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Best tuner ever made?

Had this FM2 for 2 years now (thanks Tony ;-) and still get a lot of fun out of it on an almost daily basis - a lovely sounding minimalist tuner in a diminutive package. Authentic retro coolness for sure ;-)

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Mr Tibbs
 
SteveS1 said:
Glad you like it Ross. :D

I preferred it to the NAT01 I had too. It took a modified Sansui and Kenwood to edge it for me, but the 204 is a great bargain.
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I preferred the Meridian 504 to the Naim NAT02 I replaced it with! Also a superb tuner.
 
My favourite Pioneer F-91 and F-93 :) F-93 has the best bass performance i've heard from a tuner so far :D I shouldn't have sold them :(

Thanks

Rick @ Musicraft
 
love my Kudos, £100 - bargain of the century

my old Nad 402 was cracking, but poor build

but I will always turn to my Tivoli first
 
OK, I'm returning to this forum after an interval of several months and was surprised to see this thread is still active.

In real use in New York, which is where I am based, differences in real world *sound quality* between tuners are negligible because of the abysmal quality of almost all FM broadcasts here. IOW, the tuner - any decent tuner - is better now in this environment than the signal being transmitted. I expect this is pretty much the case all across the US. Thus any comments made about the sound quality of high end tuners on actual US broadcasts should be taken with a grain of salt. I would say that the differences between a TU 919 and TU X1 in real world use are not worth bothering with, assuming a good roof top aerial. The Kenwood 917 has an FM modulation meter and it typically shows a dynamic range of 6dB - yes, SIX dB - on most commercial broadcasts. One so called 'quality' station shows about 12 dB dynamic range.

Can't speak for the quality of European FM broadcasts, but, in general, I would doubt very much any comments on sound quality without knowing the actual quality of FM transmissions.

Of course the foregoing refers only to so called 'sound quality' differences on commercial FM broadcasts. There are significant differences in the RF ability of tuners: selectivity, sensitivity, quieting, and so on. Then there is the matter of ergonomics, the user interface, long- term reliability, parts availability etc. Given current FM transmission standards I would suggest that these are MORE important in selecting a top tuner for long term ownership than so called 'sound quality'.

ex brickie said:
That's some list Al2002! I have a TU-9900 from USA and use a transformer. Sounds fantastic. Would love to hear a TU-X1 (much of an improvement?)

So, GT Audio - what's this "de-emphasis" about and what am I missing out on (and how corrected if I was minded)? I've heard my Sansui alongside top Naim tuners and it fared very well as it is....
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PS:- I used to own a TU 9900. Super, had a bit of high end roll-off due to the early design of the multiplex filter. I was sorry I sold it, wished I had it back.

Did you switch it to 50 micro-sec de-emphasis for Europe? There is a switch inside IIRC, it was 30 years ago, how tempus fugits....

al2002 said:
OK, I'm returning to this forum after an interval of several months and was surprised to see this thread is still active.

In real use in New York, which is where I am based, differences in real world *sound quality* between tuners are negligible because of the abysmal quality of almost all FM broadcasts here. IOW, the tuner - any decent tuner - is better now in this environment than the signal being transmitted. I expect this is pretty much the case all across the US. Thus any comments made about the sound quality of high end tuners on actual US broadcasts should be taken with a grain of salt. I would say that the differences between a TU 919 and TU X1 in real world use are not worth bothering with, assuming a good roof top aerial. The Kenwood 917 has an FM modulation meter and it typically shows a dynamic range of 6dB - yes, SIX dB - on most commercial broadcasts. One so called 'quality' station shows about 12 dB dynamic range.

Can't speak for the quality of European FM broadcasts, but, in general, I would doubt very much any comments on sound quality without knowing the actual quality of FM transmissions.

Of course the foregoing refers only to so called 'sound quality' differences on commercial FM broadcasts. There are significant differences in the RF ability of tuners: selectivity, sensitivity, quieting, and so on. Then there is the matter of ergonomics, the user interface, long- term reliability, parts availability etc. Given current FM transmission standards I would suggest that these are MORE important in selecting a top tuner for long term ownership than so called 'sound quality'.
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P.P.S:- I've just remembered that sll Sansui kit of this vintage (TU/AU 9900) had multivoltage power transformers. You really do not need an external step down transformer.
 
al2002 said:
In real use in New York, which is where I am based, differences in real world *sound quality* between tuners are negligible because of the abysmal quality of almost all FM broadcasts here..
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Very different geography in uk, i'm 60 miles from London and we think of that as a long way!
Thus my aerial is pointed at Crystal Palace or similar (based on signal strength readout) which gives high quality for BBC FM broadcasts and Capitol which i'm not supposed to be able to receive.

Agree with you totally that signal quality is the determinant, i'm running an old Yamaha tuner which still outperforms my internet and satellite reception.
 
does anyone here have useful info on antenna rotators, especially 230V models?

They're almost unheard of down here, and I am just about nutty enough to run one. I live on the other side of a large hill from the metro area, and use a 6E Yagi to pull in signal.

Still trying to get a frame of reference on FMTunerinfo.com.... many of the cheaper tuners they say nice things about just sound very average to me. I tried a local (as in not imported so has correct de-emph etc) Technics ST-S505 recently (destined for my workshop) while my NAT02 was back in Salisbury. Yes, it could pull in signals and initially I was surprised at the bottom end... within a day I found it simply mechanical and un-engaging to listen to.

Anyway, if you guys can make recommendations on rotators, and a source or two in the UK or Australia, I'd appreciate it.
 
My vote goes to the Leak Troughline 3 with a John Linsley Hoods stereo decoder.

I will post some 'tuner-drops' when we have some decent live music on BBC radio 2, 3 & 4.
 
Rico said:
does anyone here have useful info on antenna rotators, especially 230V models?

They're almost unheard of down here, and I am just about nutty enough to run one. I live on the other side of a large hill from the metro area, and use a 6E Yagi to pull in signal.

Anyway, if you guys can make recommendations on rotators, and a source or two in the UK or Australia, I'd appreciate it.
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Have a look for Amateur Radio suppliers, here in the UK they hold Radio/ Car boot rallies through out the year you may have something similar where you are.
 
Interesting that Troughlines are so well regarded, and that the demise of FM isn't as imminent as I thought. Maybe I should revisit the decision to get my troughline functional again.
 
Interesting to see this thread pop up again as I have a new tuner coming my way some time soon.

It was bought new by the BBC in the late 1960s and I'm told has spent the last 40 years in the Sound Archive, monitoring the output transmission quality of Radio 4. I'm not entirely sure why they no longer need it, but I'm not complaining!

Anyone care to take a guess at the tuner in question? ;)
 
I have around a dozen Troughlines. They don't get used. The most over rated tuner ever due to that (in)famous review in Hi-Fi World. The second hand value went from around £5 to (for a while) £300!
My vote Hitachi FT5500 either MKI or MKII although I have a slight preference for the MKI
 
Beobloke said:
Interesting to see this thread pop up again as I have a new tuner coming my way some time soon.

It was bought new by the BBC in the late 1960s and I'm told has spent the last 40 years in the Sound Archive, monitoring the output transmission quality of Radio 4. I'm not entirely sure why they no longer need it, but I'm not complaining!

Anyone care to take a guess at the tuner in question? ;)
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a roberts in teak and tan leather?
 
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