My Newest Audio Acquisition

musichal

poet emeritus

Yamaha-T-S500-1_30035_2.jpg


A couple months ago, I bought a Yamaha A-S500 integrated amp from a fellow AKer. I'm currently using a Pro-Ject Tuner Box S with it for the bedroom system. However, I don't like resting/napping/sleeping with three remote controls, one for the amp, one for tuner and one for ROKU. Nor do I like all-in-one after-market remotes.

So I've been checking on-and-off for a deal on the current Yamaha tuner. Last night I thought to check again, and found the T-S500 at $117 delivered (includes tax) via Amazon Warehouse. Ordered it. Hopefully, it works properly, but I have thirty days to return it, and it will be relatively easy to place in the bedroom gear cabinet.

So not an upgrade, more of a lateral move, strictly for the sake of convenience as my amp remote will operate it. Yes, I know I won't be able to turn it off remotely, but I don't care. It will be easier to scroll through the presets with the dual controller. And the price was finally right.
 
Don't you wish it was available in Silver? I know I do.

Well, since my A-S500 is black, then I'd have chosen black anyway, but yes, it would be nice if both were silver. I think Yamaha should have offered that tuner choice here, since they did the amp.
 
Akai AT-V04 Tuner 3.jpg You must have good stations in your area for you to invest in a tuner. I'm between Orlando and Tampa. I live on some of the highest ground around; so the reception is good. The only problem is there are no good stations in either city except for the NPR stations. I sold my Akai tuner even though I really liked it. I love the simple look of the Yamaha equipment. Nice purchase.
 
View attachment 1308133 You must have good stations in your area for you to invest in a tuner. I'm between Orlando and Tampa. I live on some of the highest ground around; so the reception is good. The only problem is there are no good stations in either city except for the NPR stations. I sold my Akai tuner even though I really liked it. I love the simple look of the Yamaha equipment. Nice purchase.
Ten years ago Tampa was good for FM, sad now.
 
View attachment 1308133 You must have good stations in your area for you to invest in a tuner. I'm between Orlando and Tampa. I live on some of the highest ground around; so the reception is good. The only problem is there are no good stations in either city except for the NPR stations. I sold my Akai tuner even though I really liked it. I love the simple look of the Yamaha equipment. Nice purchase.

I like our local classical station at night, and some of its weekend shows. And a rock station called The Brew which mixes old and new, keeping me fresh. A couple others occasionally. And a country station, or two, on a blue moon night. So, yeah, I still have a use for tuners. I stream more than I use FM, but that classical station, especially, delivers a very clean signal, and The Brew ain't bad, either. I just wish we had a 24/7 jazz station.

I didn't invest in the tuner, just bought it at a steep discount.
 
View attachment 1308133 You must have good stations in your area for you to invest in a tuner. I'm between Orlando and Tampa. I live on some of the highest ground around; so the reception is good. The only problem is there are no good stations in either city except for the NPR stations. I sold my Akai tuner even though I really liked it. I love the simple look of the Yamaha equipment. Nice purchase.
Actually, UCF has a pretty decent, primarily jazz, radio station that I listen to when I'm down that way. Otherwise, I'm up here in the radio wasteland that is north-central Florida.
 
So, my T-S500 tuner was supposed to arrive before 8pm today. For lunch, I had half a bowl of vegetable soup, then opened the front door, which has patterned glass that one cannot see clearly through. Oh, I can tell if someone is there, but they can't see me, and I wanted to be able to get the UPS guy to set the box inside the door for me. They don't like to do that, but are willing when they can see my walker.

Christine left for work at 2pm and the package hadn't arrived, but that wasn't unusual. Norma, our aid, was here, too, and would be until about 4:15pm. I took my two pills - nothing strong, no pain-killers or anything like that, yet they do make me drowsy. My recliner sits about twelve feet from the front door, in plain view. By 0230pm I was asleep in the recliner.

A telephone awoke me at 0315. Norma's phone. She was speaking Mexican Spanish pretty loudly and urgently, and I caught the "911" she shouted, and knew it was one of her daughters. She quickly hung up and told me her grandson had ingested some sort of poison, and that she'd put my MIL to bed and leave early. So she rushed off pretty soon.

The nap had restored me so I sat, keeping watch for UPS while I roamed the forums here. By 6pm, I decided to check the UPS tracker, and found that they claimed the package was delivered. It wasn't there. Damn, what a hassle, they must have left it at the wrong house. Irritated, I contemplated how long I should wait before calling UPS, Amazon, or both.

Our immediate neighbors are good about such things and would bring the box to me if it were left at one of their homes. I returned from checking our porch to reclaim my seat in the recliner, and was not looking forward to dealing with the problem. I sat perhaps five minutes, annoyed, when my glance just happened to rest upon a rather large box sitting on the fireplace hearth three feet in front of my chair on the left.

