advertisement


Leak TL which decoder?

The very best tuners tend to be Japanese top of the range unit from around '75 - '85 and also some outstanding units from the likes of Tandberg and Revox, for some European contenders.
A cheaper option but very good is a Hitachi FT5500.
 
Thanks for the info. There’s not a lot around at the moment that appeals. I like the look of the Hitachi but it looks a challenge to maintain. Not just a matter of changing a few discrete components. Because of the situation I’ve experienced with Linn I’m a bit wary of being able to get kit repaired if I can’t do it myself
 
Thanks for the info. There’s not a lot around at the moment that appeals. I like the look of the Hitachi but it looks a challenge to maintain. Not just a matter of changing a few discrete components. Because of the situation I’ve experienced with Linn I’m a bit wary of being able to get kit repaired if I can’t do it myself

Tuners need a large amount of test gear to work on properly (your TL has likely been put out by a mile by your pal tinkering with it! You can't just replace parts and that's it) and if this is a requirement you are stuck with pre 1980's units really.
A & R Cambridge T21 another decent unit...
 
Hi Jez, I fully understand what you say. My pal though, is, like yourself, very experienced in setting up hifi kit, including tuners and has all the equipment necessary to do so. Component level on computers though is not part of his remit. He's too long in the tooth for that. My TL has been done properly and the alignment is perfect, its the sound I have a problem with.

Anyway, back to the chase. I've been reading about the Hitachi and the reviews confirm your suggestion. How much would you expect to pay for a MkI and is it significanly down on a MkII in sound quality? There's a couple on the bay at present and I might consider taking a punt on one.
 
Hi Jez, I fully understand what you say. My pal though, is, like yourself, very experienced in setting up hifi kit, including tuners and has all the equipment necessary to do so. Component level on computers though is not part of his remit. He's too long in the tooth for that. My TL has been done properly and the alignment is perfect, its the sound I have a problem with.

Anyway, back to the chase. I've been reading about the Hitachi and the reviews confirm your suggestion. How much would you expect to pay for a MkI and is it significanly down on a MkII in sound quality? There's a couple on the bay at present and I might consider taking a punt on one.

That sounds all good on the TL front then:) Parasitic capacitance etc plays a huge part in VHF tuners and just replacing parts with similar new ones can put a tuner out of alignment as even eg the distance between the chassis and the body of the component effects things...

I don't know about prices for the FT5500 as I obtained my samples years ago but I have MKI and MKII and they seem as good as one another to me... I can't say I've noticed any differences that confirm the "MKI is good but MKII much better still" thing that all the reviews at the time suggested. Styling is a bit different between them. Same dimensions but different layout of buttons and display plus my MKII is black but MKI a sort of "light browny gold" colour front panel.

As they are old now and quite high tech in spite of their age it would prob pay to spend a bit more as necessary to make sure you get one in perfect working order. An internal battery needing replacement (keeps station memory when it's unplugged) is prob the most common issue and easily fixed... Just take the lid off and replace the button cell on the PCB (IIRC! Long time since I took lid off).
 
A bit off topic, but related. I rarely use a FM tuner these days, I have my Hi FI connected to my desktop PC and on that PC I run Radiosure software (free). My PC has an old but good Creative Soundblaster 5.1 card in it.

Radiosure can get most stations and even has the facility to record.
 
How much would you expect to pay for a MkI

Unless something is rarely offered for sale there are two sources to use as guides - HiFI Shark and sold listings on EPay. The Shark will have prices going back a few years if there have been items sold, not so EPay. Beyound encyclopedic knowledge and memory somewhere that is all there is.
 
I use my iMac with the BBC Sounds app via a V-Link converter into a Teac DAC and thenceforth into the pre. It sounds good but a little 'thin' for my taste. I'm looking for a tuner a little thinner than the Kudos but a little thicker than the Sounds app. Plus, I do like the looks and feel of the traditional kit. So much more tangible than a handset.

All that being said. The quality of FM relies so much on what is being broadcast. Most of it is now so compressed as not to be worth listening to (IMHO). The Beeb still does put out some really good live broadcasts though and for these alone (and the tape decks) I will stick to an analogue FM tuner.

I really do appreciate all the suggestions and advice so thank you all and please, keep it coming.
 
Ahh! Not quite what I thought. I sometimes catch-up with Linn Jazz online through TuneIn. It’s a good station. I was thinking you were on Linn FM.
 
I used Cricklewood for decades, very good. many years ago they changed their name from Markshalls to Cricklewood Electronics, I still have a Marshalls catalogue!
Are you sure about that, I remember both Marshalls and Cricklewood around in the 70s
 
It makes no difference to sound quality if transistors, valves, mosfets whatever are used before the discriminator as the signal is at this point a deliberately massively distorted "square wave" at about 12MHz (yes not standard 10.7MHz IF frequency!)
Interesting, I suppose that IF could have been anything before we started using standard filters and tuned circuits
 


advertisement


Back
Top