a Sunfire combo, check the archives for tips and tricks on how to get the most from it. As a side note, the Sunfire also has a reasonable phono stage built into that will accomodate all moving magnet and most high output moving coil cartridges. As a side note, this unit does have analogue pass through, so your LP's will remain analogue all the way through the system rather than going from analogue to digital and back to analogue again.
El: I agree with your basic comments but would only add that there are a few select stations that do try to maintain very high standards for broadcast. It is on those stations that a good tuner will really shine. Only problem is, one may have one of those stations nearby, but not listen to the type of music that they present : )
Viridian: I agree that one can find some great buys in out of the ordinary places. Flea markets, garage sales, pawn shops, etc... have all turned up great finds for me. In such situations, always consider that the unit does not function properly and base what you think the unit is worth if you have to pay to have it repaired. That is, unless you can test the basic funtionality of it right then and there. Even then, it might have a problem that appears after prolonged periods of use due to thermal related problems. Sean
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