I've owned many high quality vintage tube tuners over the years, as well as some more recent solid state ones, including the legendary REL Precedent (from 1954; and that's Radio Engineering Laboratories, no relation to the modern subwoofer manufacturer); the equally legendary Marantz 10B; an MR71, several by H.H. Scott (310C, 310D, 311D) and Fisher (FM90X, FM200), several Radiocraftsmen 10 mono tuners from 1952; a 1980's Carver TX-11, and some other lesser solid state units.
Any of these tube tuners can produce truly gorgeous, beautiful sound, in situations where the station is broadcasting good quality material with good quality equipment and minimal compression, and assuming the signal conditions are within the particular tuner's capabilities in terms of sensitivity and selectivity.
I would not go as far, though, as saying that FM can be superior to a quality vinyl or digital source. Those sources are what the station is playing, after all, and the transmission and reception path in between can at best only add euphonic sweetening or other euphonic inaccuracies, or at worst introduce significant degradation.
I'll add that among all of the tuners I mentioned the REL Precedent (which is what I currently use, in conjunction with a Scott LM35 multiplex adapter) is by far the most sensitive, in stereo with the LM35 as well as in mono mode, and it is as good as or better than all of the others sonically. Although relative to the Marantz 10B, that may have simply been due to the REL being in better condition.
BTW, please no inquiries asking if the REL is for sale; it is not, and will not be!
Regards,
-- Al
Any of these tube tuners can produce truly gorgeous, beautiful sound, in situations where the station is broadcasting good quality material with good quality equipment and minimal compression, and assuming the signal conditions are within the particular tuner's capabilities in terms of sensitivity and selectivity.
I would not go as far, though, as saying that FM can be superior to a quality vinyl or digital source. Those sources are what the station is playing, after all, and the transmission and reception path in between can at best only add euphonic sweetening or other euphonic inaccuracies, or at worst introduce significant degradation.
I'll add that among all of the tuners I mentioned the REL Precedent (which is what I currently use, in conjunction with a Scott LM35 multiplex adapter) is by far the most sensitive, in stereo with the LM35 as well as in mono mode, and it is as good as or better than all of the others sonically. Although relative to the Marantz 10B, that may have simply been due to the REL being in better condition.
BTW, please no inquiries asking if the REL is for sale; it is not, and will not be!
Regards,
-- Al