Well now this is an interesting thread. Especially since we are getting into high definition broadcasts.Not many folks are focused on these components anymore. If so they go after the solid state by far.Yes the Onyko's have terrific reception,amazing. The modded Onyko that I listened to I had to turn it off within several minutes it's sonics were that bad. It was proclaimed to be as good as the Kenwood and Sansui hot shots but less monies with the mod of course. I've listened to a Marantz 10B and then the world reknowned HH Scott 4310 Broadcast tuner used in tandum with the same. They would go back and forth to pick up the best signal and the winner would lock in and broadcast, talk about ahead of their time, WOW. The 4310 creamed the 10b within seconds, it was amazing. I beleive upgraded and properly aligned this tuner will crush anything known to man. Also there is a close second best Scott tuner also. What is it? In my most humbled opinion, Joe |
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Hi doug,
Thanks again for all the very helpful information!
You have given me a lot to work with, and it's greatly appreciated. I'm on my quest for a great tuner!
Regards,
Martin |
hi martin,
i also forgot to mention the hitachi ht-8000 - another cheapie tuna that sounds fantastic, & has excellent sensitivity.
re: the kenwood kt-9900, i agree it is a miserable sounding unit stock - i owned one & was extremely disappointed. but, gawd, was it pretty! :>) i recommend it for mods, cuz the modded kt7550 i owned, (which isn't nearly as good stock as the kt-9900), was fantastic.
for mods i would recommend joseph chow or bill ammons. ed hanlon of aps does do good work, so i have been told by those i trust, but i, personally, couldn't send him my biz cuz he refused to provide answers to *any* questions you may have about what he does. i attempted to do biz w/him a coupla times, but didn't follow thru, cuz he was so rude to me, and accused me of trying to steal his "trade secrets"!?! the one time i did actually send him a tuna, it also needed repairs; he said he couldn't fix it, so he sent it back. the guy i sold it to was able to get it fixed no problem.
joseph chow adwertizes on agon. here's his website:
http://www.componentplus.us/pages/upgrades.html
and bill ammons' info can be found on the fmtunerinfo.com site. one caveat about mr. chow - you have to specifically ask him to replace & match the filters, it's not part of his normal procedure. (unless he's since changed this.)
bill ammons is *the man* when it comes to tuna, imo. i have also had decent results from stephen sank, who did my mr65b & hk citation 18, but i don't think he does filter matching/replacing, either... and, he takes *forever*.
regards,
doug s. |
Hi doug,
Thanks for such a complete response!
Guess I need to hear more tuners!
Certainly no offense taken.
I'll do some research and try to pick up a selection from your lists for a listen.
I did buy a Kenwood 9900 with intentions to have APS modify it but it sounded thin and raspy, and I was afraid it didn't have the potential for greatness. I may have been too quick to judge.
Do you care to say who you would recommend for mods?
It's very helpful to get your opinion, in contrast to the ones on fmtunerinfo.com, since you have such extensive tuner experience.
Thanks again.
Regards,
Martin |
hi martin,
i dunno how to say this w/o being sorta insulting, but i cannot imagine *any* of the tunas i've listened to over the past coupla years that *don't* sound better than the mr78. reception, on the other hand, is a different story. the mr78 is acknowledged to be one of the best out there.
mind you, i have never heard the mr78. ;~) *but*, i *have* owned an mr77, which i had completely refurb'd. and the mr77 & mr74 are acknowledged by mcintosh afficianados to be the best sounding mcintosh s/s tunas. even richard modaferri, designer of both the mr77 & the mr78, has stated a properly aligned mr77 will sound better than even a modaferri-modded mr78. this info was related on the yahoo fmtuner forum.
so, i base my opinion of the mr78's sonics on my experience w/my refurb'd mr77. the mr77 was the *only* tuna out of a couple dozen i have owned over tha past coupla years that i would *not* be happy to have as my only tuna for sonic bliss. it had a flat soundstage, and lack of detail. it *was* sensitive, tho.
