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What is it that makes an fm tuner special?

TLS said:
My FM tuner is special because it has been on for around 190,000 hours since new and nothing broke, not even a lightbulb burned. Cost of ownership = 0,08 cents a day!
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Analytical praise indeed, but you omit the name of this 43+ year old (?) 24/7 tuner. Don't say it's a Naim, though mine went for nearly that long before crying out for a service
 
You know, I have fond memories of FM. As a kid, I discovered that my parents’ portable radio had UKW.
They had always used AM, and didn’t know what the set was capable of!
That was the beginning for me. I was 10 and I was hooked.
 
paulfromcamden said:
I really don't need one - and only listen to R3 live occasionally - but this thread has me hankering for a FM tuner again. Maybe a nice FM3....
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That sounds great. An FM3 would be a fine. You’ve got until at least 2030! Nearly a decade of bliss.Twilight’s last gleaming!
 
Del monaco said:
Reading the fm thread I wondered what it is that attracts me to the sound of my fm tuner. I know about the Nicam aspect of the digitised signal, the arguments re. internet radio vs fm vs free view. I understand remarks about old technology. But why do I return to the tuner when listening to Radio 3 and why do others love it so much?
Although I appreciate quiet backgrounds that are afforded by internet radio and Dab, for me it seems to somehow ‘deaden’ the presentation, hem it in a little. There seems to be a limited amount of breathing space or air and the sound feels a little claustrophobic. The FM tuner seems to open this up a little allowing air to circulate and the sound to breathe a little more. There’s a little warmth to the fm sound that gives it a little more tangibility for me. Alongside this are elements of nostalgia, an attraction to vintage sound and trying equipment you missed during your earlier days that are now more accessible and affordable. Also, a good piece of equipment is always a good piece of equipment in spite of its age and cost.
What do fm tuner lovers hear that makes these dinosaurI could have dones of the hifi world special?
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You have answered your own question much better than I could have done; I agree with everything you say!

I've always had an FM tuner since I bought my first Dual system in West Berlin in 1973! That's now long gone, and I've had only two tuners since then; a QUAD FM3 and an FM4 both of which are in daily use in my two systems: QUAD33/303/FM3/Rogers LS3/5A; and QUAD FM4/Jadis Orchestra/Harbeth HLP3ESRs. I've recently developed a hankering to try something more exotic like a Day Sequerra before I die, but they seem to be holding their price!
 
chartz said:
You know, I have fond memories of FM. As a kid, I discovered that my parents’ portable radio had UKW.
They had always used AM, and didn’t know what the set was capable of!
That was the beginning for me. I was 10 and I was hooked.
Click to expand...
My fm journey started with this when I was a kid listening to "Video kills the radio star" and Donna Summer in the dining room :

 
Oh you are that young ha ha :)
I listened to that on my Thorens/Nad3020/DIY tuner/AR38 system :cool::)
The tuner was based on varicaps and Philips chips and a discrete head. Memory lane it is.
 
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