How many people have a separate FM tuner?

tybee · « **Reply #20 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 02:01 am »

I have an Audio Note tubed, small footprint tuna that sounds really nice with two local NPR stations. One is jazz and the other is classical, here in Nashville.

EProvenzano · « **Reply #21 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 03:53 am »

Quote from: Tweaker

I have a Sansui TU-717 which is left tuned to our local jazz/NPR station KPLU 88.5. Sound quality is great.
(KPLU has a new online streaming format that produces excellent sound, check it out)
http://www.kplu.org/whatson/indexlisten.cgi

Hi Tweaker,

I also own a TU717. It's very nice and I love the sound.
My only concern is the cheap, old volume pot. It's very noisy. Have you ever considered by-passing the volume? I wonder, is this a simple thing to do? ...remove and connect the wires?

Thanks.

Gordy · « **Reply #22 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 04:17 am »

Quote from: EProvenzano

Quote from: Tweaker
I have a Sansui TU-717 which is left tuned to our local jazz/NPR station KPLU 88.5. Sound quality is great.
(KPLU has a new online streaming format that produces excellent sound, check it out)
http://www.kplu.org/whatson/indexlisten.cgi

Hi Tweaker,

I also own a TU717. It's very nice and I love the sound.
My only concern is the cheap, old volume pot. It's very noisy. Have you ever considered by-passing the volume? I wonder, is this a simple thing to do? ...remove and connect the wires?

Thanks.

I've a TU-717 as well! I was extremely lucky in that it appears the original owner never bothered to take it out of it's box! I'm kidding, but it really is in immaculate condition. I had the caps and filters updated by APS a couple of years back and one of these days I'd love to have it moded by Ammons, that'll be a while yet...

I also have a Sansui T-60 and a T-80, identical except fot a digital readout on the T-80. Perfectly decent tuners, and available for $25 to $35. I'll probably mod the power supply and output on the T-60 just to play...

Tweaker, I listen to 88.5 too! But it's XPN in Philly...

E.P, have you tried lubing the pot with a little 3 in 1 or sewing machine oil? I've seen it recommended several times on vintage sites...

Tweaker · « **Reply #23 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 06:03 am »

I've not taken the cover off of my tuner, my volume pot isn't noisy and I don't use it anyway, but if there are any openings in the pot it should be easy enough to spray some tuner lube (Radio shack sells some) into it to get rid of the noise. Kinda unusual to have a volume control on a tuner, isn't it?

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #24 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 07:25 am »

I've got a Mission Cyrus FM tuner that was the first tuner I had heard that sounded good enough to be worth recording from. I think it is about 1987 vintage. The downside is nobody else can operate it, as the way it functions via the all pushbutton controls is indecipherable without the manual! Even I have to have the manual close at hand if I haven't used it much recently.
I also have a slew of Quad tube tuners; a mono FM, and three AM, all different. One has shortwave and longwave and a fantastic medium wave band with variable bandwidth. It sounds so good some visitors think they are listening to FM. After all, AM is capable of, I think, 20 to 15k even if most modern AM tuners limit to 6k or so, maybe because of fixed narrow band width settings in the interest of "selectivity" on crowded dials.

AM just was never taken seriously by the powers that be.
Potentially it can sound great. I'll always remember a little low-powered AM station in Sequim, Washington that was only allowed by the FCC to broadcast in daylight hours due to their risqué content. They operated on a tiny budget - apparently couldn't afford any processing gear, like compressors and enhancers - and as a result sounded fantastic! When someone walked across the studio you could hear the deep, natural sounding footsteps on the wooden floor. When they played a record it sounded pretty much as good as the real thing. So much for processing power in the wrong hands!
Russell

rosconey · « **Reply #25 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 05:22 pm »

installed my hdtv antenna last weekend-just added my fm rat shack one this morning

-boy my tuna sounds nice

locals will be wondering why i have all the rooftop hardware

captain · « **Reply #26 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 05:37 pm »

I Have a Sansui TU-X1, this is one incredible tuner. I posted a review over at Head-FI if you are interested

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1450052#post1450052

Can any body advise on a good indoor FM aerial, I am about to move and need a temporary measure.

avta · « **Reply #27 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 06:01 pm »

I use a Magnum Dynalab FT 101A. It's an older solid state unit but I think the real limitations are not the tuner but the ability to get a clean strong enough signal. Until about a year ago the tv cable carried fm signals from a variety of stations both local and more distant but they stopped carrying the signals. I use a Magnum Dynalab outdoor antenna which provides only fair signals. I have a CODA Unison Ultra integrated amp and Magnepan 1.6 speakers.

Tweaker · « **Reply #28 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 06:55 pm »

I used to have a Magnum Dynalab FT-11 and traded it to a friend for the Sansui. It's been a while and I don't recall exactly why I made the trade but I think the Sansui is a bit better sounding and a heck of a lot better built. The FT-11 was M.D.'s budget tuner and was rather poorly made, I thought. Not a typical Magnum Dynalab product.
My first tuner was a NAD and I don't know why the heck I ever sold that one. Stupid.