my fave tuna, for both sonics *and* sensitivity, is my modded harmon kardon citation-18. this guy yust does everything right sonically, *and* it's a signal hawk. other tunas i would recommend for sonics *and* reception, (my personal "class-a" list), include the nikko gamma 1, technics st-9030, accuphase t101, rotel rt-2100, mitsubishi da-f20, sumo aurora, roksan caspian, pioneer f-91, philips ah673, modded kenwood kt7500/kt8300, sony st es730s. these are the ones that make my personal class-a ranking for both sonics *and* reception.
others that make the reception grade, but are a tiny hair off the pace sonically, include the sansui tu-9900/tu-517/tu-717/tu-719, refurb'd tandberg 3001a, yamaha t-2, onix bwd-1 w/soap-2, revox b261/b760. note the sonic differences here are so slight that they'd be noticable w/my "class-a" list *only* in direct a-b comparison. any of these i could *easily* be satisfied with for long term listening. the difference here really *are* tiny.
then, there's the tunas that i consider class-a for sound, but a hair off the pace for reception. these would include the luxman t12, sumo charlie w/rack handles (non-rack-handle units not being aligned by its designer james bongiorno), philips 185.
also, an important note. except for the tunas i have noted as being refurb'd/modded, all these have had no recent work afaik. a proper refurb/alignment could easily have a major sonic/reception impact on these (or any) tunas.
the mr77 i owned, tho wery sensitive, yust dint sound good to me at all. my modded mcintosh mr65b tubed tuna, on the other hand, sounds great - in my class-b category, knocking on class-a's door. but you better be able to *see* the tower of the radio station yure trying to get! ;~)
regards,
doug s. |
Sedond, (or anyone with "a lot" of tuner experience) do you care to say which is your favorite tuner, stock or modified, for best sound and reception.
I have been looking for something better than my Mac MR-78 which I have had for over 15 years. It sounds excellent to me (I may have a good one) but "they" say others can sound better. I also need great reception to pick up the stations I like.
Thanks for any responses.
Martin |
cant use another 3001a. sorry |
hey blueranger, i have a completely refurb'd slightly modded tandberg 3001a. i also have several tunas i paid <$500 for, that i like at least as well or better. (and several more that i've already sold that were better than the tandberg.) make me an offer on the 3001a! ;~)
doug s. |
I like my Accuphase T 105. It is very nice sounding tuner. |
Tandberg 3001A--- One went for over $900 on ebay. The sound is remarkable. A living presence type of experience. Vocals are rich and deep. I wouldnt part for mine for $2000. Just my opinion. |
sean,
your comments about fmtunerinfo.com yust reinforce what i believe to be true about *all* audio gear, only more so, for tunas. :>) it's the fact that system synergy, tastes, & room is key. it's more-so for tunas, because you also have to take into account your location, as the same tuna can sound different, depending on location/signal.
the reviews & comments on the fmtunerinfo site (especially jim rivers' "shootouts") should only be used as a guide - i, too, have different results for some tunas than what's posted on the site, tho some i agree with. a couple examples:
1) the revox b760 rates really well, while its identical-sounding (imo) sibling the b261 ranks poorly. i owned both, & they were absolutely identical - both supurb, if not quite up to the standards of my faves. i kept the b261 & sold the b760 cuz i preferred the ergonomics of the b261, if not the looks.
2) the tandberg 3011 rates pretty well, but i found mine to be worse than a pedestrian adcom gft-1a. (the adcom, btw is at least as good as any magnum-dynalab ft101, imo...)
