Tuner - FM over the air - suggestions

@tablejockey

thank you for the Sony receiver suggestion, it’s a good one, amazing for the money really... I actually have that exact model of Sony receiver up at my Minnesota lake cabin, playing a Pandora shuffle over an old iphone and cds via a legacy JVC cd changer through updated Epi m50 "The Mite" speakers that sit on my fireplace mantle reinforced modestly through a judiciously placed compact Pinnacle sub down in the corner where I store the firewood, and that Sony does an admirable job in that setting.

The tuner is for my setup back in Pasadena, which has a Marantz Ruby as the heart amp. I could hook up the excellent Marantz nr1200 to the Ruby and use that as my tuner (and streamer for that matter), but the nr1200 is designated for office duties.

@jl35

I’ll look into that! I’m into refurbished gear and other such bargains.  And the MD tuners look amazing, even their oldest one which is aprox $300 refurbished and would probably be all I'd need.  

I'm going to start with that free Pioneer that's been offered, and that'll take the edge off the hunt and will mitigate for my purposes for now... that said, that MD suggestion is very interesting and I'm still looking for more suggestions based on my budget and purposes.  The Pioneer will work in my circumstances, but eventually radio, like TV is likely to go all digital... however, in the meantime, over the air on the Pioneer, here I come!

I’m appreciating all the suggestions I’m getting here! Thank you!

@curtdr Might be moving to Tucson, AZ

Green Valley has a really good classical station. I'm not a huge classical fan but my tuner is on more than any other source. Local, good quality, ease of use. 

OP,

I lived in Tucson for 25 years. I loved it.

You do know it is ground zero for climate change? Water problems as they are mining irreplaceable ground water… etc. We reached the tipping point for climate change a few years ago and the heat is getting worse and much longer. I don’t know how the electrical grid is holding up.

There are lots of forecast maps published showing the expected increasing heat and other effects. These are probably underestimated.

Something to consider.

@ghdprentice

It’s getting hot all over the SW, though... and Tucson is better off than PHX or Vegas for water, as T gets more rain and still has enough aquifers to last my lifetime, anyway, and it’s substantially cooler than PHX too. I might consider Reno area, Oregon is out (can’t stand the rain nor the culture). Pasadena good... sort of... but it does have grid problems and many other L.A. problems... plus my Pasadena house is crazy valuable and will set me up for life if/when I sell it so if it’s too hot in Tucson (Oro Valley, north of T, is my prospective destination... misnomer though, not really a valley and is actually higher elev than T) for a couple months I’ll be able to rent a cabin up top of Catalina Mtns or just enjoy my Minn lake place. As for the grid, it’s also an issue all over the SW, and I’ll be going big-time solar system if I move to OV, including getting a couple storage batteries in a few years after this next exponential leap in battery tech kicks in, and a car charger in the garage for a plug-in hybrid, get myself substantially independent and selling power back to the grid. Most of the year, Oro Valley has paradisical weather, lots to do (amenities and clubs in the Sun City neighborhood), and easy living. If I miss CA, I’ll have enough $$ to hop on a plane, fly into Burbank or San Diego, and kick it for a few days.

Thus my current line of thinking... and another reason to be reasonably frugal with my stereo hobby -- I’d rather invest an extra 10k into my solar system, like getting the batteries for example, than straight up spending it on high price stereo gear since what I’m getting at "budget audiophile" prices is exciting, excellent and satisfactory... sure, a $20k amp or speakers is nice, but not MORE nice enough for me to go "beyond" (if that) what I’m currently rocking. I'd rather bolster the solar and/or my Vanguard mutual funds stash...

Thus, a modest tuner to go w my Marantz Ruby - Klipsch Heresy IV - Epi system, plus another $3k maybe to experiment with Q Acoustics Concept 50 or the Polk r700... that’ll be all done then. After that, it’s just enjoy it all for many years.

@russ69 

Good tip on the Green Valley station... do you know the station #?  

GV is just south of Tusc, and I'll be, if I move there, north in Oro Valley, but it's not that far so I bet a half-decent tuner, like that Pioneer I've been offered, will pull it in.