Years later- I received a gift from a foreign graduate student who was studying electronics. He knew I liked Sherwood tube gear from the early 60s so he rebuilt and refurbished a Sherwood tuner for me. Man is that a fine sounding tuner. It is stereo but I can't recall the model number it's in storage.
Listening to Christmas on the Hitachi FT-930 tuner I bought ~ 1976. Still going strong. I've owned the top Harman Kardan and Marantz models and choose this 920 based on listening in my system. I'm amazed it's been so good used every day all these years. Cheers to old fashioned quality.(Of course I don't hear up to the carrier signal)
I have relatively little experience with top competitors, however, I did own an Accuphase T-101 for several years, and have recently acquired a T-103.
It's a bit of an apples and oranges comparison as the associated components and location are quite different. However, I must say that I am extremely impressed with the latter thus far...
I have a Sangean wr-1 able radio with one of the best table radio tuners I have heard ever and I recall some very good ones many years ago, many of which were pre-transistor era.
Anyone ever tried a Sangean radio/tuner on a good system? They would be my modernpick to be able to make a very good one for reasonable cost these days.
Put the 47 Labs Model 4730 on the best tuners list. I bought one on the strength of Art Dudley's assessment in a recent issue of Stereophile. It's really good if you're in a strong signal area with stations that broadcast an ungimmicked signal. I'll post my findings in the tuner section soon.
Well, I don't know about my coming up with Top-10 of ALL TIME. I can only come up what my life's experiences were based on.
Entry-Level -- NAD 4125 (which was part of my 7125 Stereo Receiver which I have purchased 25 Years Ago), and the NAD 4155 (which IS LISTED).
Mid-Level/Upper-End -- Magnum Dynalab FT-101 (which I currently own, and have owned since 2001), and a Yamaha T-2 (a beautiful Low Profile FM Only Tuner I would love to seek out and find should I FINALLY part with my DEARLY BELOVED Magnum Dynalab FT-101)
And My Dream Tuner(s) would be (if I had the money to buy one):
(01). Day Sequerra Reference (02). Accuphase T-103 (03). Accuphase T-109 (04). Magnum Dynalab MD-109
I defy anybody to tell the difference between a Pioneer F-91 or an F-93. If there is any, it's the 93's superior separation and S/N. After spending years investigating what people's beef was with it, it turns out that somebody offered it up for a mod operation to one of the Mac kingpins, and they declined because it was "complex". The next thing you know it was ganged up on (no pun intended) in a Stereophile review with some Brit Tuners (post JA's arrival) and was recommended, but only after having been compared to a CD player's un-broadcast signal. (Suspect to the point of being self explanatory really......)
Kenwood KT-8300 (bought on New Year's Eve 2009 for $220 via local Craigslist. Looks like new).
Accuphase T-101 (bought new in 1975, when I was in 8th grade. Also bought E-202 at same time. Paid on lay-away until my mom offered to pay-off the balance for my birthday. Otherwise, I'd still be paying. The owner of the local record shop carried TEAC and had these set-up on loan from TEAC distributor as as demonstrators. To my knowledge, no one in my town ever ordered any Accuphase; mostly Realistic Optimus from Radio Shack)
Dyna FM3 (bought new as a kit directly from Dynaco when I was in 10th grade. I was facsinated by the tuning eye).
Insignia HD-TUNE (Best Buys for $49 on sale. Bargain HD FM performer. Bought in November 2009 to experiment with HD FM before investing in a more expensive HD FM tuner.)
Sansui TU-9900 (bought it and CA-2000 pre-amp new from local stereo shop when I was in high school and paid on lay-away. I thought it was way-cooler than the Accuphase T-101. Now, I think the T-101 is way-cooler.)
I've been through about a dozen tuners over the years, mostly vintage tube units, but a few modern ones as well including a Carver TX-11. The vintage ones include a REL (Radio Engineering Laboratories) Precedent (from 1954), two different Marantz 10B's, a McIntosh MR71, and numerous Scott and Fisher units.
By far the one with the best sound quality has been the now 55-year old REL Precedent (with a Scott or Fisher multiplex adapter to decode the stereo). The best in terms of station-getting ability have been the REL and the 10B's, which I found to be about equal (both significantly better than the Carver unit, which has proprietary digital processing claimed to provide extra-special sensitivity).