3) the mitsubishi da-f20, is ranked at the top of the "m" class, yust below the bottom "c" class tuna, the revox b760. imo, the mitsu is definitely a better sonic performer than the revox, & at least as good from a sensitivity standpont as well. other tuna that i like better than the revox, that are even further down on the "shootouts" list include the sumo charlie & the pioneer f-91. i also like my technics st-9030 better, but it's been modded. but, based upon my experience w/a stock st-8600, which is not as good a tuna as the st-9030, i would surmize that even stock, the st-9030 would be at least as good as a revox b760. other tunas that i think are at least as good as the b760 include the sansui tu-717 & yamaha t2.
re: the review "shootouts" done by jim rivers, you must realize this is one person's opinion, based upon results obtained w/an all-toob system in a 12x14 room. and, you must also realize how close the sonics are, of the tunas he likes. what is telling to me is something like this one example - the pioneer f-91 is presently ranked 43rd out of the 79 tunas reviewed up to this point. jim, referencing the f-91 to his top-ranked kenwood l-02t says this:
"...In a large room, in a big sound system, I might choose this Pioneer over the L-02T...."
this (and my own personal experience), tells me that there are really more similarities than differences between good tunas. vintage tuna is cheap enuff so that you can buy several, keep the one(s) you like, & sell the rest, w/o losing any money. you certainly don't need to drop big bucks on something like a md-108. ;~)
and it's also enlightening to know that jim rivers' absolute fave tuna - better in his opinion than the accuphase t109v, kenwood l-02t, etc, is one that can be picked up for less than $100, and modded w/less than $100 worth of parts. (or pay someone like bill ammons ~$300 to do one up for ya, if yure not into diy.) i'm talking about the kenwood kt-7500, one that in stock form ranks near the bottom of jim's shootout list. i happen to own one of these, modded by bill ammons. it *is* nice - it makes *my* personal class-a list; but it's not my fave! :>)
doug s.,
so much tuna, so little time... |
I have never personally seen, touched, measured or listened to a Marantz 10B. The gentleman that calibrates all of my test equipment happens to own one though. After aligning the unit, he not only told me that it measures better than any other tuner that he's ever repaired / calibrated in most every respect, but that the sound quality is also unmatched in most every respect. Given that the complexity of design and production costs that this product brought with it are what brought Saul Marantz to his knees financially, forcing him to sell the company, i can believe that this is a truly astounding product. That is, when it is fully aligned with all of the circuitry working as it was designed. Then again, i'm taking someone else's word on it, but i've never had to doubt their word before.
As far as the fmtunerinfo goes, i've had some very different results than what they've reported. On one tuner, i commented to them that it sounded "tinny", like a transistor radio. They posted this and responded back on their website that the tuner actually sounded very good and was quite full bodied sounding. After comparing the tuner to several others, in one of the other reviews they referenced this tuner and said that it had somewhat of a "solid state sound". Yet if you read their main review of this tuner, it says "we think it sounds great but two of our contributors think it sounds bright". Bright is not the same thing as lacking in warmth with a glaring upper midrange / hot lower treble.
Another tuner that they absolutely trashed is a very nice sounding unit. If it sounded as bad as they said, i would have been a fool to buy the four of them that i have. I actually heard a demo where we were comparing the signal directly from the turntable feeding the broadcast station's transmitter and then listening to the broadcast over the air via this tuner. It was as close as one could get. Is the tuner "ultra-sensitive", "fancy" or built like a tank? Not by any means. Does it sound good? Most certainly, my answer is a resounding "YES" !!!
Speaking of sensitivity, the tuner that i spent the least amount of money on has the most sensitive front end of any that i've ever used or owned. The fact that Larry Schotz designed the front end, the manufacturer touted the sensitivity of this unit as being the high point of the design and one reviewer stated that "the sensitivity exceeds the theoretical limit" should tell you something. The tuner website said "they were pretty good values when new and still sound pretty good on strong signals". All i can say is that it sounds better on using a 6' piece of wire as an antenna on a distant station than my Magnum does using a highly resonant FM antenna mounted on the roof of my building.
Another tuner that i had, and that they referred to as the first "super tuner", measured better than any other tuner ever made in some respects. Yet when i listened to these tuners, the sound quality from unit to unit was anything less than consistent. Given that i've owned well over a half dozen of these specific tuners, some of them at the same time, i was able to do many "head to head comparisons" between them. Super tuner it is not, at least not sonically. Why did i have so many of them? I kept reading about what a great tuner they were, so i bought a bunch and was going to keep the pick of the litter. I ended up selling all of them out of disappointment. One guy was so unhappy with the performance of the tuner, that i gave him his money back and i kept it. I'm going to work on this one in the near future and hopefully improve the sonics.