Gordy · « **Reply #29 on:** 24 Sep 2005, 07:13 pm »

Hi Captain,

Here's a few articles on building an FM antenna, from very basic to...

http://www.kgnu.org/howtohear/antenna.html

http://www.pcs-electronics.com/en/guide.php?sub=antennas

http://users.marktwain.net/aschmitz/antennas/jpolecalc.html

Bemopti123 · « **Reply #30 on:** 25 Sep 2005, 12:00 am »

I use a MR-78 Mcintosh which was mint, and won at Ebay about 5-6 years ago.

The tuner does mainly a very decent job in pulling the only station that I think is worth something here in NYC, which is a NPR station.

The sound quality if full, robust, not thin and digital like. I associate this type of sound with components from the 50-80s.

The most interesting aspect about the tuner is how I won and who sold it to me. It was a Cash deal, the person lived an hour or more from NYC and he drove the unit down in the middle of Winter, to count the cash and sell it to me from a van. The person was Russian, with a heavy accent and according to him, he had acquired it from a person who had it inside a cabinet since the day he got it, back in 1978? It was not taken out until he bought it. He was interested in selling me some tubed Mcintosh amps, but at the time, I was not into tubed gear, being a audio new b.

The tuner is a stunning piece of 1970s construction, overbuilt and difficult to get in the condition I obtain which was 9/10.

Paul

SET Man · « **Reply #31 on:** 25 Sep 2005, 01:58 am »

Hi all,

Just got my Sansui TU-317 off eBay for about $55 with shipping. This replaced my more modern Denon TU-280. The 317 sure sound better. I don't listen to radio much so this will do just fine.

Oh! here is a link to a very useful site about FM tuner.

http://www.fmtunerinfo.com

I might do a parts upgrade/mod to my 317 according to the site... only if I could find time to do it

This should make it sound better.

Take care,
Buddy

beemer · « **Reply #32 on:** 29 Sep 2005, 01:58 am »

I'm in central massachusetts and I use the Magnum Dynalab FM-2 whip antenna(s).

Upstairs I have one tucked in the attic and I pull stations from Boston almost 80 miles away, and also pull from Albany NY on good nights. Plenty of good public radio here, I have a choice of 5 different PBS stations, so life is good.

Being the audio junkie I am, I've owned numerous tuners, including at one time a Day-Sequerra Studio, that I sold

The Sansui 70's tuners mentioned are all great, as are the Pioneers, I always liked the Pioneer TX-9500 and TX-9500II. I have a Kenwood KT-7500 and that sounds good, also from the mid eighties, a/d/s made a tuner, model T2 that is quite good sounding. The Carver TX-11a and TX11b's aren't bad, they pull DX very well.

There's lots more, but my fingers are getting tired.......

Best,

Paul

warnerwh · « **Reply #33 on:** 29 Sep 2005, 04:26 am »

Beemer: Get the Kenwood Kt 7500 modded and you'll have world class sound. For a couple of hundred bucks you can get new caps and a new op amp. Also a realignment will help. My modded Kt 7500 can sound better than some cd's on the NPR station I listen to. According to Jim Rivers who I believe started fmtunerinfo.com and modded my tuner the Kt 7500 sounds better than any tuner in their shootouts including the new king, the Accuphase T-109V. Also if it's modded for audiophile values the Kt 7500 will be worth over 300 minimum so it's not like you spent any money you can't get back. Mine has a permanent home. It's the one piece I will not sell. A person who comes highly recommended and whose prices are good is Mike Williams, his site: http://www.radioxtuners.com/
You make my mouth water with 5 NPR stations. IF you haven't been to fmtunerinfo.com check it out.

Upstateaudio · « **Reply #34 on:** 30 Sep 2005, 01:03 am »

I am using a Tivoli Table radio with the rec out to my preamp. The output is mono, but that doesn't matter to me as I use the radio only as background or to listen to NPR.

jon_010101 · « **Reply #35 on:** 2 Oct 2005, 03:27 am »

Cleaned up a Scott 350C last night that I got for free. Holy cow that thing sounds good! And under all the dust and filth was a gorgeous piece of gear. It doesn't lock onto stations like my big Denon TU850, but it seems to have the potential to sound better.

Might need an alignment, as the right channel is louder than the left unless you take the time to adjust the pots on the rear... not sure if that's cheating?

Seriously... My Dynaco FM3 will be listed for sale soon. Maybe the Denon too?

Brad · « **Reply #36 on:** 2 Oct 2005, 04:13 am »

Glad to see another Scott tube tuner user out there.
Mine locks onto stations really well with just a Magnum Dynalab Silver ribbon antenna.

Love the sound, love how it looks and operates. The dial tuner is slick.

I paid a little more than you did, but I still think I got a steal.
Mine is a 350a, so the level control is on the front panel.