Note: Please no inquiries about the REL -- it is not for sale and will not be. I no longer have the 10B's or the MR71.
I use a Creek T43 I enjoy a lot. I am tempted by Magnum Dynalab, which seems to get great reviews, but not fit into many peoples favourite list. I was looking at the 90T. Can I ask what people have against them, where their deficiencies lie? Many of the favourites are older units, I am sure with good reason. If you were going for currently available units, which would outperform Magnum? Thanks
Well adjusted and maintained versions of the Marantz and McIntosh tuners are terrific. The Fisher is pretty good too. I would add Naim tuners to the list.
I own a Magnum Dynalab Etude. This is an unfailingly musical, sweet sounding tuner, but a touch laid back. Still, a great tuner.
One of the very best I heard, extremely good RF performance (its ability to pull in more stations than anything else was staggering), very dynamic and punchy sounding, but a touch hard and transistory, was a Toshiba tuner someone tried to sell to me. It was from the early 1970's, and there is NO record on this baby. Toshiba itself offers no data on this model. The seller speculated that Toshiba has disavowed making this tuner because it may have been caught up in the scandals involving Toshiba inappropriately selling militarily sensitive technology. The inside of this monster-sized tuner is packed with edge connected circuit boards (this from the early 1970's). The build looked like a Tektronix oscilloscope. The seller wanted $5,000 for this 30-year old tuner. I don't listen to FM that much, and I pretty much stick to just one classical music station, so I passed on it.
I'd vote for the Revox 260S. Looks could be better, but it has an array of usefull features that actually improve reception. As for sound, I'd say a Yamaha CT-7000 is best. I recently doubted about buying one, but at half the price I bought the Revox. Still have a little taste of that Yamaha magic trough my TX-900.
NAD 402 -- tuner bargain of the year. I just saw an NAD 402 in mint condition (also with the burnt out backlight to its digital display - common problem with NAD products that have digital displays) sell for $12 on Ebay! Between this and the $12 to ship the tuner, this lucky owner got himself a great sounding tuner for $24!
If not in the top 10 tuners of all time, the NAD certainly belongs in the upper ranks of tunerdome, given its excellent sounding midrange and DX performance.
The following is a list of tuners that I presently own, all of which I believe are worthy of consideration as some of the top tuners ever made:
Revox B261 -- A behemoth of a tuner; beautifully built and great sounding -- the tuner website that did the shootout is a wonderful addition, and great benefit to this hobby. However, in my opinion the fellow who did the review of the B261 either had one that needed to be serviced, or has specific listening tastes. A number of people have remarked at what a superb sounding tuner the B261 is and that it easily holds its own with its even more famous sibling -- the B760. And while I have never heard a B760, I have to say that the B261 is a superb sounding tuner, and in my opinion more elegant looking than the B760. I have also noticed that the B760's regularly come up on the American Ebay site, however I have yet to see a B261 for sale on this site. I had to go to a foreign Ebay Website and use language translator software to purchase my B261 from a Swedish seller, who only spoke German. It was a lot of time and effort, but well worth it, since I finally have a tuner that I have wanted for many years. The B261 is a beautifully manufactured and engineered product that was built to offer years of faithful service.
*Note that the B261 has a green plastic strip installed between the two bulbs that are used to illuminate the tuning and digital readout displays, which gets burn marks on it after years of use, that diminish the intensity of the bulbs. Removing it altogether takes about 5 seconds, and brings back the brightness of these displays by a considerable margin.
Tandberg 3011A -- Built like a tank, great sounding, and one of the coolest looking tuners around, the 3011A is one of my favorite tuners. Its DXING capabilities are not amongst the best, but it has a warm lush midrange that is both articulate and addictive. It's great fun to revisit the 3011A after it's been sitting on the shelf for a time. However, I can say the same about the rest of my tuners, as well, since they are each unique in their own right. They were all purchased based on many years of researching which tuners were the best for the respective money. And there are so many tunerholics out there who offer their contributions, that it is almost impossible to buy a bad sounding tuner, as long as you stay within their recommendations.
*I have also wondered how much time most audiophiles spend listening to their respective pieces of gear. I probably spend 85% of my time listening to the radio, and split the rest between my turntable (Systemdek IIX with original Profile tonearm and Sumiko Blue Point Special MC cartridge), and tape decks (mint Nakamichi 700 Tri Tracer & Sony ProWalkman WMD-6C cassette decks).
