Vintage Tuner-Only wonderful because it's the SOUND I grew up with?.....
I scooped up a lovely vintage 70s, Nikko FAM 500 Tuner.
When I work from home, I will stream certain Chicagoland radio stations while working. Several have pretty strong data over stream - per Roon's readings of the connection.
I plumped the cute yet smartly designed Nikko into place and the machine sounds great! I've only listened to FM stereo so far. It's been hours, so who knows? But I sure am enjoying a smooth sound with a bit wider soundstage--I know those to be true.
I wonder for a second.. . What was so wrong with radio when played over just decent equipment?
So, do vintage tuners have a subjective sound quality that makes them enjoyable? Or is this the sound I grew up with, which is just great with faults.
The impressions made from your earliest experiences, are the foundation of the Journey that developed with listening to music. If you are still passionate about Music Replays today, the ownership of this vintage device is sure to stir emotions and catapult one back to halcyon times. Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy. In the same way I do LP's purchased from the late 70's - early 80's, their foibles onboard from a misspent youth are all overlooked and forgiven. |
Yes, maybe a little of both. I sure enjoy my FM tuner, and there are times when I enjoy it more than streaming. Particularly so late on Sunday evenings. |
I love my Cambridge audio t500 tuner. I have it hooked up to an aerial antenna, a Winegard, mounted in the attic. I pull in station 50 miles away. It’s fun late at night surfing the dial. The t500 has a conventional knob used for tuning, so it provides that old school feel. I also have a vintage Kenwood tuner and a Marantz st6000. This coming from a guy who still uses cassette decks and mini disc recorders, even 8 track....it’s about the music for me....using all the above components is a lot more fun than streaming in my opinion. |
Great responses. It is interesting how using a machine like a tuner or tape deck or turntable changes or influences the process of listening and enjoyment. Listening late last night to the Nikko showed me a few things. While there are some inherent artifacts in the signal, the depth of the soundstage and imaging are quite something--just a different sound than streaming. But.... the inner detail on bass is lacking. I was surprised at how enjoyable the sound is. @jasonbourne52 , that's a sweet tuner. I've been watching those.
@audioguy85 , I'm not familiar with your unit. I'm going to check it out.
@pindac , thank you for the kind words and encouragement to enjoy the journey!! |