It wasn't a Yamaha box, but was sealed with Amazon tape and was big enough to contain another box. Obviously, the package had arrived during my nap, and Norma had brought it inside for me. Leaving in a rush, she hadn't thought to mention it, but it had only taken me, with my Sherlock-Holmes-type powers of observation, about three hours to detect its presence, because, after all, I am a genius.

With Herculean effort, I grasped a nail-file close at hand and slit the box open. Inside was a Yamaha T-S500 box that was badly torn on one end. About as shabby a box as I'd ever seen, but it was a Warehouse deal, after all, and the previous buyer of this returned tuner had more muscle than patience, it seemed.

With prodigious effort, I was able to get the Yamaha box opened, hoping the tuner wasn't too scratched up. Not a single blemish anywhere. Looked like a fresh one. Owner's manual, a couple other sheets which I didn't look at, flimsy push-on, straight-wire FM antenna, AM loop and cheap interconnect were all inside a plastic bag taped to the styrofoam inserts from which I'd freed the tuner.

Then came the really hard part. Carrying the tuner to the dining room table using the walker with one hand. By the time I completed that ten-foot journey I was exhausted. Bravely, however, I pressed on, undaunted. Well, maybe slightly daunted.

By the time I gathered my portable audio lab, RCA-to-3.5mm Y-cord and succeeded in getting the damn things plugged into a wall outlet, I was bushed. Then I gutted it out. Or tried to. But I could read neither the manual nor the front panel of the tuner with my blurred vision, so rose up yet again, as one from beyond the pale, to go grab my lighted magnifying glass from far away there beside the recliner - about ten feet away, as you may recall.

I'd already plugged the tuner into the portable audio lab (Tivoli PAL) and connected the antenna. I scanned through the instructions explaining presets very quickly, which was pretty straightforward, then turned the lighted Sherlock-Holmes-type glass upon the face of the tuner to facilitate detection. Set one station manually, and that worked, good. Discovered the previous owner had set presets for his area, and cleared them all. Then tried the Auto Preset mode, and was delighted to find that worked, too, and surprised at how fast it set twenty strong stations (has forty presets available). I'll redo the presets on a better antenna once it is in place.

I'd already made sure that both channels output, that the signal was indeed stereo, and that the stereo indicator all worked properly. Everything worked. It looked sleek and pretty, Oops, I needed to ensure that the A-S500 integrated amp's remote control worked via the IR window on the tuner. A much longer journey down two halls to the master bedroom to fetch the remote. So I gutted that out, too.

The tuner passed all tests. Everything worked and it sounded as good as anything run through a Tivoli PAL can, which wasn't that bad, by the way. My epic journey, and feats of heroism completed, I gratefully reclaimed my seat in the Lazyboy, rested a minute or two, then logged on here in order to dazzle you all with my thrilling tale of adventure.
 
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I'm not sure about Japan but, IIRC in Europe the FM band is on even frequency numbers ie: 100.2 - 100.4 etc.
 
Yamaha tuner accepts push-on F-connectors. I have some. Somewhere. Can't find 'em. Had to order. In the meantime, must use the little straight-wire antenna that comes-with. Poor antenna for my bedroom location, but the adaptor will be here Tuesday, just before I hit the lottery to start a whole new round of connection difficulties. Damn it, bet I really do hit and have to deal with it all. That will suck, big time. Glad I have a chance of not winning, however slim that may be, but I feel the hand of Fate resting heavily upon me... the whole 1.6 billion pounds of it.
 
musichal.......you must either have been a writer of some sorts or an English major. I confess that I do enjoy some of your more lengthy posts. You seem to have a knack for writing a good short story. Enjoy your new tuner!
 
View attachment 1308133 You must have good stations in your area for you to invest in a tuner. I'm between Orlando and Tampa. I live on some of the highest ground around; so the reception is good. The only problem is there are no good stations in either city except for the NPR stations. I sold my Akai tuner even though I really liked it. I love the simple look of the Yamaha equipment. Nice purchase.
I live on the treasure coast, as I've said before it's an FM wasteland. Used to have great stations we could get from Palm Beach like WSHE but that was many moons ago.
 
Yamaha tuner accepts push-on F-connectors. I have some. Somewhere. Can't find 'em. Had to order. In the meantime, must use the little straight-wire antenna that comes-with. Poor antenna for my bedroom location, but the adaptor will be here Tuesday, just before I hit the lottery to start a whole new round of connection difficulties. Damn it, bet I really do hit and have to deal with it all. That will suck, big time. Glad I have a chance of not winning, however slim that may be, but I feel the hand of Fate resting heavily upon me... the whole 1.6 billion pounds of it.
Yeah, lottery winner is in Sooner Mall area so only a 50% chance that it is you now. Just a silly tip.....years ago when I still used FM read that a single 3 ft piece of RU6 cable wire works extremely well. I tried it and agreed back in PA. Just use a piece laying around and try it in the 75 ohm
 
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