The best tuner ever

Best FM tuner ever,

REL Precedent (an engineering work of art, more like broadcast equipment than a consumer product, Inspired the Marantz 10 and 10b).

Best SS tuner,

Sequerra Broadcast Monitor (the FCC uses this tuner for measurement and assessment of FM signals, most went to the FCC and broadcasters)

Other special mentions:

McIntosh MR 74 (their best sounding FM/AM tuner in the solid state era. Every stage designed by the best McIntosh engineer for that stage. Excellent musical sounding audio and excellent RF capabilities for all but extreme needs. Our stations have many of them in use for air monitors)

McIntosh MR 71 (their best tube tuner in the RF department. Sounds nice as well and very fine RF capability)

McIntosh MR 65B and MR 67 (my favorite McIntosh tube tuners for sound quality, not quite as selective as the MR 71 but still excellent)

Marantz 10b (one of the best tube tuners made post 1964 in the audio department. I am less than impressed in the RF department though they are very good here. Not good for overload resistance or for stations running SCA or HD carriers) A marvel of audio art and industrial design. Development and teething issues with this tuner forced Saul Marantz to sell the Marantz Company to SuperScope in 1964 and history changed, Very difficult to repair and most need some amount of repair to even play in Stereo.

Sherwood tube tuners. All are at least very fine if not superb in both sound quality and RF abilities. Underrated classics from a company who also was a pioneer in early FM multiplex Stereo.

Fisher tube and early SS tuners. Same goes for Fisher as does Sherwood. Any of them up to 1970 are worth owning. Many were also used in broadcast work.

HH Scott tube and early SS. As a rule, the best affordable tuners before McIntosh and Marantz got into FM tuners in the sound quality and reception department. Most broadcasters used them heavily in air monitoring and relay work. The 4311 was their best tube unit. The 4312 and 311D are still superb in audio and RF prowess and need less signal strength than most for reliable Stereo reception. Some of the best MPX stages ever in that era. Very sensitive too. All are worthy up to 1973. HH Scott was also a pioneer in FM Stereo and also made FM Multiplex Stereo equipment for broadcasters and collaborated with the FCC on FM Stereo.

SS Sherwood. All US made and early Japanese made Sherwoods to 1975 are superb buys. Nice RF abilities and sound. Their Micro CPU was a nice early digital display tuner and developed with Draco Labs and their last statement tuner.

Later on, I'll discuss the top Japanese makes in FM tuners and list some of the best in design, sound, and RF performance. Some of them are the best available in their glory era.
 
Somebodys been to the FM-3 Zone! Lots of parts and new faceplates to be had!

Russellc

Yeah man. Got this one off Ebay for less than the Zone, but I did buy the upgrade kit there. It was easier than putting it together myself. :thmbsp:

It looks like a modern tuner now.
 
--snip--However the best FM I have ever heard came out of a Pioneer (ready for this?) KP-500. Yes, the early Super Tuner car stereo. I set it up once on the bench with a 12 VDC power supply, an antenna and a pair of speakers, and WOW. I have considered this unit and a second set of speakers just for FM. Too bad it lacks a line level out...

That can be remedied easy enough.
 
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Another vote for the Sony ST-J75

I just got one of these for under $100 in decent condition this Spring. Sound wise, it beats my Yamaha T-85 (fully modded w/extreme tune by Punker X).

The sparrow feed tuners on the TIC, such as the Sony, are some pretty amazing tuners for the money.

The Sony continues to amaze me with the dynamic range and sound on decent stations.

Scott
 
McIntosh | MR88

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I'll put a Sony ST-J75 up against any tuner for the ability to pull in stations and of course the sound. It is simply amazing.

Now I have other tuners including some of the top rated, however the only one that comes close is my Mitsubishi DA-F-20 which has been completely recapped, realigned and has Bill Ammons' Filter-Adder boards.

The Mitsubishi DA-F20 sounds as close to the Mac 78 as you can get, however neither will beat the J75 in the ability to lock on 4 lights to a distant station.

All this for $150 or less.


How does the J75 compare to the sony xdr-f1hd?
 
For some reason I have a tuner fascination. Always have to play with every one I see in the local thrifts. I have stopped buying all of them, though.

I have two that are mighty nice. Kenwood KT-8300 and Yamaha T-85. I also have a T-80 that is very good. Wouldn't want to part with any of them.

Are they the best ever? Maybe not, but they get the job done a lot better than any others I have.
 
I have two. Sansui TU717 and Creek T40.

Creek is decent but nowhere the best.

TU717 very decent for a very old (and mint) tuner. But after a re-cap, I bet it will easily run with the big boys! :D
 
McIntosh MR 88 best new FM tuner in audio quality and among the best new tuners in RF capabilities. The best HD tuner available and our radio station group's HD reference monitor. Even better audio than our Day-Sequerra HD modulation monitor (which actually cost more money). Eats Magnum-Dynalab for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. :tresbon: Superb analog RF capabilities and sonics to boot, comparable to a good MR 74 or MR 77 for analogue. Timeless McIntosh styling and nice analogue dial. A pleasure to use and cherish!
 
Kinda funny to see the "XM" and "HDRadio" logos on the front of a classic-looking Mac. But I think I could live with it! :D Are any radio professionals using the Accuphase T-1000 for reference?
 
Pioneer F-93, TX-9800 and TX-9500 II. Anybody who hates the 93 but lauds the 26 and 28 because of its rarity, is just yankin' your chain. Mine are all in "biggish" rooms with very "biggish" systems, so......just sayin'.
 
I would not argue if it is the best, but I would never ask a tuner to sound better than my Yamaha T-2.
 
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