Another tuner that i have that sounds very nice has some very obvious "digital" flaws to it. It probably doesn't measure all that well compared to some of my other tuners, but there i still keep hanging onto it.
If there is one thing that i have learned out of all of this, it is this. One of these days, i need to clean house : )
If there is another thing i've learned, it is that these guys are doing the best that they can with what they've got to offer their sonic observations. All mass produced gear have tolerances that cause some units to measure and sound quite different from the next. On top of that, atmospheric conditions vary from day to day and even hour to hour, so relying on "over the air" test results can be somewhat less than conclusive. Other than that, i appreciate the time and effort that they put into performing these tests and sharing their observations with us. At least with these guys, we know that they aren't afraid to point out flaws and / or amend previous statements that need correction as their levels of experience and equipment exposure increases. Sean
> |
hi bart,
save yer money, & do not purchase *either* tuner. there's literally dozens of vintage tuners that will outperform either of these, and the most expensive will cost ) go here for great tuna info:
http://www.fmtunerinfo.com/
here's the forum site for tuna:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fmtuners/
regards,
doug s., so many tunas, so little time... ;~) |
Just saw the Day Sequerra website. Good looking tuners. Was told it is sold out til June..
www.daysequerra.com |
Has anyone out there compared the MD108 to the MD106?
I know the MD108 uses 12ax7's while the MD106 uses 6922's.
The 6922/7308 is generally considered the king of audiophile tubes while the 12ax7 is generally not as highly regarded. Can anyone tell me if the 5751 is an acceptable substitute for the 12ax7 in the MD108 circuit?
I am trying to chose between these two models (without hearing them) and any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Bart |
Any experience with Nikko Gamma 400 or Scott T527 or Yamaha T720? |
Best sounding tube tuner is the Marantz 10B without question. Pure silk with no roll-off. Best SS tuner I own (going on eighteen) is the Tandberg 3001A (orignally $2200)followed by the Audiolab 800T. |
hey...have you ever gone to fmtunerinfo.com? |
I'LL PUT MY VOTE IN FOR PIONEERS SILVER FACED F-26...HERE'S WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY!!!!
The quartz-synthesized F-26, which was Pioneer's most expensive tuner, is very rare and seldom seen on eBay ($770 in 3/02, $785 in 6/02). Our panelist David, on his Ricochets page, calls it one of the three best tuners ever.
David's top three tuners: the TU-X1, L-02T and F-26
I am increasingly of the belief that the Sansui TU-X1, Kenwood L-02T and Pioneer Series 20 F-26 are really in a class by themselves. I hear much bigger differences between stations overall than between these tuners! However, none of these tuners sound identical and each has different merits and weaknesses. In my system, with my FM market, I rank the TU-X1 #1, the F-26 #2 and the L-02T #3 (on a sonic basis). Each can make a claim under various listening/RF market conditions as the best production tuner made. There may be others, but none that I have seen or heard yet. All three embarrass all of the more recent digital tuners that I have compared to them. There is a gap between these three and the next best tuner that I have heard and measured.
I noticed that I had to reposition my speakers to get the best out of each tuner. For example, the TU-X1 has so much stage width (separation) that placing speakers too far apart yields a hole in the middle and diffuse sound (as Jim notes in his review). This effect can also be a problem when trying to optimize a system for CD versus LP. The TU-X1 has better frequency extremes (both measurable and audible) but will not show those advantages if the speakers are bandwidth limited, placed so that they have ragged frequency response, or in a system optimized for LP instead of CD. The L-02T appears to favor smaller speakers, because many smaller designs don't have the extreme bass extension and to a lesser degree extreme treble smoothness of larger (read this as 3 - 5 way, not physical size) speakers. Placement of the speakers can be further apart with the L-02T. The bandwidth compression scheme of the L-02T's IF appears to hide or at least diminish some of the low-quality nasties so prevalent in broadcast radio these days, but also makes it prone to certain types of external interference. The F-26 is not as sensitive as either of the other two tuners, but possesses an ease and naturalness in the mid-treble (especially on an excellent classical station) that is not always present in the TU-X1 & L-02T. Overall, I would place the F-26 a little behind the TU-X1 and L-02T under most (but not all) listening situations. Note that the F-26 stages a comeback if you have a station that requires the narrow IF for decent reception due to a crowded dial, multipath, etc.