Marantz Model 125 -- One of the prettiest tuners ever made, and just as good sounding as the Model 150 (the two are basically the same circuit topology -- the 150 differs only in its use of an oscilloscope, while the the Marantz 125 uses two vertically mounted tuning meters. As such, the Model 125 continues to rank as one of the best values in hi-end tuners. Regularly selling in good condition for under $300, and up to $400 for a mint unit, the Marantz 125 is an affordable classic that competes favorably with the best; even if its DX performance is slightly off that of the best tuners available. Its wonderful sound quailty has earned it the respect of tuner officionados the world over. And then there's that smoked perspex glass with the red, blue and tan lights, that are so reminscent of the flash of the 1970's audio market. The Model 125 is just plain cool, and great value in vintage tunerdom.
McIntosh MR-65B -- One of the rarest of all Mac tuners and most valuable -- Audio Classics sells these for $2000 in good condition (that is when they actually have them for sale at all). Given that they are nearly 50 years old, it's becoming tougher to find an MR-65B in nice shape. Only 1600 were ever built. The MR-65B was the first stereo tube tuner built by McIntosh. It was manufactured from 1962 until 1964. I recently acquired one, and am presently awaiting its delivery. I am hoping that it is in as good a condition as it was represented as being in.
NAD 402 -- Probably the best sounding tuner for the money ever built -- I paid $58 bucks for mine in mint condition with original factory packing and manual. The only caveat was that the backlight for the tuner display had burned out -- a common problem with all NAD gear that employs the use of digital displays. The British press went wild about this tuner back in the mid '90's, and after using mine for a few months I can see why. It has a rich warm midrange, with excellent DX capabilities, for an extremely modest price. If you can find one on Ebay in good shape for a reasonable price -- up to $100, snap it up. You won't be disappointed. The NAD 402 accomplishes the most important thing that any piece of audio gear can do -- it faithfully honors the music.
I've owned at least 60 tuners in the past twenty five years, from some real cheapo's to some expensive gear. With the exception of the few tuners that I purchased new from a friend in the business, most were purchased well used, and well maintained.
Thank God for the rich people who buy these toys new and then tire of them so the rest of us can have a crack at them at a reasonable price.
Here's a list of my top 10 favorites followed by some of the better tuners that I have owned:
Naim NAT-01 Revox B760 Revox B261 Sequerra FM Reference (Most Beautiful Tuner I've Ever Seen) Marantz 10B Macintosh MR71 Leak Troughline II (well sorted out with a good multiplexer SAE MKVIB NAD 402 Quad FM4
A few of the tuners that I have owned:
Sequerra FM Studio
Marantz 10B
Naim NAT-01 Naim NAT-02 Naim NAT-03 Naim NAT-101
Leak Troughline II used with a Scott MPX-335 and a Fisher MPX-100 with walnut cabinet
Linn Sneaky Kudos module
Marantz 125
NAD 402 (what a sleeper this cheapo is)
SAE MK VIB
Quad FM3 Quad FM4 Quad AM1
Pilot MKIV -a lso used with the Scott and Fisher Stereo MPX'ers
I have used a McIntosh MR 71 for about 20 years and have loved it. However, I got got a mod (new power supply and audio output) mr 78 and think that it is just about hte best tuner I have ever heard. Also, it is one of the most beautiful pieces of Hi Fi jewelry on the planet. In terms of performance it beats the classic Kenwood stuff and the much lauded Marantz 10-B. The new unit as 50db separation, a big improvement on the original. Also, the noise flooor is better.
If one were compiling a of favorite cars whether affordable or completely off the stratosphere, would the likes of Aston Martin, Rolls Royce or Ferrari be left off? Why no NAIM?, amongst a list with a lot of very average tuners indeed?!! Not in any particular order 1.Leak Trough Line 2.Quad FM2/FM3 3.Revox (the one with about 80 buttons) 4.Any Magnum Dynalab, but the affordable MD90T 5.Naim NAT01/NAT02 6.Linn Kremlin 7.Yamaha CT-7000 8.Accuphase T-100 9.McIntosh MR78 10.Meridian 104/504.
