2. analog
  3. 1392835690

Any good FM tuners around for less than $200?

There is not much discussion of tuners these days - who still listens to radio unless it is over the Internet?? lol I imagine there are still some folks that like the radio, and hopefully some of them are here on Audiogon.

I would like to add a decent - not top of the line, obviously, given my budget - FM tuner to my 2-channel system. I am rather overwhelmed by the info on the FM Tuner Information site - I don't understand a lot of it, and many of the tuners they review and like are seldom available for sale these days. I just want a good sounding, not too expensive tuner that will 'satisfy' my occasional radio listening needs! The stations I listen to - mostly via car radio - are local and primarily public (no ads) radio stations, though I do listen to some classic rock stations as well.

A tube tuner would be nice, but possibly more than I can spend, especially if it needs tube replacement, alignment and that sort of thing. Solid state will do, obviously. So, Fisher? Rotel? Marantz? Something totally different?

I do not currently have an outdoor antenna, but that is something I hope to get in the future - one that can be mounted on the exterior wall as opposed to the roof

What tuners would you recommend that I put on my short list?

Holly
oakiris
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Magnum F11...budget route...NAD
ryanmh1
32 posts
 
Not to be brusque, but Lou's advice is simply wrong. Analog is warmer and more realistic? Really? The only difference is generally varactors versus a tuning capacitor. An "analog" Dynalab uses varators... So does an "analog" Tandberg 3001. Confused yet?

With tuners, it's 95% about the design and alignment. FWIW, "alignment" has almost NOTHING to do with what shows on the dial. It is the 20 adjustments in the front end, adjustments in the IF strip, adjustments in the multiplex, you name it. These are very complex devices, and to even begin to under the terminology entails a very, very high learning curve.

If the original poster wants a good, cheap tuner, the Yamaha T70 or T80 is the way to go. These tuners will blow away any comparably priced "analog" with a flywheel by a mile. You need to spend 5x-10x the price to get a comparable "analog" tuner. I don't even want to get into what it would take to match them in an "audiophile" brand.
oakiris OP
206 posts
 
I am somewhat confused by analog vs digital when it comes to tuners. This is not the equivalent of tubes vs solid state, is it? Without getting really technical, what are the main differences - a dial vs a button, or....??

On another note, does anyone have experience with the Fisher FM-90X tuner? Someone has made me an offer of one. FMTuner Info mentions the tuner in their list of Fisher tuners; this is the only comment about it:
Our contributor Larry has an extensively modified FM-90-X which "sounds fabulous in mono - liquid, smooth, yet still detailed and with musical (but not authoritative) bass. This tuner has a very simple gain stage with a cathode follower, reported in many circles as being deleterious to the sound, but I find with good tubes and the mods it sounds great."

As far as I know, the tuner being offered to me has none of the 'mods,' whatever they are; the caps have been replaced with Auri caps if that makes a difference.

Holly
almarg's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
almarg
9,670 posts
 
I had an FM-90X about 20 years ago, when it was about 35 years old. I was very pleased with its sound, and I remember it fondly. I did not do any realignment on it, and I suspect that it had never been realigned. At most I tested the tubes and replaced some, and lubricated the controls. It had no mods.

As you realize it is a mono tuner, but it provides a multiplex out jack which can be connected to an external multiplex adapter for stereo, as I described in my earlier post.

Re analog vs. digital, in the context of tuners that refers to the technology of the tuning circuitry. Analog tuners can tune continuously across the entire FM band, including the frequencies that are in between stations, while digital tuners tune in discrete steps. Analog tuners often have "slide rule" type dials and no pushbutton presets, and digital tuners often have digital/numerical frequency readouts and pushbuttons, but some analog tuners (having analog tuning circuitry) provide digital frequency readout and/or pushbutton presets.

The vintage tube tuners from the 1960's and earlier are all analog, of course.

Regards,
-- Al
oakiris OP
206 posts
 
Thank you for your comments on the FM-90X, Al. It sounds as if you enjoyed yours, though you have since gone on to "bigger and better" tuners. Also, thank you for the digital vs analog information - now I understand!

If I decide to go mono, I think you can also hook up the tuner so that it sends a mono signal to each speaker, correct? I hope so, because at the prices you surmise the good multiplex adapters go for, getting one would be out of my reach at the moment!

Holly
More to discover