The F-26 tuner, like the other components in the Series 20 line, received carefully design engineering to push the technological envelope on tuner design. In true audiophile fashion, it featured FM only. It was a higher performance, lower profile design compared to the F28 tuner. Pioneer employed newfeatures and circuitry having: Quartz-Locked Touch Sensor Tuning, an elaborate "Clean Pilot" system for cleaner high-frequency, and a Parallel Balanced Linear Detector( PBLD) for vastly improved signal-to-noise ratio and detection efficiency.
This tuner also featured automatic wide/narrow IF bandwidth slection. The F-26 was design with a large power supply and two 6000 microfarad power supply capacitors, a muting level control on the rear panel, adjustable stereo/mono signal switchover, adjustable muting control, and gold plated terminals.
The semiconductor count in the F-26 was mind-boggling. There were 11 Field Effect Transistors, 19 ICs, 68 transistors and 59 diodes. Its frequency response was 20 to 15kHz. Other specifications could be listed here, but suffice it to say the F-26 could easily hold its own with far more expensive and esoteric FM tuners then on the market. Examples in good condition are much sought-after by Pioneer collectors.
The F-26 had an M.S.R.P. of $1000.00.
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MR-71 with Richard Moderfferi (ex chief engineer at McIntosh) mod has convinced me that FM can be as good as any other source. The Moderfferi mod gives you better reception, drift and quieter background without sacrafice the original nice sound. The MR-78 just too thick and dark for my taste. Lack of air, life and seperation when compared to MR-71. The stock 10B is no comparison. However, Richard can also work on 10B to make it a top performer.
However, since everything has become digital these days, we can't get as good song selection as internet radio stations. |
REL RECEDENT
then...
McIntosh MR-78
then...
Marantz 10B
then...
McIntosh MR-71
then...
HH Scott 4310 |
I find it very good in every sence. Almost 15 happy years with the unit. |
...Musical Fidelity's Elecktra E50!! |
For full reviews of just about any of the older FM tuners visit www.fmtunerinfo.com. |
For s.s. I can think of two tuners that please my ears and I own them both, the Harman Kardon Citation 18 and the Philips AH 673/44. These are in stock form and with a good signal and antenna can be sonically matched by few, if any other tuners.If you love tuners check out www.fmtunerinfo.com |
MR-71, without any reservations.