I am surprised that someone else has an appreciation for the Sherwood 300. I have the mono and stereo versions. I might add that I also have the Sansui TU 717 and a digital Nikko. For the guy who doesn't believe people listen to so many "radios". I have couple of those as well. It is true that Tunas may not be the last word in terms of high end sonics, although mine are not configured optimally (no outdoor antennae). I hear more interesting new music this way than by any other avenue. Which I then get on CDs or LPs. You know for your DVD and record players.
1st is Sansui TU X1, best room, best Dynamik, "just there Sound" 2nd is (of those I own) Sansui Tu 517 (modified with Accu-Voltage and different internal wires), Onkyo T 9900 , Kenwood KT 1100 (great reception, great selektivity), Technics ST 9600 (just beautiful..), Technics ST 7300K (good Dynamik and bass)
i have listened to quite a few tunas over the past few years. i still own.. hmmm... several. ;~) here's my extensive audition list: ============== adcom gft-1a accuphase t100 accuphase t101 accuphase t109, joseph chow mods aiwa at9700u audiolab 8000t b&o beomaster 5000 creek t-43 denon tu-850 draco micro cpu 100 (needs refurb) eumig t-1000 fisher fm90r harman kardon citation 18, stephen sank mods harman kardon citation 18, mike williams mods hitachi ft-8000 jvc fx-1100 kenwood kt-7550m bill ammons mods kenwood l-07-tII, modded kenwood kt-9900 larsholt signal master 8 leak trough line 3 luxman t-12 magnum dynalab ft-101 marantz 20b, complete refurb (inside a marantz 19 receiver) mcintosh mr-77 refurb'd mcintosh mr65b, stephen sank refurb & mods meridian 204 mitsubishi da-f20 nec t6e nikko gamma 1 onix bwd-1 w/soap-2 power supply philips 22-ah-105 (euro deemphasis) philips 185 philips 186 (euro deemphasis) philips ah6731 pioneer f-91 restek d1 (euro deemphasis) revox b760 revox b261 roksan caspian rotel rht-10 rotel rt-2100 saba ts-2000 sansui tu-517 sansui tu-719 sansui tu-9900 sansui tu-x1, joseph chow mods (in transit) scott 310-d sherwood s-3000-III sony st-s730es sony st-a6b sony st-a6b (both a6bs need a refurb) stromberg-carlson sr445 sumo aurora sumo charlie tandberg 3011a tandberg 3001a tandberg 3001a w/minor power supply mods technics st-9030, modded technics st-8600 technics st-9600 technics st-heathkit aj1600, bill ammons mods telefunken ebu-3137-7 ballampfanger yamaha t-2 fisher mx100 decoder one thing audio mpx decoder trio mpx decoder (needed refurb) scott 335 mpx decoder studio 12 mpx decoder, minor mods
the gear marked "needs refurb" and "euro deemphasis" hasn't been properly ewaluated. tho i suspect the philips tunas would qualify for top sonics, based on my experience w/them & w/the other philips tunas.
sonically, i would be happy w/*any* of the above, except for a few. these few are: ========================== m-d ft101 adcom gft-1a mcintosh mr77 kenwood kt9900 (bronze-faced kt8300)
what holds them back for me are lack of soundstage dimensionality - they are yust flat sounding.
sonically the top tier tunas for me are: ======================== accuphase t100 accuphase t101 accuphase t109, joseph chow mods aiwa at9700u audiolab 8000t denon tu-850 harman kardon citation 18, stephen sank mods harman kardon citation 18, mike williams mods kenwood kt-7550m bill ammons mods kenwood l-07-tII, modded larsholt signal master 8 leak trough line 3 marantz 20b, complete refurb (inside a marantz 19 receiver) mcintosh mr65b, stephen sank refurb & mods meridian 204 mitsubishi da-f20 nikko gamma 1 onix bwd-1 w/soap-2 power supply philips 185 philips ah6731 roksan caspian rotel rht-10 rotel rt-2100 sherwood s-3000-III (mono) stromberg-carlson sr445 (mono) sumo aurora sumo charlie technics st-9030, modded technics st-heathkit aj1600, bill ammons mods telefunken ebu-3137-7 ballampfanger
if top sensitivity/selectivity is also an issue, the following are eliminated from this list: ========================== stromberg-carlson sr445 (mono) sherwood s-3000-III (mono) philips 185 meridian 204 mcintosh mr65b, stephen sank refurb & mods marantz 20b, complete refurb (inside a marantz 19 receiver) leak trough line 3
perhaps "the cream of the crop", from this list are: =================== accuphase t100 accuphase t101 accuphase t109, joseph chow mods aiwa at9700u audiolab 8000t denon tu-850 harman kardon citation 18, stephen sank mods harman kardon citation 18, mike williams mods larsholt signal master 8 marantz 20b, complete refurb (inside a marantz 19 receiver) mitsubishi da-f20 philips ah6731 roksan caspian rotel rht-10 stromberg-carlson sr445 (mono) - sonics only sherwood s-3000-III (mono)- sonics only technics st-heathkit aj1600, bill ammons mods telefunken ebu-3137-7 ballampfanger
i suspect the modded sansui tu-x1 will make "the cream of the crop", but i haven't heard it yet. ;~) the mono tunas are rated using any of the (excellent, imo) properly working mpx decoders listed.
