What are the best tuners each company has made, and how you started?

Hi Ed,
I too have owned a bunch of tuners over the years and it’s tough to compare one against the other when you don’t have the chance to a-b them, you can only go by your recollection of how you liked a certain tuner.

However, for the past 2-3 years, I’ve used 2 tuners and a-b’d them all the time and it was truly amazing how close in sound many good tuners really are.  The PS Audio ST-1 tuner I just sold was virtually indistinguishable from my trusty NAD 4300 tuner, while I greatly preferred the NAD to a Quad FM4 and to a lesser extent over a Perreaux TU-1.

I like analog tuners over digital ones any day of the week but some digital tuners are really cool though.  Some of the better sounding digital tuners I’ve had were:  NEC T710, B&K TS108, Sumo Charlie, ads T2, and the Perreaux.

The best analog tuners I’ve had were:  Creek CAS3140, Pioneer TX9800, Sansui TU717, Mac MR71, Dyna FM3, PS Audio ST-1 and a Tandberg 3030 receiver

I’d like to get rid of the NAD because it doesn’t match in color but I don’t want a huge tuner and not much else is really better sounding. I also had a Yamaha T1 and MD FT101A which were nice as well but I don’t think any better than the analog tuners I mentioned.

Wants:  I’d love to try a Meridian 504 if I could find one at a reasonable price or another Sumo Charlie as I sold it prematurely or an Onix

Ed, any tuners that you’d still like to try?

Good Question.  My interest has dimmed a bit after a move to an area that has only one station that I have any interest in.  Redneck music in stereo FM is of no interest to me.  Perhaps I am just a snob, but great, earlier Jazz and well done classical would be my choice. 

As "they" say, my current area has both kinds of music, "your country and your western" .   Isn't it odd that a C&W singer from California still talks like their from the deep South.....I guess part of the culture. 

I've had SS receivers, Tube receivers, Tube Separate; SS Separate, and now the amazing

mx110z McIntosh Tube Tuner/Preamp 

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue77/vintage_mcintosh_experience.htm

http://www.berners.ch/McIntosh/en/MX110.htm

They say give it a strong signal, I have dedicated FM antenna in the attic just above, terrific reception. Carver is without a doubt best for weak stations, but the sound of this tuner is simply awesome.

When deciding, I read somewhere that Richard Modafferi, designer of later McIntosh tuners MR77 and MR78 said there was 'nothing he could to to improve the mx110z tuner, it was that good'.

I haven't had the privilege to own the mighty REL  Precedent, but one day? I had the opportunity to hear one just once! It lives up to the hype.
https://pitchperfectaudio.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/setting-a-precedent/

Not known to many outside the tuner fan world, beautiful art deco looks and the inspiration for the Marantz 10B. It possibly has the goods to be called "BEST" of all tuners.

You have to pay the price to own one.
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa5cb0-rel-646c-1-fm-tuner-rel-646c-1-fm-tuner-precedent-all-ori...

Until then my 1965 tubed Mac MR71 has been a daily driver. 

Beware of the GREEN MONSTER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR1WolxmtjY

I like this site for comparisons
https://www.fmtunerinfo.com/

I have owned:

Magnum Dynalab  FT101A
Magnum Dynalab MD100
Magnum Dynalab MD102
McIntosh MR85
McIntosh MR88

My favorites which I use daily are the McIntosh MR85 and MR88. They sound excellent and pick up more stations with less noise than all the others.  I also use a Magnum Dynalab ST2 rod antenna, one on each McIntosh tuner. 

+1 for the REL Precedent, it looks so awesome!

grinnell, I have to take the fm tuner info site with a grain of sand sometimes. I use it for validation, but it’s not the end all / be all for tuners, IMHO.

I say, if you like a tuner just get it and check it out. I’ve heard some nice sounding tuners that were ranked lower than others that I thought sounded great!

The B&K TS108 is very highly rated on their site, but ergonomically a nightmare with all the same sized tiny buttons and hard to read graphics. I kept hitting store thinking it was a tuning preset because it’s in the same row as other presets & it kept throwing off my stored stations. 

The PS Audio ST-1 was a real keeper and an excellent tuner, but I bought it as part of a whole PS Audio stack so it became part of the sale. Looking back, maybe I should’ve kept the tuna ;)