Are tuners getting worse?

You may be right, except for the high end tuners that are "custom designs". And if you thin FM sucks, Try AM on any of the newer equiptment! (For old time music and talk radio) The tuner components have been reduced to simple I.C. chip sets to save money, and that is why most comsumer tuners are about all alike, and all mediocre. I just worked on an early 80's or late 70's Pioneer rcvr for my brother with an analog tuner. The amp was not so great, but the tuner sure could pull in alot of stations with just rabbit ears, much better than a comparable 90's rcvr does. I had an 80's SAE tuner with selectable IF bandwidth, muting, etc. and it whips up on the 90's Hafler tuner I use now, only that this one works with my Hafler system remote for convenience. I cannot get schematics for either, to try improvements! Also, compare a 60's or 70's all transistor japanese portable radio on AM, to anything now(the tabletop size, not pocket). If you want to get anything outside of your own city, go with the old "junk" radio! The AM is on a chip, now.

I suppose that this is true. I have offered examples of older Kenwood, Yamaha, Sansui and other manufacturers popular in the late 1970's and early 1980's. I can state that in comparisons with my favorite all-tube tuners (Fisher FM-200-B, FM-1000, Marantz 10-B and McIntosh MR-71, they still sound impressive and are much more "musical" than most other more modern tuners, with the exception of the most expensive models out there these days (ie Magnum-Dynalab, McIntosh, etc). You have to realize that in most current FM broadcasting, the signals are highly manipulated and, in most cases, the program material itself is not always of the highest quality. There are also fewer and fewer stations broadcasting classical recordings or live performances these days, at least where I live (SF Bay Area). I hope this has helped! Richard Links Berkeley, CA

I suppose that this is true. I have offered examples of older Kenwood, Yamaha, Sansui and other manufacturers popular in the late 1970's and early 1980's. I can state that in comparisons with my favorite all-tube tuners (Fisher FM-200-B, FM-1000, Marantz 10-B and McIntosh MR-71), they still sound impressive and are much more "musical" than most other more modern tuners, with the exception of the most expensive models out there these days (ie Magnum-Dynalab, McIntosh, etc). You have to realize that in most current FM broadcasting, the signals are highly manipulated and, in most cases, the program material itself is not always of the highest quality. There are also fewer and fewer stations broadcasting classical recordings or live performances these days, at least where I live (SF Bay Area). I hope this has helped! Richard Links Berkeley, CA

I never thought about tuners getting worse,but I have several examples. We have a large antenna with a rotor just for recieving local TV an crytal clear FM. Our older (80s)analog tuners lock on with no fade. our high dollar AV digital reciever amp will sometimes lose a station. I must be old fashion,that old analog tuner with backlit scale is really great to look at. (9500 PIONEER)

Yes indeed. My listening room is in the lower level in my home and my tuner is a Pioneer 6500II. I can get any and ststions that are availably in my area with no problem using a 300 ohm ant.