the other tunas above, that i said i could be happy with are *so* close to even "the cream of the crop", that you should consider them, if you like the looks, ergonomics, features, etc.
others have their faves; go to fmtunerinfo.com & its associated yahoo forum for more info.
Have Yamaha T-70,T-80,TX-400,TX-900;Pioneer F-99X,F447and Kenwood KT 8300.Of all of these I think the Yamaha T-70 has the best sound on my systems followed closely by the two Pioneers .The Yamaha T-80 the best reception followed closely by the KT 8300 and TX-900.The TX-900 is the quietest on weak stations.Top picks for me Yamaha T-70 with T-80 only beating the Pioneers because of it's reception. System 1:Yamaha AX-700U w/4 JBL L100's Yamaha CX-600U + Crown xls 402 w/2 Dahlquist DQ-10's Yamaha C2 + Yamaha M60 w/2 Klipsch KG4's
System 2: Yamaha AX-700U w/2 JBL E50's + 2 JBL J350's I must confess I have never heard most of the tuners in the top 10 but of the ones I have now more than a couple sound as good as my cd's.How much better would I appreciate?Most of these were had for under $70
Of the ones you mentioned I own a Nikko Gamma 1. It crushes my mint Sansui 5900. I wouldn't have believed it but its true the Sansui just a couple of steps down from the vaunted 9900.
I must say the the Accuphase T-109V is one of the best tuners in the world, well deserving a place in the top ten. Auditioning a live broadcasting concert from this tuner is always an enthralling experience, away better then some CD players in the market
i agree with Timo (the first entry). If you like the B&K TS-108 you have to like the Fanfare FT-1. It is the same tuner as the B&K with remote and balanced outputs added. Look at them side by side. They are both made in Buffalo, NY. The TS-108 was made in 1990-91 and the Fanfare FT-1 was made from 1992 on. The FT-1a came on at 1995 I think. It was a modified FT-1.
I have owned quite a few tuners at different times. For obvious reasons of expense. (this hobby can financially break one so easily but how much fun it is to go broke this way.)
The following is a short list of some of the best tuners I have owned over the past 15 years. I have had several more but some escape my memory after all these years. The 10 B was the smoothest of all and along with the Sequerra ran very hot. Overall I would have to say that these were the best sounding tuners followed by the Naim gear which was also quite good. The best cheapo tuner I have ever used was a Leak Troughline 2 with a Fisher MPX 100 stereo decoder followed by a Pioneer TX-9100 that I paid about 80 bucks for. It also ran pretty hot though.
Naim Audio Nat 101 Nat 01 Nat 02 Nat 03 Meridian 204 Meridian 504 Marantz 10B Day Sequerra FM Studio SAE MkVI B non nixie tube Leak Troughline with both Scott and Fisher decoders Quad FM 2 Quad FM 3 Quad FM 4 Pioneer TX-9100 Scott 350 C Scott 350 B Macintosh MR66
1/ McIntosh MR71 2/ Tandberg 3001 3/ The original Sequerra FM tuner 4/ Luxman T110 5/ Pioneer TX9100 6/ Marantz 10b 7/ Marantz 150 8/ Marantz 120 9/ Magnum Dynalab tube hybrid units 10/ Meridian T101 (not very sensitive but beautifully musical on a good signal)
Hey Rmahai, if you have a chance post at fmtunerinfo.com what info you have on the Kenwood L-03t. They are always asking for info on tuners they haven't heard. Larry
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