And I currently own almost all the others including a 10B. |
Marantz 10b w/o a doubt in my mind. Heres a sob story for you I missed one several ago in a estate sale for 75 bucks by 15 minutes (bo ho). Right now I magnum dynalab etude. But by no means equal a 10b or a Day sequerra . |
Sansui TU-X1 or TU-9900. They really can hold their own against ANY tuner.Whats nice is that they can be had for a reasonble price even today. Don't, however, forget to hook them up to a "real" antenna such as the APS-9. Just my $0.02. |
The Marantz 10b is the best sounding tuner ever made. Anyone who would argue otherwise hasn't heard one that was working properly. You can buy a mint Mac MR-71 for under a grand that will make anything else in it's price range sound broken. I've got an old Knight tube tuner, that while hardly state of the art in it's day, is more musical then any solid state tuner I've had. |
Magnum Dynalab: MD 108
I loved tuners since I bought my first stereo system. It offered me "free music" and I was able to try different directions, you know, some jazz, classic etc. I owned some of these socalled ' Reference ' tuners like the Onkyo or Revox. They really hurt my ears. Crap.Wasted time and money. After this experience I bought 7 years ago my Dynalab 'Etude'with the Signal Sleuth 205. These two units survived every change in my system, until a friend really wanted to have them. I ordered the 108 without listening. Got it, connected it and had really problems to believe that I am listening to a TUNER. Unbelievable. I had the Naim 01, good sound, but the 108 smokes it in EVERY area. It is lean and quick-sounding with excellent frequency extension. Instruments like piano and drums are rendered with weight and authority, but without any overhang or woolly quality that can obscure clarity. Vocals have excellent detail and body. High frequencies are very well extended and not bright, edgy or grainy-sounding, as is often heard from lower-quality units and it can throw a wide and stable soundstage. This is amazing because we all know what kind of signals are coming out from the Radio Stations. A really, really excellent unit. I use it very much and I am always impressed. There is some hype about the ' Marantz 10 B ' or the ' Sequerra ' tuners. I know some owners. Well, when something in these units stop working - specially with the ' 10 B ' - then it is over. Definetly. Same with the Sequerra. So here is the new Star. System's Components: Turntable: Basis Debut Vacuum Mk.V Arm: Graham 2.0 Deluxe Cartridge: Takeda ' Miyabi ' CD Transport: Goldmund Mimesis D/A Converter: DCS ' Delius ' D/D Converter: DCS ' Purcell ' Phono Preamp: Stan Klyne 7 PX 3.5 Line Preamp: Stan Klyne 7 LX 3.5 Power Amps : 2 x Pass Aleph 0 ( Mono ) 2 x QUAD II ( GEC, Mullard ) Speakers : Kochel ( Horns ) Tuner : Magnum Dynalab ' MD 108 ' + Magnum Dynalab ' Signal Sleuth 205 ' Headphone : Stax SR-404 Sign.+ SRM-006t Interconnects: XLO Ltd. Edition Phono Cable : XLO Signature Speaker Cables: XLO Signature Shotgun Digital Cables: XLO Signature AES/EBU Power Cables: XLO Ultra Record Cleaner: VPI HW 16.5 Power Conditioner: Burmester 948 Rack : Solid Steel
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i'm glad to read people posting about marantz. i bought a 2020 on ebay for about 70 bucks but didn't really listen to it because i had just bought a line stage with one set of inputs only. two days ago i hooked it up to my new preamp and wasn't expecting anything when suddenly i thought, holy crap this sounds amazing! and it does. what's up with THAT magnum/dynalab?? oh yeah, and i dont even have an antenna for it!!!!! |
Magnum Dynalab MD102. It captures everything the airwaves have to offer. On the radio stations that take their transmission quality seriously the sound is superb. Turn the lights out you'd swear the broadcaster's voice is coming from someone right there in between your speakers. A good antenna is crucial however. The Magnum ST2 (also known as "The Whip") does a beautiful job. These guys are the Rolls Royce of tuners. If you've got the scratch check out the MD102 or at least the Etude. |
I have a Merantz model twenty from the late 60's or early 70's. It has an osilascope tube that provides perfect tuning. The tube is about a $400 item used, the unit is basiclly the tube cost. The spec's on this and the 10b are the same. I know of no tuner that has ever matches these spec's. I'd intertain offers in that I too live in the Twin Cities, land of bad FM. |
The Accuphase T101 I used to own was without a doubt the best tuner I or any of my audio buddies have ever heard. Here in Phila. PA when WRTI (90.1) went of the air at night I would get Howard Univ.(90.1) without any re-tuning. This was with a hunk of 300Ohm twinlead hung on my wall with a nail. I could kick myself for selling it. I got all hooked up in digital readouts. What a mistake. |
