Why are AM/FM Tuners So Expensive?

I'm interested to see if/when XM and Serius come out with audiophile-quality rack-sized units, rather than just the car radio pieces they have out now. I'd pay a pretty penny for a well-developed digital tuner that looked good in my system.

Older analog tuners (Luxman, Yamaha, etc.) with all discrete components sound much better than most of today's tuners. Their selectivity is great rejecting reflecting signals far better.

Speaking of components; Mike Creek uses a FM chipset that was made for high-end car stereos, in his current T43 Tuner. He found it to be superior to anything made for (home) audio. I guess it is no accident that it seems like FM stations come in better in the car. The Cambridge Audio T500 Tuner (designed by Mike Creek) has the same chipset.

Sugarbrie,
Thanks for the website lead. The Yamaha TX2000 wasn't listed there but from what I have gathered from other sources it was one above the TX1000 or top of the line in 1989 and retailed for $750.00. It has a silver front with wood sides and the bottom has a full sheet of copper to act as shielding. It also has a swinging operation panel that pivotes to reveal several buttons and it has the Computer Servo Lock System. I thought I would share this since I found it and was the one who was asking.

The person responsible for that tuner website is Eric Fader. His email address may be on that site, if you have questions on a tuner not listed. He also has other resources like Don Scott.