The best sounding FM Tuner is.....

lithojoe, the 4310 *is* the "close second best" scott tuna. :>) most tuna freaks will tell you that the 310d w/an outboard mpx decoder, or the 310e, are better sounding tunas than the 4310. (even most honest scott freaks will tell you this - the 4310 is a collectable.) most tuna freaks will also say the vintage fisher tunas like the fm90r, fm90x, etc, will *also* sound better than *any* of the scotts, tho they're not as sensitive. as will the 3000-series & above tubed sherwoods. again, the sherwoods aren't as sensitive.

so, i think it highly unlikely that a 4310 will crush everything. or even come close for that matter. i have yust sold a perfect 310d & its matching 335 mpx decoder; the decoder has been refurb'd. this combo *was* supurb, no doubt. and, its sensitivity *is* pretty amazing, for an old tube set-up. but its sonic performance, imo, is exceeded by the fisher/sherwoods mentioned above, as well as any number of other tunas i have owned or still own.

ymmv,

doug s.

Doug: Listen we are going to have to agree to disagree. There can be sonic variables to all vintage tube equipment. Very often two identical models will not sound the same. Or one mod on the same unit may not sound nearly as good as anothers depending on their expertise. So in your audio world reality you may have experienced your flawed conclusions. In my personal experience it is often the case that I may have to go outside to get some fresh air first. Then I seek out recording engineers,electrical engineers, 25 year plus tube manufactuer's with their own circuit designs, etc. to formulate opinions and recomendations. Then spend another ten years validated those opinions or recommmendations and come up with a public opinion. Not rely on the "tuna freaks" or reviewers perked by the advertisers, and the forum want to be's. Please I must take your opinion with a large grain of salt. I won't take that grain throw it over my shoulder and hope I picked the right piece of vintage tube unit for audition. The 310-D or 310-E is only noted greatly for it's sensitivity. When your ready for a shoot out please let me know grab your best tuna or someone else's and will go deep sea fishing and see who comes back with the trophy. That certaininly will put this thread to rest. As always best regards!

the Acccuphase T-1000 tuner. And people can actually buy
one. The bad part is that it costs $4500. I intend to buy mine soon.

More for curiosity I have an old (but refurbished) Fisher 88 which is one of the last ones built that required an external MPLX for stereo. This feeds into a McIntosh CR 12 audio/visual control unit and then the signal goes into seperate tubed amps (McIntosh 2102 and Audio Aero Capitole). This whole mess sits below my NEC 50XM5 plasma. Needless to say I get quite the bug-eyed looks from visitors to my home. The old Fisher sounds really good, although it is there more for the curiosity factor. I recently broke many of the above mentioned rules by splitting the feed from my roof-top Circuit City antenna that pulls in UHF(digital TV, analog feeds, etc.) and I cut the end off from a piece of coax cable and am using this roof-top feed for my Fisher's antenna. Great signal reception from stations far away. I can now walk around my living room without 'getting in the way' of my FM signal.

Jazzbird: It's funny you mention this expensive tuner by Accuphase. I just had a shootout with a Scott tuner and it creamed this expensive unit. It's very hard currently to beat a good tube tuner. It's a different story with other components.