Price/Performance ratio at about $200.00 used,I would pick the Yamaha T 1 or the Sumo Charlie,and for a third choice the venerable NAD 4020A.To do better than these will have to spend a lot more,for performance that is for the most part only marginaly better. |
tuners i like that i've heard include the magnums, the onix bwd1 w/soap p/s, the naim & linn tuners, revox, & the sequerra. also, the tandberg 3001/3001a - isn't this one the one yer referring to, dschoenberg? i had a 3011a in my home for a week & was thoroughly unimpressed. tuener i've heard good things about, but have no 1st-hand experience include the mac 67/71/78, the yamaha ct7000, the sansui tu-x1, the marantz 10 b, the fisher fm1000, and the kenwood lo7 (i think that's the model). doug |
Speaking of antennas, can anyone report on Magnum ST-2 or equivalent Metz (marine) whip? |
Is without a doubt, Magnum Dynalab..... hands down. While the MD-108 is their top-of-the-line tuner (at $5,000.00...... OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!), you can get an MD-102 for about half of that and it offers 90% to 95% of the perfomance of the MD-108 without the headache of replacing burnt out tubes later on. The FT-101 Etude is also a respectable tuner for almost 50% less still than an MD-102. The FT-101A still sets the standard as far as affordable tuners are concerned. But I wouldn't pay $900.00 for a new one however. Try to find a used one on the "net" for about $300.00 or $400.00 less. If you want to, you can have it upgraded to an Etude later on. But now, if you really want a good sounding tuner that is also affordable, then try one of the used NAD tuners that was produced over the past 15 years. Good tuners (talking about the NADs now), great prices. I am fortunate. I own a Magnum Dynalab FT-101 (the original one..... not the "A" version) and it is the part of my audio system. Sounds great as advertised. And I also own an NAD 4155 (1982 to about 1986). That one is going to be part of my home theater system. It will also be a back-up tuner when I finally decide to have my FT-101 upgraded. Good luck in your search. I'm sure your tuner is out there somewhere. |
Agree with above comment. Buy VHF only antenna (not VHF/UHF combo). Ensure FM trap is diabled. DO NOT USE splitter or signal boost. Use better quality RG-6 cable. Use rotor of course. |
every tuner mentioned is more than worthy I would say buy any of the above used preferably the least expensive and put your money into a good outside antennae my feeling being this the most important factor |
If you can find one, definitely a Tandberg 3011 or 3011A. If you do get a Tandberg, however, have the preset switches replaced--they die after about 15 years. Once you've replaced them, and had the unit aligned, you won't believe how musical it is. |
The Day Sequerra tuner. No one writes in about them because people who own them have realize time is money and tehir time is too expensive to give away for freee on the net in discussion groups. |
Pioneer TX-9500II tuner and maybe their other TX models. Fun time is surfing the dial at night in IF narrow. Decent tuner for peanuts. |
It may not be the best but the rotel rt940 i have sounds really good and is cheap |
Any of the Musical Fidelity tuners with a reasonable antenna will give you OUTSTANDING fm sound IF the station is up to the task. Most articulate and deepest bass of any tuner i have ever heard. They easily better comparably priced Magnum Dynalab's and do not drift. No competition. Quad FM 4 sounds very good but lacks sensitivity. Not a good choice if your out in the "boonies". Like most Quad gear, it lacks bells and whistles and is high on quality sound. A good outdoor antenna will get you excellent FM for a very small portion of what a truly superior tuner would cost you. Quad used to demo these by setting up a small high fidelity FM transmitter in the shop and then comparing the recieved signal via the FM-4 to the vinyl source via an A-B switch. No difference. Sean > |
Linn Kremlin ($4K) or the top of the Naim chain with outboard power supply. Definately if not the best, one of the best I have ever heard. |
You might also try to find an older Nikko Gamma. These were very high quality and extremely musical. I picked my Gamma 20 up at a pawn shop for $45, it's list price was $495. If you have a good FM station nearby, a good tuner is worth having. |
So far I enjoy my 23 year old Accuphase T-100 best of all. When it came out it was slated as an MR78 killer....I am lucky enough to have several stations that broadcast live classical and "unplugged" music. This tuner recreates the spatiality well, unlike other tuners. I stress the importance of the best aerial you can install!!! |
The PILOT 380 is by far the very best fm tuner ever made! Get one and listen carefully. |
